The week preceding the state track and field meet is arguably the most important one in a single season.

Two years ago Dan Reichenbach thought it may have been the last one of his career.

The two-sport star for the Salisbury Falcons, who was then a sophomore, was practicing just days before the biggest meet in the state of Pennsylvania. During one of his practice jumps, Reichenbach broke and fractured his tibial plateau. The exact injury is called tibial tubercle avulsion. It is where a piece of the tibia, at which the patellar tendon attaches, breaks and fractures into a joint. That leaves nothing for the quadriceps to pull on.

The doctors were unsure if he would ever be able to jump again.

He jumped again.

Last week at the 2013 PIAA Championships at Shippensburg University, held on May 24 and 25, Reichenbach jumped in two different events, the long jump and the triple jump.

He took home some hardware with a silver medal in the triple jump at 44 feet, 7 1/4 inches. That jump falls a little short of his average. He cited the weather last Friday as a factor.

"The weather that day was terrible," Reichenbach said. "It was raining, it was cold, and it was windy. I don't think it really affected the winner, but for everyone else I think it did. No one really jumped that well."

The Salisbury senior also finished 10th in the long jump with a jump of 20 fee, 10 1/2 inches even while dealing with a sore back from day one of the meet.

"I'm happy," he said. "It is just the fact that I know that I did jump farther. I had a little hand drag that put me back a little on the last jump of my high school career. It was not the best way to go out."

Salisbury teammate Kaitlyn Toman capped a phenomenal second year of track and field at states.

The underclassmen took fifth place in the AA girls pole vault. Her height of 11 feet was enough for her to bring home her first state medal. The always-improving Toman didn't startle her head coach, Doug Hensinger, with this terrific season.

"We knew from last year that she would do well because last year she had success with the pole vault," said Hensinger. "Taking fifth at states is very good and we thought she would do well at states. It wasn't that we expected it, but being fifth in the state as sophomore is great and that gives her something to look forward to moving on for her next few years."

Salisbury sophomore high jumper Holly Szita came one place away from earning a state medal. She cleared 5-2 in the high jump for ninth place overall.

Senior Dylan Bonge is another Falcon that excelled in the field events at Shippensburg. Bonge beat out a plethora of great talent from across the Keystone state to get in to a tie for 11th in the boys' pole vault. His height of 12-6 placed him in an eight-way tie for that 11th spot.

Two Falcon state qualifiers finished 18th in their respective events at Shippensburg. Freshman Lindsey Bauer jumped 15-8 1/2 in the long jump. She also competed in the 200-meter run at states, taking fifth place in her preliminary heat and 20th overall

Austin Bartholomew, the District 11 Class AA champion in javelin, threw a 149-6 for 18th place at states.

Reflecting on this spring Hensinger was pleased.

"Overall it was successful," he said. "We had a boys' team who didn't win a meet all year, but was close on a few occasions. Then they go out and get second overall as a team in districts. We had the good athletes. We just didn't have the depth. Overall it went well and I'm happy with it."