Every Tuesday, we will feature a blog post pertaining to the landscape of Pennsylvania Track and Field. Coaches, fans, athletes and all other supporters of PA track and field are welcome to send in pieces to lmercado@milesplit.com. We will select the best blogs and post them on PennTrackXC.com!
Now that everyone is back from holiday vacations, the Pennsylvania indoor track season is back in full swing. Up to this point, we’ve seen snow, meet cancellations, and some of the coldest temperatures the state has seen in a long time. But those things are somewhat par for the course for indoor track in the Northeast.
With the competitions that have taken place, five things have stood out in my mind. These are no particular order, but these have been the storylines that have stayed with me in recent weeks. Here’s what I’ve learned after six weeks of track action:
Cheltenham and Pennsbury boys have deep squads
In a sport where the headlines are dominated by the achievements of individual and four person relays, track still crowns team champions. Thus far, two schools have stood out as contenders for the team championship on the boys side: Cheltenham and Pennsbury.
I had the chance to see Cheltenham at the Hispanic Games on January 4 and their sprinters stole the show! With 100 relay teams entered in the 4x200 meter relay prelims, Cheltenham qualified two different teams to the finals, where they would finish 1st and 4th. The A squad is top of the state in the 4x200 and 2nd in the 4x400. They have a group of eight guys who can contribute in a big meet where having depth can help a team accommodate top three finishes at states with 6th-8th places. They have electrified in the early going, but so have Pennsbury.
The Falcons have kept Cheltenham in their sights in the first half of the season, owning the state lead in the 4x400 meter relay, and top five state rankings in the 4x200 and 4x800. Pennsbury arguably may have more experience on the big stage having earned All American honors in the 4x200 last season. They also have an emerging distance team that can make an impact on the track.
Something to keep an eye on going forward is how much both teams improve as we approach the state meet. Should both teams continue to stand out as the top sprint teams, the difference may be what the teams do away from the sprint events that could decide the championship.
Western PA has superstars
As if it isn't tough enough for Western PA teams to find meets when the weather is good, 2013-14 has gone off to a rough start. The Tri States Coaches Association series was supposed to start on January 4, only for the heat to not work at Edinboro University’s track facility. So the scramble was on for PA athletes to find some competition before the series resumes at the end of the month. Ohio has become the popular option for these programs. In the east, there are flat 200 meter ovals and 200 meter banked ovals with 60 meter infield straightaways. Out west, there are ovals as big as 300 meters, which is as close to an outdoor track as you can get.
Some athletes and schools did find some competition this past weekend. In one afternoon, three athletes became big contenders for state gold.
Luke Lewis of Hickory has set the standard in the shot put, throwing a US#5 61-3.25 at Youngstown State on Sunday. He has a 6 foot lead at the top of the rankings and it may take a huge personal best from the field to catch Lewis come March 1. At the same meet, Taylor Mccorkle of Oakland Catholic ran a strong 7.67 to win the 60 meter dash and move to PA#2 in front of Katelyn Jackson of Cheltenham. McCorkle finished 7th in the 60 meters last season and earned two 4th place medals outdoors in the 100 and 200 meter dashes. Finally, Emily Lelis of Springdale took over the state lead in the 60 meter hurdles, running 8.83 to take the state lead from Markeeta Thomas of Paul Robeson. Although she has never competed at the indoor state meet, she won the 2012 AA high hurdles and is the two time defending champion in the 300 meter hurdles. She has had success against the best from Eastern PA on the way to winning those titles.
Remember these athletes when the state meet comes around. You may see this trio top the medal stand at states.
Distance events are congested
Dominic Deluca’s 8:44.36 3000 meter performance on Saturday at Lebanon Valley College has been the standout individual distance performance of the season. But outside of that, the distance rankings are as congested as we've seen in a few years. In events such as the mile and the 800, there isn't a runaway favorite heading into the busy period of the season.
This is something that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. Emma Keenan was the class of the 800 meter run for three years. Prior to Emma, Angel Piccirillo was dominating the rankings at all long distances. Stars like Ned Willig, Sean Mallon, Channel Price, and Sara Sargent used to put a big performance out there and would stay out of sight from the pack for the whole season. So the fact that many of the distance rankings are tight halfway through the season should make the 2nd half very exciting to follow.
But that may soon change now that many of PA’s top guns are starting their indoor seasons in the next couple of weeks. Meets such as the Millrose Trials on Wednesday, the Yale Invitational on Friday and Saturday, and the Kevin Dare Invitational at Penn State on January 25 will showcase many of the stars that dominated the headlines during the fall. How will stars Tony Russell, Tessa Barrett, Courtney Smith, Ross Wilson, and Regan Rome follow Deluca’s lead? Will they put out a huge performance, or will they get caught in the congested, but top heavy rankings list?
Good luck to everyone this week!