Schuylkill Valley’s revered Madison Ziska goes out at her best

Track & Field coverage presented by ATT Sports, Inc.

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

SHIPPENSBURG — Victory can arrive in many forms. It can be a gold medal, of course, or it can be one-quarter of one inch on one jump.

That’s all Madison Ziska wanted when she sprinted down the runway for the final time. A tiny bit more. A new PR. As soon as Schuylkill Valley’s senior heard the distance, she wrapped her arms around her teammate to celebrate.

One of Berks County’s most versatile and accomplished track and field careers reached an end this weekend.

Ziska finished third in the Class 2A long jump Friday and fourth in the 200 Saturday at the PIAA championships at Seth Grove Stadium. She earned the respect of friends and rivals along the way.

“Even when I was in middle school I’ve always known the name Madison Ziska,” sophomore Annie Gao said. “I looked up to her even before I saw her face. I knew she was an amazing athlete. I’ve always dreamed of competing with her.”

Ziska reached 18-2 on that last attempt. It surpassed her previous best of 18-1.75. Only one Berks jumper, county record holder Cyre Virgo, has gone farther since 2004.

Gao was that teammate standing near the pit after Ziska landed in the wet, unforgiving sand. To watch the two of them during the competition was to watch the best of sports. They supported each other, cheered for each other and offered each other tips.

Ziska had to fight back tears prior to taking her last turn. She has been a standout since she was a freshman and a frequent visitor to Shippensburg’s big stage.

A memorable chapter of her life has closed.

“That was going through my head the whole time,” Ziska said. “Before I got on the runway, I was like, ‘This is my last jump. I need to go all out.’ I gave it everything I’ve got. I was so happy to hear it when I broke my own record for the school.”

A banner was Ziska’s dream when the season began. She wanted her name to hang on the gymnasium wall alongside previous Schuylkill Valley state champions.

Over the last few months Ziska realized that banner wasn’t necessary. She had already made an indelible mark.

“It has been phenomenal just to be around her,” Gao said. “She’s just an amazing person. We’ve always had a great connection.”

Ziska will be All-Berks in track, basketball and golf this scholastic year. The senior has personal bests of 12.68 in the 100, 25.42 in the 200 and 58.28 in the 400. She was skilled in all three sprints while being one of the greatest Berks long jumpers in a generation.

Moments after Ziska earned her third-place medal Friday, she ran the 200 prelim in 25.95. It was the second-best time in the field. Then she waited at the finish line for Tulpehocken’s Ella Ahner to run her race.

Ziska and Ahner became track friends last season because they were in many of the same fields and ran similar times. They had a shared experience that few could understand.

“I have always been so inspired by everything she does,” Ahner said. “She works so hard and she achieves so much. It’s so hectic to be a multi-event person at meets like this. The competition is so tough. To go out and still do so well is amazing.”

The tally for Ziska was six PIAA medals and four district golds despite losing a season to COVID. That’s one way to measure her success. The other is through the way people talk about her. Through the way she is revered.

“I’ll remember her for a long, long time,” Ahner said.

Ahner isn’t the only one.

Ziska leaves as one of Schuylkill Valley’s all-time greats. That’s her final victory.