YATESVILLE – The Pittston Area boys track and field team made sure its home opener went much better than the season opener a week earlier.

Naseem Guillaume and Matt Ambrose each won an individual event and were part of two winning relays when the Patriots defeated Crestwood, 101-49, Tuesday in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 meet.

The Patriots bounced back from a 107-43 loss at Hazleton Area to defeat a Crestwood team that had won its opener over Tunkhannock.

“We struggled on the track a little bit at the first meet,” Patriots coach Jason Mills said. “We’re really happy. In the hurdles, we swept everything and, in the throws, we swept all three, too.”

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Pittston Area used the 18-0 scoring advantage in the two hurdles races and the 27-0 in the throws to open a large gap.

Guillaume won the 110-meter high hurdles and placed third in the 300-meter hurdles, which Colin Tracy won. Nick Barbieri was second in the 300 and third in the 110. Shane Syms was second in the 110.

“We have a nice group in the hurdles and they’re all young,” Mills said.

Ambrose won the long jump, finished second in the high jump and joined Guillaume on both the 400 and 1600 relays. The senior is already making an impact in his first year in the sport.

“He’s a basketball kid who had played basketball in the spring time,” Mills said. “Unfortunately for us, he never had an interest in coming out for track.

“We kind of wish we had him two years ago.”

Michael Elko and Walter Coles led the throwing group. Elko won the discus, Coles won the javelin and they finished second to each other.

Pat Mitchell won the shot put.

Ryan Davis, another first-year senior, contributed a second-place in the shot and a third in the javelin.

Noah Strucke was third in the discus.

The Patriots performed better on the track, getting wins from Richard Wallace in the 200, Jimmy Pliska in the 400 and from all three relay teams.

Wallace and Davis were on the 400 relay with Ambrose and Guillaume while Barbieri and Pliska joined them in the 1600.

Pittston Area Girls 136, Crestwood 16

Sophomore Abby Norwillo raised her own school record in the pole vault to 10-9 during a 134-16 rout of Crestwood.

The Patriots won all 18 events.

Norwillo showed she was ready for the start of the season, reaching new heights despite competing in less than ideal weather conditions. The former gymnast has decided to make the pole vault her main concentration in track and field and travels each Sunday to Warwick, N.Y. at Flying Circus.

“I did some research,” Norwillo said. “I knew I wanted a place to do some extra training.”

Tara Johnson won the 1600 and 3200 and ran a leg on the 3200 relay.

Marley O’Brien won the discus and javelin.

Jamie Chisdock, Andrea Ruby and Sam Mayers were each won both individually and as part of a relay team. Kirsten Durling was on two winning relays.

By Tom Robinson

For Sunday Dispatch

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