The Official Website of The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association - District IV
Four-Time PIAA Gold Medalist Gambrell gives verbal commitment to Penn State
By: Tim Birney | Valley Sports Report | October 23, 2017 | Photo courtesy Tim Birney
ATHENS — Athens senior Breana Gambrell, a four-time PIAA gold medalist, gave a verbal commitment to Penn State University Sunday afternoon, and will continue her track & field there beginning in 2018-19.
Gambrell made her choice after recently narrowing her focus to four schools: Penn State, a pair of ACC powers in Virginia Tech and Clemson, and SEC powerhouse LSU.
She made her selection live Sunday afternoon on Facebook in a brief ceremony emceed by her father and coach Ben Gambrell.
Breana Gambrell is a three-time long jump PIAA champion, and the current unofficial long jump record-holder at 20-feet, 8-inches. She is also the reigning PIAA triple jump champion.
Gambrell also has two career silver medals in the 100-meter dash, and a fifth-place medal in the 400-meter relay.
Her seven PIAA medals ranks second in her family, however, as her brother, Jarred Gambrell, earned eight medals, including three gold medals in the triple jump. He is the still the NTL, District 4, and PIAA record-holder in the triple jump.
Jarred Gambrell also went through the Division I recruiting process, ultimately selecting Michigan State.
About the Author
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
