Girls
Brooklynn Broadwater, Springside Chestnut Hill
Broadwater had the biggest meet of her career with three huge gold medal performances! She became the first girl to break the 55 mark in the 400 meters in three years (Kenya Woodall of Coatesville) when she ran 54.73, the 3rd fastest time at the state meet in 12 years! Later, she proved that you do not need to be in a seeded heat in order to win a state championship. In heat 4 of 5 in the 200 meter dash, Broadwater ran a season best 24.52 to beat out Taylor Chapman of Pennridge, the heat 5 winner, for the gold. To cap off the day, her 4x400 meter relay team defended their state number 1 position thanks to another strong anchor leg by their unquestioned top superstar!
Ciara Leonard, Cheltenham
What else can you say about an athlete that has been the headliner of so many great performances in the past couple of seasons? During Sunday’s 60 meter hurdles, Leonard was looking to fill the only void missing in her indoor resume, a state championship. While she was coasting through the first two rounds, the defending champion Sierra Brabham-Lawrence was blazing through her races, and ultimately equaled Leonard’s overall state record in the semifinals (8.40). When the finals came around, the two of them were side by side, and despite everything Brabham-Lawrence was doing to retain her title, Leonard stuck with her and didn’t let her form slip, allowing to clear the final hurdle while Brabhmam-Lawrence clipped it. Her reward was the state record back in her possession (8.39) and that long awaited state championship!
Emily Stauffer, Cocalico
For those who have suffered major injuries in their lives, they will be able to understand Stauffer’s long journey in the first two plus years of her high school life. The difficulty of going from state champion, to on the shelf, to losing a title she didn’t have the chance to defend, to having to come all the way back, starting from scratch, just to hopefully have a chance to win another championship. 12 meets and 13 months after her 2014 personal best at the New Balance Games in New York, Stauffer earned the chance to win her title back, and her 47 foot mark early in the competition proved too much for the rest of the field. Stauffer now has the title back she never defended. Let’s hope she can stay fit so we can see her go for another gold in May.
Boys
Christian Brissett, Cheltenham
Not since the great Brady Gehret of Altoona back in 2011 had we seen an athlete win four gold medal out of four events contested at one state championship. It takes a special talent and a lot of hard work to achieve that. Now you can add Christian Brissett to that list. Brissett was on a mission all day long, blazing through his 60 meter dash prelims and eliminating any hope of an upset by his competitors. His 6.82 was just .02 off the meet record. In the 200, his first since December 30, Brissett was a powerhouse who couldn’t be stopped. He bettered his seasonal best by .01 and was the only sub 22 second performer in the event (21.88). His two relay efforts, especially his lead off leg in the 4x200 meter relay, set the tone for his teammates to prove once again that they are the one of the best teams to come through the state in recent memory. Brissett was a big factor in the whopping 74 point score his Cheltenham team put together. It may be a long time until we see 4 gold medals or 74 points again.
Sam Ritz, Germantown Academy
Ritz ran his first high school race of the indoor track season in the state of PA on Sunday the state meet. Prior to that, you had to go to New York or Boston to see him compete. He arrived at Penn State as the top guy in the state at the mile and 800 meter distances, and he was looking to ice his wonderful season cake with some state gold. The move he made in the final 600 meters is one few people in the building will never forget. He broke away from a field nipping at his heels and turned the race into a one man show. His time of 4:09.56 broke his own state record of 4:10.50 he set a month ago. His ability to come back and run 1:51.79 to finish 3rd in the 800 meter run makes him the top distance runner in PA this season. Him and his brother Ben Ritz have been PA#1 in the mile in their senior year, a rare feat!
Jordan Geist, Knoch
In our previews, we described Jordan Geist as the must see attraction at the state meet. The word on the street after the event was that the crowd was full of Ooos and Ahhs as Geist launched the shot put all over the throwing area to the amazement of the capacity crowd. He threw 64-11.50, the 3rd best mark at the state meet in 13 years, and he’s only a 10th grader. When state record Ryan Whiting was a 10th grader, he had never broken 60 feet. The sky is the limit for the US#2 shot put superstar!