After coming so close last year, John Reichenbach was not going to be denied at this year’s Colonial League Track and Field Championship Meet.

The Salisbury junior was edged last year by a fraction of an inch when he took second place in long jump to Pen Argyl’s Logan Sterner.

Last week he made up for last year’s near miss. Reichenbach jumped 22 feet, 8 1/2 inches to earn this year’s gold medal. He beat Notre Dame’s Greg Lauray (21-6) for the gold medal. Sterner finished 12th this year and failed to clear 20 feet.

“Coming in I wanted to win and get my best jump of the season,” said Reichenbach. “Last year I lost by a quarter of an inch. That motivated me for this year. I’m just happy it all came together this year.”

He earned one of nine medals that Salisbury athletes took home from the meet. Rylee Donaldson (400, long jump), Robert Kulp (high jump), Erica Holben (high jump, long jump), Olivia Heoing (triple jump) and Madison Jewell (pole vault) also finished in the top four in one or more event to earn medals this season. Reichenbach added a high jump medal to his collection.

Last year Reichenbach leaped 21-4 1/2 to take second place. This year he set a new personal best with his winning jump, over a foot further than last year.

“I’d like to hit 23 feet by the end of the year,” he said. “I need to prepare my body physically more than anything else, just stay healthy. I think I can go further, in districts and states that’s my goal, just to keep going further.”

Reichenbach cleared 6-5 to take second place in the high jump. Lauray won the event at 6-6.

Donaldson also set a new PR at leagues. She ran the 400 in 1:00.39. That was better than her best time from this year (1:01.2) and her previous career best time (1:00.53) from last year’s league meet.

“All you can ask for is to be able to get to the end of the season and keep getting a personal best,” she said. “That kind of time in this kind of place is exactly what you’re looking for.”

Donaldson was hoping for the highest finish she could get, knowing that the top seed in her event, Palisades’ Lydia Bottelier, would be hard to catch. The Pirate won the event in 59.23.

“She took the first last year as well,” said Donaldson. “She’s a fast competitor. I set my goals high, but I set my goals reasonably. I knew I wanted got get nothing less than second.”

Donaldson, sophomore, will look to break the one-minute mark over the next couple weeks at districts and states. She also competed in the long jump last week, taking third place at 16-3 1/2.

Falcon sophomore Erica Holben earned a pair of medals at leagues. She took third place in high jump at 5-2. She also placed fourth in long jump with a leap of 16-2.

Salisbury sophomore Robert Kulp also earned one medal at the league championship meet. He took third place in high jump at 6-0. He also placed sixth in long jump at 20-6 1/2 and 10th in triple jump at 38-5 1/2.

Madison Jewell finished fourth in pole vault by clearing 8-6. Olivia Hoeing took fourth place in triple jump at 33-0 1/4.

The Falcons are back in action this week with the District 11 Class 2A Championship Meet at Blue Mountain High School Tuesday and Wednesday, May 16-17. See next week’s Press for coverage of that meet.