What to watch for (2/20 WKND): Champs Weekend & Millrose Games

State College HS Invitational #3 (at Penn State)


State College's Kellin Valentine will look to keep up his stellar season in the long and triple jumps 

There may be no better place to get in a tune-up meet for states than the very track where states will be held. That's the thoguht of many Mid Penn teams who will head Thursday to Penn State's indoor facility for the third and final State College meet of the season. Here's what we're watching for.

BOYS

The 60 dash will matchup up State College's Tristan Damon with Milton's Ian Nieves and Central Dauphin East's Shyheim Brown. Nieves, then, is the top seed in the 60 hurdles, where he's PA#7 in the event. Damon will come back in the 200 to match up with Cumberland Valley's Kier Miner. Miner, meanwhile is also entered in the 400 along with Carlisle's Matt Wisner and CD East's Luke Everidge.

In the mile, Selinsgrove's Brody Beiler and Wyomissing's Jack DiCintio are scheduled to race. Beiler will come back in the 800, where Camp Hill's Cooper Leslie is the top seed. The top seed in the 3000 is Zach Lefever of Ephrata, who ran a 9:02 at last weekend's Carnival.

Kellin Valentine of State College, fresh off a great effort at the Carnival where he soared past 23 feet in the long jump, will be favored in both the long and triple jump. He's PA#1 and PA#7 in those events, respectively. The State College duo of Lucas Gray and Griffin Thompson will lead the group of pole vaulters looking to get some work in before they return in a week for states.

Mifflin County's Jordan Fisher is the top seed in the high jump after clearing 6-4 this season. In the shot put, the two top seeds are Chambersburg's Kelton Chastulik and State College's Erik Ebel.

GIRLS


Veronika Karpenko of State College has dominated the horizontal jumps this season and she'll compete in both on Thursday (Photo by Don Rich)

Yasmin Brooks of Susquehanna Township, less than a week after a dazzling 8.73 in the 60 hurdles will return to the event, coming in as the clear favorite. In the 60 dash, Cedar Cliff's Grace Gillespie is the top entry. Gillespie and Brooks are also entered in the 200 meters in a stacked field that also includes State College's Haley Crawford and Alysha Evans of Susquehanna Township. Evans will come back as the top seed in the 400.

In the distance events, Abby Yourkavitch of Chambersburg is the top seed in both the mile and 3000, if she decides to race both. Chambersburg's Cassidy Kuhn is the top seed in the 800.

State College's Veronika Karpenko added another PA#1 to her resume on Saturday at the Carnival. She jumped 18-10.25 in the long jump, making her PA#1 in that event as well as the triple. She's entered in both on Thursday. Joining her in the long jump is teammate Taylor Givens (PA#5) for what should be a good matchup.

The top seed in the pole vault is State College's Kinsey Thompson. In the high jump, there will be a host of girls looking at 5-2 or better: Hershey's Caroline Cotton, CD East's Justyn Roberts, Bellefonte's Olivia Spratt, and Cumberland Valley's Erin Meckler.