Hunter Robinson (Avonworth/Northgate) / Photo by Maggie Hohn
Mars Invitational - Meet Preview
GIRLS' PREVIEW
Fresh off a great meet at Butler, Avonworth/Northgate's Hunter Robinson returns to the track on Friday at Mars. Robinson is entered in three events, the 100, 200, and 400. Can she pull of a triple win for a second straight week?
Hunter's sister Hayden Robinson could give her a good challenge in the 100 and 200. Villa Maria's Style Henry should be a factor, too, in the 100 meters.
Hickory's Tori McKinley threw a pair of PA#1s at his home invite last week, and the senior returns to the the throwing circle this weekend. McKinley will be strongly favored in the discus and the shot put and she'll be looking to add some distance to her state leading throws.
Hickory's Heather Grober is the top seed in the 300 meter hurdles. The reigning AA state champ is currently overall PA#7 heading into the weekend. North Hills' Amberly Valeriano is the top seed in both the 100 meter hurdles and the long jump.
There's no shortage of talent in the 1600 meters. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's Rylee Kopchak, Oakland Catholic's Lauren Finikiotis, and North Hills' Ava Pietrzyk are among the top seeds in the event. Kopchak and Pietrzyk will return for the 3200 meters, where the favorite is Marianne Abdalah of Vincentian Academy, who will come in fresh.
In the 800 meters, watch for Pine-Richland's Amanda Kalin, who was third in 2:18 ay Butler. Avonworth/Northgate's Megan Wisniewski and Villa Maria's Lexi Seifert will be going for the win, though.
BOYS' PREVIEW
The throws should generate some good excitement this weekend. Cathedral Prep sophomore Nolan Landis will look to continue making noise. He's currently PA#6 in the discus after a big throw at a dual meet and he'll try to improve upon his throw of 177-6. Hickory's Tyler Bishop will look to challenge him in both the discus and shot put.
Gateway's Damion Reed is the top seed in the 300 meter hurdles, looking to dip under 40 seconds for the first time this season. In the 110 meter hurdles, Caleb Gagliardi of Hickory will be going for the win, while his Hickory teammate Dozie Ezi-Ashi is the one to watch in the 100 meters.
In the 1600 meters, Seneca Valley's Trey Razanauskas and Andrrew Balla will take on Bishop McCourt's Jacob Shulte and Sewickley Academy's Griffin Mackey. Schulte and Mackey are also entered in the 3200 meters, where Winchester Thurston's Ben Littmann is the favorite to win. Cathedral Prep's Derek Jones is currently ranked 23rd in the state in the 800, but he'll be looking to work his way up the rankings in the events this Friday as the top seed.