JACKSON TWP — Alongside unfamiliar competition, the pressure was off for Seneca Valley.

Hosting their first annual track and field invitational on Friday, the Raiders boasted 20 individual medalists, including five event winners, providing a more lighthearted follow-up to a high-stakes meet, and loss, against Butler on Tuesday.

“It was less stress,” longtime Seneca Valley coach Ray Peaco said. “They knew that meet meant everything. ... You’ve just got to relax and let it happen. That’s what they were doing tonight. They were relaxing and letting it happen.”

The day’s contestants were a change of pace from those the Raiders see in a strong WPIAL Section 3-3A. Host Seneca Valley, Karns City and Moniteau were the locals that attended. Ambridge, Beaver, Eden Christian, Freedom, Montour, North Hills, Pine-Richland, Central Catholic, Riverside, Riverview, Rochester, West Allegheny and Wilmington also participated in the meet.

“It used to be the same date,” Peaco said of the former Mars invitational. “Two years ago, we discussed having something for that day because people were missing the fully-automatic timing and they wanted times.”

Last year, Peaco was out of town and missed Mars’ mandatory coaches meeting at the end of February. He then pondered the idea of a relay meet, which developed into a more intimate sort of invitational.

“Mars decided to drop it,” KC boys coach Eric Fritch said. “Seneca Valley decided to pick it up and it was right in our schedule that we’ve always done. ... We love Butler’s (invitational) because you get to see some superior athletes.

“But the Mars meet and now this meet, our kids get to the podium and it’s good for team morale.”

Karns City’s Kaydin Wilson (400-meter dash) and Luke Cramer (javelin) had first-place finishes. Zach Kelly (100 dash, 200 dash), Caleb Buti (300 hurdles), Landon Wilson (pole vault), and Kolby Blair (shot put) also medaled on the boys’ side for the Gremlins.

Haylie Karenbauer (discus), Nicole Taylor (javelin), and Savanna Prescott (high jump, triple jump) made the podium on the girls’ side.

Moniteau’s Logan Campbell finished first in the discus with a throw of 137 feet, 9 inches.

“I wish we would’ve had six places,” Peaco admitted. “When I first came up with the idea, (we thought), ‘We do the Butler County Classic. They only do three. Let’s do three.’

His crew was successful through the day, as Eddie Strong (200 dash), Darkari Payne (high jump, triple jump), Sydney Heltzell (1,600 run), and Delaney Mansfield (3,200 run) were tops in their events.

Peaco keeps an all-time top 10 list for Raiders performances.

“I can’t tell you exactly, but there’s at least 12 changes, just tonight,” Peaco said.

Seneca Valley’s Everly Harrell set a freshman school record in the 300 hurdles, earning a silver medal with a time of 48.37 seconds.

“Now that it’s all individual, it’s all on yourself,” she said. “Just run your best race and have fun with it.”

For Karns City, it was also an opportunity to tune up heading into the postseason.

“We’re getting toward our peak,” Fritch said. “We’ve got another couple weeks here yet before districts and seeing some of the times up north and some of the other teams, we’re getting there — and that’s what we want.”

Following are the Butler County athletes who earned a medal by placing in the top three at Friday’s Seneca Valley Track and Field Invitational.

Boys

3,200 relay: 2-Seneca Valley (Max Wagstaff, Julian Varlotta, Sawyer Shoup, Devon Merrick) 8:33.63

110 hurdles: 2-Brandon Kendrew (SV) 15.78

100 dash: 3-Zach Kelly (KC) 11.17

1,600 run: 2-Ryan Domencic (SV) 4:27.52

400 dash: 1-Kaydin Wilson (KC) 52.78, 3-Elliott Deutsch (SV) 53.23

300 hurdles: 2-Kyler Matson (SV) 39.89; 3-Caleb Buti (KC) 42.83

800 run: 2-Ethan Barnett (SV) 1:57.47

200 dash: 1-Eddie Strong (SV) 22.96; 3-Zach Kelly (KC) 23.51

3,200 run: 3-Max Smith (SV) 9:52.52

1,600 relay: 2-Seneca Valley (Elliott, Deutsch, Karter Leroy, Ethan Barnett, Kyler Matson) 3:34.08

Shot put: 2-Kolby Blair (KC) 43-0

Discus: 1-Logan Campbell (M) 137-9

Javelin: 1-Luke Cramer (KC) 150-10

High jump: 1-Darkari Payne (SV) 6-3; 2-Kyle Mancing (SV) 5-11.5

Long jump: 3-Joey Cappell (SV) 20-1.5

Triple jump: 1-Darkari Payne (SV) 43-8; 2-Joey Cappell (SV) 41-4.5

Pole Vault: 3-Landon Wilson (KC) 13-6

Girls

3,200 relay: 1-Seneca Valley (Hannah Jones, Samantha Moury, Delaney Mansfield, Claire Riehl) 10:38.09; 3-Karns City (Miley Mooney, Trinity McFarland, Sophia Bonetto, Brooke Rumbaugh) 10:56.12

100 hurdles: 2-Kathryn Morrison (SV) 15.45; 3-Faye McCormick (SV) 16.61

1,600 run: 1-Sydney Heltzell (SV) 5:24.88; 2-Paige Damico (SV) 5:25.19

400 relay: 1-Seneca Valley (Ashley Borland, Katie Craig, Izzy Yuhouse, Aubrey Popp) 50.13

300 hurdles: 2-Everly Harrell (SV) 48.37; 3-Kathryn Morrison (SV) 49.51

800 run: 3- Sydney Heltzell (SV) 2:24.34

3,200 run: 1-Delaney Mansfield (SV) 11:57.85; 2-Paige Damico (SV) 12:07.65; 3-Samantha Moury (SV) 12:16.79

1,600 relay: 2-Seneca Valley (Anna Iaquinta, Everly Harrell, Faye McCormick, Sydney Heltzell) 4:17.14

Discus: 3-Haylie Karenbauer (KC) 94-5

Javelin: 2-Audrey Wolfe (SV) 113-4; 3-Nicole Taylor (KC) 105-10

High jump: 2-Katie Craig (SV) 5-1.5; 3-Savanna Prescott (KC) 5-1.5

Triple jump: 2-Katie Craig (SV) 34-5; 3-Savanna Prescott (KC) 34-2

Pole vault: 2-Aubrey Erdos (SV) 11-6