AAA Girls 400m - Talitha Diggs (Saucon Valley) 52.82
Old Record: 53.11 (1986) - Leaha Walker (Williamsport Area)
The look of shocked look on Diggs' face after she crossed the finish line told you everything you needed to know. The junior entered the PIAA State Championships with a 400 PR of 54.21 from this past indoor season. But Diggs bypassed the 53-second range all together and popped a 52.82 to win a dramatic AAA 400 meter final.
Diggs kicked passed Cheltenham's Bria Barnes in the closing meters to take home her first career outdoor state crown. She didn't think she had a 52.82 in her, though, which broke the 33-year-old meet record of 53.11, set in 1986 by Leaha Walker. It was a time, Diggs said, she had her sights set on since she was in middle school. Barnes, meanwhile, took second in 53.39, not far off Walker's record.
Diggs came back to win the 200 meters in 23.88 later in the day, capping off a very successful state meet. Diggs comes back next year for her senior year, a season where Sharon Dabney's 1977 all-time state record of 51.55 is suddenly not safe.