SHIPPENSBURG — The marks and placements mattered Friday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships.

So did the experience.

Area athletes embraced both during the opening day of the state meet at Shippensburg University, competing against some of Pennsylvania’s top talent while soaking in the atmosphere, pressure and opportunity that comes with reaching the sport’s biggest stage.

Between races and field events, teammates bounced around and outside of Seth Grove Stadium throughout the day supporting one another while experiencing the state meet together.

Several athletes delivered strong performances throughout the day, while others gained perspective from competing in loaded statewide fields. More area competitors will return Saturday for the final day of competition.

Northern Lehigh senior Zaid Salih perhaps summed up the experience best after competing in the Class 2A 1600-meter run.

“I realized there was levels to this,” Salih said. “Every heat is the fastest.”

Salih placed 25th in the 1600 with a time of 4:33.38, but the result itself wasn’t what stood out most to the Northern Lehigh senior.

Instead, it was the atmosphere.

The crowd. The competition. The scale of the meet itself.

“I’ve never had this many people watch before,” Salih said. “It really gives you the breath that you need. Everything is amazing over here.”

Salih, who still has the Class 2A 800 remaining Saturday, said the experience only added motivation moving forward.

“I’m going to compete tomorrow,” he said. “I’m going to show them I can do a lot better than that.”

Northern Lehigh senior Natalie Moffitt also embraced the atmosphere surrounding the state meet during her first individual appearance at Shippensburg.

Moffitt ran 1:01.58 in the Class 2A 400-meter preliminaries, finishing 22nd overall.

For Moffitt, however, simply reaching the state stage individually carried plenty of meaning.

“At this point, it’s not even about the competition,” she said. “It’s just getting here.”

The senior reflected on sharing the weekend alongside a large Northern Lehigh contingent that included athletes across multiple disciplines.

“It’s definitely a random group of kids this year,” Moffitt said with a laugh. “But we all get along nice and it’s definitely a lot of fun.”

Moffitt said the atmosphere felt different compared to previous state appearances as part of relay teams.

“The past two years were more stressful,” she said. “This year I’m kind of just taking it all in and trying to have fun with it.”

Jim Thorpe junior Kayden Spence embraced a similar mindset while competing in both the Class 3A 400 relay and 400-meter preliminaries.

The Olympians’ relay team of Josh Louk, Spence, Maksim Letosky and Bobby Levins ran 42.61 in preliminaries, finishing 12th overall.

Later in the day, Spence crossed in 48.84 in the 400 preliminaries before later being disqualified for stepping inside his lane around the curve.

Still, the junior appreciated the opportunity to compete in one of the state’s deepest sprint fields.

“I love competition,” Spence said. “It feels great running with those guys.”

Spence said racing against elite statewide competition brought a different level of excitement compared to many regular-season meets.

“It’s always fun to run, especially when we’re not the best in the field,” he said.

Several area athletes also turned in strong field-event performances Friday.

Northern Lehigh junior Landen Klimek delivered one of the area’s strongest finishes Friday, placing 11th in the Class 2A discus with a throw of 147-0. His best mark came on his opening attempt.

Pleasant Valley senior Uriah Gearhart placed 13th in the Class 3A triple jump with a leap of 44-11 1/2 while continuing to compete through a knee injury that has limited him throughout the postseason.

Northern Lehigh sophomore Anna Trelease, who battled back from a significant ankle injury suffered during wrestling season, finished 14th in the Class 2A discus with a throw of 109-3.

Weatherly senior Kelly Reiner placed 16th in the Class 2A javelin with a throw of 107-6, while Lehighton’s Bodie Hawk took 22nd in the Class 3A shot put with a mark of 48-7.

Marian senior Jake Tom placed 19th in the Class 2A long jump with a leap of 20-9.

Several area athletes will return Saturday for the final day of competition, including Jim Thorpe javelin standout Isabella Roman, Northern Lehigh distance runner Emma Heil, Marian’s Tom, Northern Lehigh’s Salih and Jim Thorpe high jumper Pierce Gothard.