RALPH/Sun-Gazette Williamsport's Anyae Grissom competes in the hurdles competition during Tuesday’s dual meet against Jersey Shore at Williamsport.

Following a strong outing at last year’s District 4 championships, in which the boys took silver and the girls claimed bronze, expectations for Williamsport track and field remained high.

Even with both graduating classes running somewhat deep and the boys losing a few key returners to injury, the teams have handled those blows with grace and confidence. There isn’t a soul on either squad that believes it can’t compete for a district title this season.

“We graduated a very strong group of seniors last spring but have had several underclassmen step-up during the winter season,” said Williamsport coach Jeremy Steppe prior to the season. “I am confident that this group is capable of filling some of the holes left in our lineup.”

Through week four of the regular season, the Millionaires remain undefeated on both sides, with considerable sweeps over the likes of Shikellamy and Milton. With the boys’ win over the Braves last week, they shattered a win streak spanning seven seasons, defeating one of their biggest rivals in the process.

“We hadn’t beaten them in several years, but we knew we had the ammo to take them down this year,” said Steppe on the win over Shikellamy.

On the boys side, junior Umar Starks has led the way and continues to build on a strong debut season. With state qualifying long jumper and program record holder Yazhir Slaughter out with injury, he’s taken on a bigger responsibility and delivered.

As it stands, Starks ranks No. 1 in the district in the long jump (22-9 3/4), which he only just started competing in this season. He’s also No. 2 in the 100-meter dash (11.33) and No. 3 in the 200 (22.66), the latter of which he’s set a personal best for in his last four attempts.

“I knew that was a hole I was going to have, so I kind of started off the indoor season immediately looking for long jumpers,” said Steppe after Starks broke the Don Wilhour Classic record in the event. “With his speed and stuff, he fell into it. I didn’t think he’d be doing as well as he is right now, but we’re excited see him fill those shoes and see what the rest of the season has in store for him.”

“I’m mainly just trying to make states in everything, all four of my events,” said Starks after finishing with four first place finishes against Jersey Shore on Tuesday. “That’s the main goal.”

With continued growth and success from other upperclassmen and a few key underclassmen stepping up, the boys cover plenty of ground when it comes to overarching depth.

Calder Diakite and Niquis Coleman continue to reside near the top of the district standings in hurdles, with Indigo Koch (pole vault), Nariq Burks (throws), Angelo Casas (sprints) and Aiden Everett (jumps) seeing similar success in their respective events. Their weak point seems to be distance but that could change depending on the development of sophomore Cashlin Rogers and freshman Connor Hofstrom.

Heading into the weekend, the Millionaires have a top-five District 4 athlete in ten individual events, seven of which are in the top-three and two of which stand at the top of the standings in Starks and Coleman (300 hurdles).

“We have a lot of depth this year, which we’re thankful for,” said Steppe on the team. “Just figuring out where our young kids fit in and can make an impact in the district meet. It’s going to be a fun competition come district time as far as placement.”

For the girls, their depth may run even deeper, with the team possessing four top District 4 times/scores.

Jumps specialist and 2023 district medalist Najiyah Smith has picked up where she left off last season, setting PRs in the triple, long and high jump while occupying top-three spots in each. As it stands, the senior is ranked No. 1 in the triple and high jump.

“For indoor, I started off a little rough but then when outdoor came, I was hitting PRs that I’ve been trying to get for a little while now,” said Smith after posting two first place finishes against Shore. “It’s a pretty good accomplishment that I’ve been waiting for. (My goal is) to get to districts, place first in triple and high, and place for long jump.”

Anyae Grissom, a 2023 state medalist, is working to get back to where she was at the end of last season but is still the top-ranked District 4 athlete in the 100-meter hurdles (15.15), occupying the No. 3 spots in the 300-meter hurdles (47.96) and 200-meter dash (26.37) as well. She’s set a season best almost every time she’s competed this season and just set a PR in the 200 against Jersey Shore with a 26.37.

“My times just keep going down so I’m getting to where I want to be,” said Grissom. “I’m thinking that if I’m running like this now, then later down the season I’ll be popping off.”

And with her 58.57 in the 400 on Tuesday and her 57.67 on Friday, senior Elizabeth Shultz not only advanced to the top of the district rankings but also set the program record in the event. Within the span of three weeks, she’s dropped almost three seconds in an event without much room for error, breaking Katie Penman’s program record (58.05) previously set in 2021.

Outside of their district front runners, the girls team has plenty of other athletes that could compete for a district title from the 100-meter dash to the pole vault. It has a top-six District 4 athlete in all 15 individual events and a total of 20 across the board, 14 of which stand in the top three.

From upperclassmen like Natalia Mills (sprints, jumps), Nataliya Mills (throws) and Akaylah Libersohn (pole vault), to an incredible array of underclassmen featuring Isabelle Sanders (distance), Madeline Sanders (distance), Aubrey Phillips-Cobb (hurdles), Dayanna Baines (javelin), Isabelle Morrow (jumps) and Taitum Zarzyczny (throws), the Millionaires have plenty of pieces to help them in their pursuit of a district title, this season and beyond.

“I’m so proud of my team,” said Grissom at the Selinsgrove invitational. “I’m proud of everyone else too but because I get to experience them working so hard to do those things, I just look at them and I feel so proud of them all the time.”

“This is one more step towards our goal of being conference champions,” said Williamsport girls coach Vicki Eberhart after the team’s win against Jersey Shore. “Then, the next goal will be district champions.”

That confidence is reflected throughout both teams, as they look to continue building upon their success. Though they’ve already accomplished a lot this season, they look forward to proving more doubters wrong down the road.

“I think we’ve been slept on a little bit,” said Starks on the team. “So, I just want our future opponents to know that we’re one of those teams that could do what we’re supposed to do. We’re one of those top teams.”

“We’re one of those teams you should be afraid of,” added Williamsport sophomore Nathaniel Woods.