Photo courtesy of Penn State University
SATURDAY
On the final day of the East regional, Quakertown grad Alicia Evans led her Michigan State teammates to the NCAA semifinals in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 44.28 to finish 8th. Homer Center grad Angel Piccirillo of Villanova finished 6th in round 2 of the 1500 in 4:15.44 to clinch a return trip to Eugene. Tori Gerlach, formery of Pennridge and now of Penn State, qualified for her 2nd NCAA finals event in 24 hours, finishing 6th in the 5000 meter run in 15:58.79. Teammate and Saucon Valley grad Elizabeth Chikotas finished 10th to also qualify for Eugene with a time of 16:09.26. Abington grad Leah Nugent ran the leadoff leg of the Kentucky 4x400 meter relay to a time of 3:30.81 and a spot in the NCAA semifinals. Penn Wood alum Eric Futch ran the 3rd leg and split 45.37 to lead Florida to a 3rd place time of 3:03.69 and a spot in Eugene. In the field, Chambersburg graduate Marshay Ryan of Auburn finished 2nd in the triple jump with a mark of 43-9.75. Darrell Hill, formerly of Penn Wood and current school record holder for Penn State, was the winner of the shot put with a throw of 66-8.50.
Out West, Cierra White of Texas Tech and former Engineering and Science star, ran 23.19 to finish 5th in the quarterfinals of the 200 meter dash and advance to the NCAA semis. Springside Chestnut Hill grad Taylor Ellis-Watson anchored the Arkansas squad to a 3rd place finish in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:30.74. Mercersburg Academy alum Sarah Firestone of Nebraska finished 5th in the javelin with a throw of 163-10 to advance to the NCAA finals.
FRIDAY
At the Prefontaine Classic, Sam Ritz of Germantown Academy ran 4:09.49 to finish 6th in the high school boys mile run.
On Friday in the NCAA East regional, Pennridge alum Tori Gerlach of Penn State qualified for Eugene in the 3000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:53.98 for 7th overall. Coatesville alum Kenya Woodall of Cincinnati made it to the NCAA Semifinals in the 12th and final qualifying spot in the 400 meter dash in 52.70. She also made the next round of the 200 meter dash in 23.42. Greater Latrobe grad Hanna Green of Virginia Tech made it to Eugene in the 800 with a time of 2:03.85 to finish 3rd. Leah Nugent, formerly of Abington, now of Kentucky, ran 55.71 to finish 2nd in the 400 meter hurdles and advance to Eugene for the NCAA semifinals.
For the men out East, Chidi Okezie, formerly of New Media Tech, now running for Hampton, made it to Eugene in the 400 meter dash with a 9th place finish of 46.07. Penn Wood alum Eric Futch, running for Florida, finished 2nd in the 400 meter hurdles to make it to Eugene in 49.91. North Allegheny grad Ryan Gil of Georgetown will run in Eugene in the 3000 meter steeplechase after finishing 9th in 8:42.46. Bobby Smutsky of William and Mary and formerly of Northern York advanced to the NCAA Finals in the javelin with a mark of 226-10 to finish 8th. Kyle Smith of Virginia and formerly of Lancaster Catholic snagged the last spot in the javelin with a throw of 220-8. Holy Ghost Prep grad Christian Lupica of Bucknell made it to the next round in the 110 meter hurdles in 13.92.
Out West, Strath Haven alum Chris Williams of Washington made the next round of the 110 meter hurdles in 13.81. Springside Chestnut Hill alum Taylor Ellis-Watson of Arkansas ran 51.52 to finish 3rd and cruise to the NCAA Semifinals of the 400 meter dash. Engineering and Science alum Cierra White of Texas Tech ran 11.33 to finish 9th and advance to the NCAA semifinals in the 100 meter dash. She also finished 9th in the 1st round of the 200 meter dash in 23.00.
THURSDAY
The high school season here in PA has reached its end, but the top PA alums are currently competing at the NCAA Regional Championships for an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Finals in two weeks!
On Thursday, they had finals in five field events and the 10,000 meter run. The top 12 in those events punched their tickets to the NCAA Finals!
2012 Williamsport graduate Rachel Fatherly of Penn State finished 2nd in the shot put with a throw of 55-9.75. The women’s javelin had two PA alums make it through, as Lakeview graduate Fawn Miller of Florida threw 160-1 to finish 9th, and Fort Cherry alum Jessie Merckle of Wake Forest finished 10th with the same mark. In the women’s 10,000 meter run, North Hills graduate Margo Malone of Syracuse finished 4th with a time of 33:49.45 to advance.
In the Thursday first round events, Kenya Woodall, formerly of Coatesville and currently of Cincinnati ran 53.05 to finish 14th and advance to the next round. In the 800, Overbrook graduate Ce’aira Brown of Hampton (2:05.75), Greater Latrobe alum Hanna Green of Virginia Tech (2:05.30), and Gwynedd Mercy Academy alum Emma Keenan of Georgetown (2:06.26) made the last 24. Homer Center alum Angel Piccirillo of Villanova made the next round of the 1500 with a time of 4:21.88 to finish 14th. Abington alum Leah Nugent of Kentucky finished 2nd in the 400 meter hurdles first round in 56.70.
For the men, Unionville graduate Glen Burkhardt of Penn State went down in the final few meters, but managed to crawl his way to the finish line to finish 8th in the 10,000 meters in 30:06.30 to make the NCAA Finals!
New Media Tech alum Chidi Okezie of Hampton ran 46.18 to finish 5th in the 400 and make the next round. Eric Futch, formerly of Penn Wood and currently running for Florida, ran 50.90 to finish 4th in the 400 meter hurdles and make the next round in the regional. Malvern Prep alum Wallace Spencer of Howard ran 51.47 to finish 11th.
In the West regional, Springside Chestnut Hill grad Taylor Ellis-Watson of Arkansas ran 52.54 to finish 4th in the 400 meter dash to make the next round. Engineering and Science alum Cierra White of Texas Tech ran 11.33 to finish 8th in the first round of the 100 meter dash and make the next round.