It was a wild final day of action at New Balance Nationals Indoor at the Armory in New York. PA came away with another national champion in an all-time great performances and a number of other performances shook up the all-time state rankings.
Parks Edges Starliper In Epic Mile
It was a race for the ages, as PA's two best all-time milers duked it out in a crazy last lap sprint to the line. By the time the dust settled, both girls were lying on the track. Greencastle-Antrim's Taryn Parks pulled off the upset and took the win over Northern's Marlee Starliper in the Championship Girls Mile.
Parks matched practically every move Starliper made through the first six laps. West Virginia's Victoria Starcher led through about five laps then Starliper went to the front. With two to go, Starliper picked up the pace and opened up a gap on Parks. But Parks never let her get too far ahead. At the line, Parks dove and nipped Starliper by just .003 for an impossibly close finish.
Parks clocked a 4:39.05 and Starliper was given the same time with the timers determining Parks was ever-so-slightly ahead. Parks takes the PA state record, which Starliper held after her Millrose Games victory. Those performances are the No. 1 and No. 2 all-time times in PA state history.
As if that wasn't enough, Germantown Academy's Isabelle Goldstein dropped a 4:46.44 for sixth place, also earning her All American honors. It was quite a day for PA milers!
Davies Takes 2 Silvers; Betters Her 60m State Record
Thelma Davies of Girard College ran 7.30, breaking her own PA state record that she set two weeks ago at indoor states in a great battle in the Championship 60 meters on Sunday.
In the 60 meters, Davies took second to Florida's Briana Williams. Williams got the jump on Davies off the line, but Davies closed hard to cut into the gap. In the end, Davies was second for a second straight year as Williams took the win in 7.28. For the fourth consecutive year, Davies bettered or tied her PR and state record in the 60 meters at NBNI.
Davies came back in the 200 meters later in the day, where she matched up with another Floridan, Tamari Davis. Davies was nursing a tight hamstring, but still ran a 23.78 to take second to Davis, who ran 23.24 for the victory.
Neumann Goretti Nearly Wins A Second National Title
After a dominant 4x800 meter relay national title and state record on Saturday, the Neumann Goretti girls were looking for national crown No. 2 of the weekend. It wasn't to be on Sunday afternoon, but NG threw down a memorable 4x400, improving upon their own PA#3 all-time time from last year..
The relay of Dasia Wilson, Kami Joi Hickson, Sanaiya Watts, and Mykala Perry (the same 4x8 quartet but with a different order) ran 3:45.01 to take second to Western Branch. WB ran . NG stayed in second for most of the race and Perry on the anchor desperately tried to chase down WB's last leg, coming up just .04 at the line.
Other Highlights
- The Central Dauphin East boys earned All American status in the 4x200-meter relay. The squad won the second section of the event, which turned into a competitive race, but the fastest time came out of the first heat. CD East clocked a 1:29.58 to place fourth overall.
- After anchoring the winning the 4x800 last night, Neumann Goretti's Kami Joi Hickson returned to the Armory Sunday morning for the Championship 800 meters. Hickson took second in her section, running a PA#2 time of 2:08.58.
- In the Championship pole vault, Germantown Academy's Liliana Cohen was the top girl in the "unseeded" section, jumping a new PA#1 of 13-2.25. After the "seeded" section, Cohen ended up fourth overall, earning All American status. Manheim Township's Sydney Horn was seventh with a jump of 12-10.25.
- In the Championship 400 meters, Cheltenham's Bria Barnes threw down a big PR, clocking a 54.05 to take fourth overall. Barnes was second in the first of the two sections. Talitha Diggs of Saucon Valley ran 54.21 to take fifth overall, also posting a new PR. Barnes' time is a PA#1, while Diggs is at PA#2 at the end of the indoor season.
- State College's Kileigh Kane ran a big PR in the Championship Mile. In the first of two heats, Kane took second (tenth overall) in 4:52.87, a PA#5 on the season.
- In the boys Championship 2 mile, North Allegheny's Zach Kinne placed 16th overall with a state-leading time of 9:11.49.
- Lydia Russell of Friends' Central closed out her breakthrough indoor campaign with a time of 10:34.68 in the Championship 2 mile. She placed 15th overall.