Katie Jones (South Williamsport) / Photo by Kathy Leister
Bruce Dallas Invitational - Meet Preview
GIRLS' PREVIEW
The road for South Williamsport's Katie Jones begins Saturday. Jones is entered in the pole vault, where she's the heavy favorite. She's coming off an indoor season, where she won the national championship and cleared an all-time state best of 13-9.25. Can she get the outdoor state record (currently 13-6) on Saturday?
Spring Grove's Nathalie Elliott, Manheim Township's Mackenzie Horn, and State College's Lyndsey Reed are also in this stacked early-season pole vault field.
The jumps will be exciting this weekend. In the long jump, State College's Taylor Givens will square off with Lower Dauphin's Karina Long and Coatesville's Caroline Billone. All three are also entered in the triple jump, so watch for some big jumps on the runway.
Ty'Asia Dansbury (Harrisburg) / Photo by Bill Shearn
Harrisburg's Ty'Asia Dansbury will be looking to start her season off well. She's the top seed in both the 200 and 400 meters. She should get a good challenge in the 400 meters from McConnellsburg's McKenzie Gelvin and Coatesville's Porsha Miles. Gelvin is the top seed in the 800 meters shortly after.
In the 100 meter hurdles, Carlisle's Najae Nickerson will be the one to watch while Spring Grove's Zoe Stauffer and Dover's Peyton Mulder will look to supply a challenge. State College's Jordan Rohrbach is the top seed in the 300 meter hurdles.
In the 1600 meters, the Emmaus duo of Abby Dalton and Katrina Durrwachter will be among the ones to watch along with East Pennsboro's Jesse Margraf. Coatesville's Brooke Hutton, fresh off a strong indoor season, is the top seed in the 3200 meters. She'll be challenged by Dallastown's impressive freshman Emily Schuler, who is making her high school debut on the track.
The discus will be a good battle between a couple of the state's best. Lake Lehamn's Emily Johns and Lewisburg's Kate Allred will look for good starts to their respective seasons. Both are also entered in the shot put, which should be interesting. Millville's Morgan Bower is the top seed in the javelin.
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Terrance Laird (Coatesville) / Photo by Don Rich
BOYS' PREVIEW
Coatesville's Terrance Laird has some big goals this outdoor season and it all gets going on Saturday. Laird is the favorite in the 200 meters. Look for the senior to try and pop a fast season-opening time, like he did indoors.
Harrisburg's Ronald Kent will look to get off to a good start. He's one to watch in the 100 meters along with Lower Merion's Ahmad Hall. Kent and Coatesville's Eric Kirk are also entered in the 200 meters.
We'll get a good early season matchup in the 110 meter hurdles, as Harrisburg's Richard Gilschrist will race Dallastown's Justin Atwood. Both could be chasing the sub-15 mark.
The 1600 meters features some strong runners. Coatesville's Colin Mihalek is seeded first, but Cumberland Valley's Yahya Soliman, Mechanicsburg's Morgan Cupp, Dallastown's Patrick Jacobson, and Lower Dauphin's Jared Giannascoli could challenge him. Soliman and Cupp are among the returnees for the 800 meters. The 3200 meters is stacked, including Lower Merion's Matthew D'Aquila, Lower Dauphin's Kyler Shea and Colton Cassel, and Mechanicsburg's Alex Tomasko.
If you're at CV on Saturday, be sure to check out the throws. Greencastle-Antrim's Campbell Parker is the top seed in the discus, but Manheim Township's Ben Viau will supply a some good competition. They're both entered in the shot put, which should be equally competitive. Lampeter Strasburg's Josh Eidemiller will look to keep it rolling in the javelin. Eidemiller threw a PA#1 at Tim Cook last week and will go for a repeat performance this weekend.
Payton Morris (East Pennsboro) / Photo by Phil Grove
East Pennsboro's Payton Morris, who took second in the state in the pole vault indoors, will look to start his season off on a good note. Cumberland Valley's Zach Austen and Schuylkill Valley's Joe Jardine are also in the field.
The triple jump will be a good matchup between State College's Brandon Clark and Milton Hershey's Treyvon Ferguson. Both are also entered in the long jump, which is a fairly open field. Lower Merion's James Burton is the top seed in the high jump, coming off a big indoor season.