06/09 1st Annual Pennsylvania Distance Festival: A good start for the 1st year meet in West Chester on a comfortable, sometimes rainy, but never windy 1st Annual Distance Festival. How about three PA PIAA State Champions tuning up for next week's Nike Outdoor Nationals. The Mile was smokin', with state AAA champ Liz Costello of Conestoga taking a tough race against two up-and-coming sophomores, including state AA 3200 champ Kara Millhouse of Boiling Springs, and homeschooled Neely Spence of Shippensburg. Costello ran 4:58.02, Millhouse 4:59.98, and Spence, 5:00.72. State AAA 3200 champ Paul Springer of Unionville, did a workout in prep for the NON Mile, running 1:57.03 to take 3rd in the 800, and going three laps in the Mile to help teammate Mike Brodsky run a 4:23.21. Hemfield (3) junior Andrew Kontra won the 800 in 1:56.09. Henderson's Chris Ferry took 2nd in the 800 in 1:56.19. Max Kaulbach, Germantown Friends, was 2nd in 4:29.65. Teammate Ceci Davis-Hayes tried a tough double, running 10:45.88 for the 3000, and coming back very quickly to run a 5:26.00 for the Mile. Rick Koubek, State College, won the 3000 in 9:19.52.
Photo Gallery by Don Rich of 6/9 Pennsylvania Distance Classic @ West Chester Henderson High School
06/10-06/11 MileStat.com Elite Track Gala
On the first day of the first year of the meet, two PA distance runners captured titles. Penn Trafford's Diana Filtz ran 18:50 to take the 5000, and Smethport's Ben Hahn ran 9:37.79 to win the 2-mile run (coverts to 9:34.69 3200m). And in the girls' 3200, Tamaqua's Alexa Griffiths ran 12:11.97 for 3rd.
06/10 USATF Delaware Newark, DE
06/10 USATF Northern PA Mansfield, PA
06/10 USATF Philadelphia Area Philadelphia, PA
06/10 USATF Lehigh Valley PA Pottstown, PA
06/10 USATF South Central PA Pottstown, PA
06/10 USATF South Eastern PA Pottstown, PA
06/11 adidas Golden West Invitational Folsom, CA Laurel Highland's Jared Jodon, the PA AAA Pole Vault champ, won the event in a jump-off with five other competitors, all clearing 16-03. It was his best, and the PA best for the season. Red Land senior Aaron Kaufmann posted the fastest PA 800 of the season with a second place 1:51.24. He had been over a second-and-a-half slower in taking 4th in the AA final at PIAA States. In the Javelin, AA state champ and Danville senior Travis Miller was 2nd with a throw of 202-00. Ceasar Westbrook, JP McCaskey, took 3rd in the Triple Jump and 6th in the Long Jump. He had won the PIAA Triple and took 2nd in the Long. Kiski junior Garner McCloud was 6th in the Triple Jump.
PA Performances @ Golden West
110 Hurdles - B Section
7 Brice Myers 11 PA, McDowell High S 14.99 -1.2
800 Meter Run
2 Aaron Kauffman 12 PA, Red Land High S 1:51.24
Mile Run - B Section
7 Tim Stepp 11 PA, Parkland High S 4:30.83
Javelin
2 Travis Miller 12 PA, Danville Area S 202-00 61.56m
Pole Vault
1 Jared Jodon 12 PA, Laurel Highland 16-03.00 4.95m
2 Ryan Vu 12 WA, Interlake J16-03.00 4.95m
3 Scott Roth 12 CA, Granite Bay Hig J16-03.00 4.95m
4 Casey Roche 11 CA, St. Francis J16-03.00 4.95m
4 Gregory Woepse 12 CA, Mater Dei High J16-03.00 4.95m
6 Peterson Ben 12 WY, Cody High Schoo J16-03.00 4.95m
Long Jump
6 Ceasar Westbrook 12 PA, JP McCaskey 21-11.25 -0.4 6.68m
21-11.25(-0.0) 21-05.50(-0.0) FOUL(NWI) 21-05(-0.0) PASS(NWI) PASS(NWI)
Triple Jump
3 Ceasar Westbrook 12 PA, JP McCaskey 46-11.00 -1.6 14.30m
6 Garner McCloud 11 PA, Kiski Area High 44-01.75 -2.0 13.45m
High Jump -- Leander Toney 12 PA, JP McCaskey NH
Springer paces Brodsky in the Mile at the 1st PA Distance Classic.
Millhouse, Spence in the Mile at the 1st PA Distance Classic
Costello, Millhouse, Spence.
Jodon at the Golden West Invitational in California on 6/11.
(Photo courtesy of Margaret Gallagher, DyeStatCal)