Thursday (4/28): High School Field Preview
Moniteau's Maura Kimmel will look to keep up her great 2016 season at Penn (Photo by Phil Grove)
High School Girls' Discus Throw Championship - Event 604 (Thursday, 11:15 AM)
Moniteau's Maura Kimmel and Lake Lehman's Emily Johns will represent Pennsylvania in the girls' discus. Kimmel has had a consistent 2016 thus far in the discus, claiming wins at every stop she's made---Knoch, Butler, and Brookville. Now the PA#4 travels east for Penn.
Johns was the top returner headed into this season, heaving thrown 148-6 last season. So far this season, she's won at Bruce Dallas and took third at Shippensburg. She currently is at PA#7.
They'll have to deal with top seed and the nation's best discus thrower, Elena Bruckner from Valley Christian in California. This past weekend, Bruckner threw a PR of 186-10 in the event.
High School Girls' Pole Vault Championship - Event 609 (Thursday 1:30 PM)
Pennsylvania boasts a large contingent of entries in the girls' pole vault for Thursday.
At the top of that list is Katie Jones from South Williamsport. The indoor state champion has been tantalizingly close to 13 feet on numerous occasions. Could this be the time that the current PA#2 clears it? Either way, Jones will be one of the favorites headed into the competition.
PA#3 Rachel Finn of Liberty is in the field, too. She's cleared 12-3 and 12-4 this season and she'll look for more at Penn. Council Rock South's Dominique Franco is a contender, as well as Central York's Lexi Baublitz.
Laurel Highlands' Cassandra Phelan, who had a really strong close to her season indoors, will be one to watch. So will North Pocono Lucianne Burner and Spring Grove's Nathalie Elliott (PA#7). Trinity's Megan Silva, fresh off a win in the AA classification at Ship, will look for more this week.
Cedar Cliff's Dazanique Williams is one of three PA long jumpers set for Thursday (Photo by Don Rich)
High School Girls' Long Jump Championship - Event 610 (Thursday, 1:45 PM)
There are three PA entries to watch for in the girls' long jump. Leading the way will be PA#2 Yasmin Brooks from Susquehanna Township. Brooks jumped 19-0.5 to grab the win in a very competitive long jump at the Ship Roddick Invite this past Saturday.
Cedar Cliff's Dazanique Williams was third on that day, jumping a PA#4 18-8. Both proved on that day that they're more than ready to go for Penn and both ready for high level competition.
Also in the field is Athens' Breana Gambrell. Gambrell started off her 2016 with her first-ever indoor appearance at NBNI. There, she took first in the "emerging elite" section with a jump of 19-5.5. Her best this season has been 18-2.75 and she sits at PA#11.
Veronika Karpenko of State College, along with Cheltenham's Madison Langley-Walker will contest the triple jump (Photo by Don Rich)
High School Girls' Triple Jump Championship - Event 611 (Thursday, 1:45 PM)
State College's Veronika Karpenko and Cheltenham's Madison Langley-Walker will carry the torch for PA in the girls' triple jump. And these are two very strong representatives.
The pair went 1-2 in the event indoors (and 1-2 in the long jump, too, but with a reversed order). Karpenko took the win at indoor states, but both had their best jumps of the season at indoor nationals. Karpenko was third overall with a jump of 40-3.5 and Langley-Walker was eighth with a jump of 39-3.25. Those also happened to be US#8 and US#14s respectively. That should bode well as both should be considered contenders for the gold here.
40 feet seems like a definite possibility for both of these jumpers on Thursday.
Tyrone's Erika Voyzey is the one to beat in the girls' high jump (Photo by Don Rich)
High School Girls' High Jump Championship - Event 613 (Thursday 2:30 PM)
Tyrone's Erika Voyzey will make a return trip to the Penn Relays, but the senior will look for different results this time around. Last year, Voyzey wound up 12th overall in the high jump competition, clearing 5-2.5, well off her PR.
Voyzey has had a tremendous start to her 2016. She finally did better than 5-8, clearing 5-9 at indoor nationals. Then at a dual meet, she cleared 5-11 for a US#2. She's cleared 5-8 in three consecutive invitationals (all wins). She's the favorite headed into Thursday's competition.
The field also has the indoor state champ from February. Souderton's Moira O'Malley claimed the win at Penn State this winter and the junior had a huge 5-7 PR clearance this past weekend at Twin Valley for the win. She proved in indoors that she can step up on the big stage and she'll look to do that on Thursday.
Rounding out the PA side of the field will be Central Bucks South's Valerie Przekop and Downingtown East's Stacey Wolverton. Przekop is at PA#6 right now after clearing 5-6 at the Jim Kelly Invite. She also claimed wins at Neshaminy and Central Bucks West this season, Wolverton cleared a PR of 5-6 indoors.
Emily Stauffer brings a PA#1 into Penn on Thursday (Photo by Don Rich)
High School Girls' Shot Put Championship - Event 614 (Thursday, 3:30 PM)
The girls' shot put will bring out two PA competitors. PA#1 Emily Stauffer of Cocalico leads the way. This will be her second Penn Relays appearance after placing fifth last year. Stauffer has had a great start to her season already, most recently throwing 48-5 in a dual meet. She'll look to improve on that fifth place finish on Thursday.
Neumann Goretti's Janese Lynch will compete as well. Lynch has had a relatively quiet start to her outdoor season, but will look for a big performance this week.
Jocelen Ruth of Kutztown is entered in the javelin at Penn (Photo by Don Rich)
High School Girls' Javelin Throw Championship - Event 617 (Thursday, 4:45 PM)
There are 22 entries for the girls' javelin championship and 13 of them hail from the host state. Connellsville's Madison Wiltrout, the national record holder and runner-up from 2015 at the Penn Relays is not entered. Let's dig into the PA entries.
Leading the pack is Maura Fiamoncini, who had a steallar season debut after knee surgery winning at Tamaqua a few weeks ago. Fiamoncini won with a throw of 153-7, which is a US#5.
Kutztown's Jocelen Ruth is also entered. She's at PA#5 after a nice throw at Tamaqua as well. Tamaqua's Morgan Boyle (PA#6) will be another one to watch. Autumn Cope (PA#7) of Jim Thorpe will be joined by teammate Brooke Cope in the event.
Bishop Carroll's Britt Krug, Cedar Cliff's Skyler Duncan, New Oxford's Madison Smith, Villa Maria's Erin Zimmerman, Cocalico's Mackenzie Hainley, Palisades' Madison Brader, The Hill School's Hannah Cummings, and Archbishop Carroll's Carly Peters round out the PA-laden competition.