(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from May 5, 1998).

By Scott Pagel and Brian Hunsicker

Times News Staff

BANGOR - Despite less than ideal conditions, all sorts of records fell at Tuesday’s Fourth Annual Mountain Valley Conference Track and Field Championships at Bangor Memorial Park.

With overcast skies and an intermittent light drizzle, the young men and women of the MVC broke 12 meet records, tied three others and set new stadium marks in an amazing 31 of 35 total events.

When all was said and done, the Stroudsburg boys and the East Stroudsburg girls came away the overall team winners. The Mounties compiled 157 points, which was 40 points better than second place finisher Lehighton, while the Lady Cavaliers totaled 125 points, 31 better than runner-up Pleasant Valley.

Stroudsburg’s Dan Matulevich was the big individual winner on the boys side. The standout Mountie captured three firsts and set two new meet records in the process. Matulevich won the 800, 1600 and the high jump.

In the 800, Matulevich’s time of 1:59.1 bettered the previous mark of Lehighton’s Chad Wentz (2:01.5) which was from last year’s meet. His run of 4:30.8 in the 1600 topped Pocono’s Jason Trollope, who ran a 4:31.2 back in 1995.

The Stroudsburg boys won firsts in six events and the relay team took two others - the 1600 and the 3200.

Several local males also made their mark in this year’s event as the Lehighton Indians took three firsts in all. In the 100, Mike Quinn bested Nazareth’s Dustin Jones with a time of 11.2. His time was good enough to set a new stadium mark, which replaced the old one of 11.3.

Quinn said that the rain may have helped, not hindered, his efforts in the 100.

“It made the track a lot quicker, I think,” Quinn said. “It made it more spongy, and I got a better push off of it. The rain did help a lot. But it was a little windy in the finals.”

The Indians’ David Muffley finished first overall in the long jump competition. Muffley’s jump of 20-9 was eight inches better than second place finisher, and teammate, Norm Frey. Pleasant Valley’s Jamie Robinson was third with a jump of 19-8.

Muffley was another who thought the weather actually helped.

“It was good because it wasn’t real windy, it wasn’t real sunny to be hot,” Muffley said.

He says he still needs a few more adjustments before next week’s districts.

“I might try to [lengthen] my approach from eight steps to nine. You get more speed.”

Jeff Siglin’s throw of 145-4 in the discus was also good enough for another Lehighton gold. Siglin’s mark was 18-plus feet better than Sam Segond of East Stroudsburg. The mark downed the stadium best of 140-3, as well.

The Lehighton boys 400 meter relay team won the Indians their fourth gold of the day. They clocked in with a fast time of 44.9. which equaled the league meet mark of Pocono Mountain from back in 1995. The team was comprised of Muffley, Frey, Chris Risteter and Quinn.

The Pleasant Valley boys finished sixth overall with 32 1/2 points.

East Stroudsburg dominated the women’s side taking six individual golds as well as sweeping the three relay events. All three relay times broke league meet records on top of it. The run of 50.4 in the 400 bested the Lady Indians old time of 51.3 set in 1996. A time of 4:12.6 in the 1600 topped Northampton’s old record set in ‘96. Pleasant Valley’s 1996 time of 10:12.9 (in the 3200) was erased when the Lady Cavaliers ran a 10:08.5.

Jessica Spence also helped the Lady Cavaliers cause by taking two individual golds. Spence won the 1600 and the 3200. In the 1600, she tied the meet mark with a run of 5:30.2. That broke the stadium mark of 5:39.30, which was held by Palmerton’s Amanda Samok.

Spence’s time of 12:36.3 was good enough for first in the 3200 and it erased another stadium mark which also belonged to Samok (13:02.0).

The local girls fared better than the boys as they took five total firsts yesterday afternoon. Three of those five golds went to the Lady Bears of Pleasant Valley.

Lauren Kelchner outdueld Lehighton’s Shawnee Serfass in the 400 to take first. Kelchner’s time of 59.4 was two seconds better than Serfass. Her time was yet another that broke a stadium record (1:05.5). Serfass did manage to capture a first of her own, however, by taking gold in the 200, just edging out Kelchner.

“I heard that [the rain] affected other people,” Kelchner said. “But it didn’t really affect me at all.”

Kelchner’s philosophy for district competition is a simple one.

“Next week, I’m just going to try to run my fastest every time,” she said.

Tara Morris won the women’s high jump competition with a distance of 4-10 1/4. That was good enough to top Pocono’s Marissa McGrath, who measured in at 4-8. Morris, who is coming off a foot injury, said that there is still work to be done before districts.

“I just think I need a lot more confidence, a lot more practice,” Morris said. “I was disappointed with today.”

LaToya Peterkin won the high jump contest with a mark of 32-9 3/4. Peterkin just beat out LaTonya Woodberry of Pocono, who jumped 32-8 1/2. Both Morris and Peterkin set new Bangor stadium marks.

Maria Merluzzi just managed a gold in the javelin. Merluzzi’s throw of 96-1 was enough to down Northampton’s Nadia Gabryluk, who managed a toss of 96 even.

Because of the weather and the wet grass, Merluzzi was forced to make adjustments in her technique.

“I wore cleats, but that didn’t really help,” Merluzzi said. “It was really wet and slippery. I didn’t do a full approach. I only did five steps instead.”

The Lehighton girls finished third with 68 points.

Other women’s meet records included: Frances Cross of East Stroudsburg in the 100 with a 12.8 (tied); Elena Roberts of East Stroudsburg in the 300 IH with a 46.4, which broke Northampton’s Tara Santaroski’s 47.0 from 1995.

Other men’s meet records included: Kevin Bush of Stroudsburg in the 200 with a 22.7. That broke a record set by E. Johnson of Pocono Mountain and T. Grandon of Nazareth, which was 22.8 from 1995; Willy Metzgar of East Stroudsburg in the 300 IH with a 40.1 broke Pocono Mountain’s Rahsaan Uldaneta’s record from 1995; Stroudsburg’s 1600 relay team with a 3:30.9 broke Pocono Mountain’s 3:31.2 from 1995; Stroudsburg’s 3200 relay team with an 8:21.3 broke Nazareth’s 8:24.7 from 1996; Kris McFadden of East Stroudsburg in the javelin with a 185-11 broke his own mark of 166-10 from 1997; and Ed Sharpe of Stroudsburg in the pole vault with a 12-6 1/4 broke a record he shared with Lehighton’s Lester Steigerwalt, at 12-0 from 1996.