The Week That Was: PA Week 5 Indoor Highlights

Dan Beck


Week 5 really got indoor track and field in Pennsylvania cooking. With a number of big meets and the new year, the performances are really starting to sizzle.

There were plenty of PA#1s and even some US#1s to get us rolling in 2020.

Check out meet highlights from around the state below.

Hispanic Games Highlights (Armory - NY)

Girls

  • Fore Abinusawa of Germantown Academy made her season debut a successful one. The state's top short sprinter ran a PA#1/US#2 time of 6.94 to win the 55 meter dash in runaway fashion Saturday looks like it's just the start for the sophomore sensation.
  • Isabelle Goldstein continued her great start to the season. The Germantown Academy senior won the 3K in 10:12.79, a PA#1 time on the season.
  • Another GA athlete had a big day. Meaghan Toscano tossed a PA#3/US#3
  • Lydia Russell of Friends' Central had a busy day and jam-packed it all into a short period of time. Russell ran 5:05 (PA#1) to take second in the mile and then came back with just about 20 minutes of recovery to take third in the 3K in a time of 10:17 (PA#2). What a double!
  • Girard College's Margaret Conteh went to the top of the state rankings in the 200 meters. The sophomore ran a PA#1 time of 25.23 in the prelims before taking third in the finals in 25.31. Cheltenham freshman Eyota Bey went 25.59, a PA#2, for fifth in the 200 final.
  • Friends' Central's Micah Trusty ran 57.55 to win the Varsity 400 meters, a time that was good enough for PA#3.
  • Neumann Goretti's Kami Joi Hickson placed third in the 800 meters in a time of 2:17.38 (PA#2).
  • Cheltenham's Brianna Smith ran 8.42, a PA#2, for fourth in the 55 meter hurdles.
  • Saint Basil Academy had a good day in the relays, running 1:44.49 in the 4x200 meter relay to put them at PA#2 and then a 4:03.27 in the 4x400 meter relay, a PA#2 time.
  • Imhotep's Nyashia Cooper continued her great season in the long jump. Already at PA#2 on the season, the junior leapt 17-11 for second on Saturday.
  • Germantown Academy's Liliana Cohen cleared 12-0 for the win in the pole vault.
  • Friends' Central's Inara Shell took third in the triple jump with a PA#6 leap of 37-1.



Boys

  • Salim Epps of Saint Joseph's Prep had a big day in the sprints. He ran a time of 48.97, an indoor PR, to win the invitational 400 meters. Then he ran 21.85 in the prelims of the 200 meters before taking third in the finals. Both of those times are PA#1 efforts on the young season.
  • Girard College's Donovan Sanders had a strong day as well. He went 21.92 in the finals of the 200 meters for second place and a PA#2 behind only Epps' prelim time.
  • Coatesville's Ousman Kamara cleared a T-PA#1 height of 6-8 to win the high jump, continuing the strong start to his season on the heels of his outdoor state title. That is also a US#2 clearance. Ousman's teammate Donovan Hart jumped a PA#3 of 6-6 to place second in what was a good day for Red Raider high jumpers.
  • Penncrest's Andrew Woolery was impressive in the 800 meters, capturing the overall win with a time of 1:58.18, the only boy in the field to dip under 2 minutes. That time puts him at PA#2.
  • Germantown Academy's Robert DiDonato took third in the invitational mile in a time of 4:21.09, good enough for a PA#2 and a very solid indoor season opener.



Ocean Breeze Freedom Games Highlights

  • Talitha Diggs of Saucon Valley rolled to the state lead in the 300 meters with a PA#1/US#2 in the 300 meters. She ran away with the win in a time of 38.32. More on her PA No. 2 all-time performance.
  • The Haverford School's Daiyaan Hawkins made a big statement, throwing down a PA#1 and US#5 time in the 55 dash. Hawkins went 6.39 to win the 55 dash, a PR for the senior and Temple football recruit.
  • Also from the Haverford School, Kevin Thomas improved on his own PA#1 in the 55 meter hurdles. He clocked a PR of 7.49 to take the win as he pushing forward in his strong sophomore season.
  • Kai Cummings of Germantown Friends went 34.37 to win the 300 meters. That time puts him at PA#1 and US#4 on the season. It's just off his PR of 34.23 in the event which he set at the Freedom Games last year.



TFCAofGP Meet #3 Highlights

  • The remarkable start to the season for Upper Dublin's Jaden Price-Whitehead continued on Saturday. The junior improved on his own US#1 in the long jump. Price-Whitehead leapt 24-2.75 for the win, topping the 24-foot barrier for the first time indoors.
  • The Downingtown West boys won a competitive DMR. The XC state champions from the fall went 10:42.74 for a new PA#1 in the event to outlast Garnet Valley (PA#3 10:48) for the DI win. Radnor lapped the whole field to win the DII DMR in a PA#4 time of 10:49.
  • In a loaded pole vault competition, North Penn's Starrett Vesper came out on top, winning with a 15-0 clearance to put him at PA#2 on the season.
  • Bishop McDevitt's Kendall White posted a strong win in the 400 meters, clocking a fast flat-track time of 50.79 for the DII victory. Watch his winning race above.
  • Downingtown West's Ethan Robinson went 8.26 to win the 60m hurdles, just off his SB of 8.23, which stands at PA#3.
  • Hatboro's Kasey Savage won the DI high jump (PA#3 6-6) and Penn Charter's Akeel Blake won the DII long jump (PA#5 22-2)



TSTCA Meet #1 Highlights

  • North Allegheny's Casey Burton had a strong season opener at the first TSTCA meet of the season. She jumped 18-4 (PA#3) to win the long jump and then ran 7.97 (PA#8) to take the win in the 60 meters.
  • Emma Callahan of Shenango opened up her season in a big way. The sophomore thrower won the shot put with a best of 44-10, over three feet better than her freshman year best in her first meet of the season. That puts her at PA#3 and US#3 on the young season.
  • South Fayette's Grace Howard had a strong high school debut. The freshman cleared 5-4 to win the high jump, a performance that puts her at PA#2 after just her first meet.
  • In the boys' high jump, Sami Taoufik cleared 6-8 to win the high jump, a T-PA#1 height. That's also an indoor PR to open up the season for the senior.
  • Upper Saint Clair's Isaac Kane scored a pair of wins, running 50.64 (PA#3) to win the 400 meters and then coming back to win the 200 meters in 22.61 (PA#5).
  • Shaler's Cam Mbalo started off his season well, winning the triple jump with a leap of 46-1, an indoor PR that puts him at PA#2 on the season.
  • Fairview's Eric Schulz won the shot put with an indoor PR of 54-2 to move him to PA#4.
  • Indiana Area's Kendall Branan clocked a PA#3 in the 800 meters, winning in a time of 1:59.64.



Kutztown Golden Bear Invitational Highlights

  • Fleetwood Area's Jeff Kline improved upon his own PA#1 in the shot put. The senior tossed the shot 59-7.25 for the win, as he creeps closer and closer to 60 feet. He currently sits at US#3 in the event.
  • Manheim Township's Sydney Horn captured the win in a competitive pole vault. Horn, who is already PA#1 and US#2, cleared 12-9 for the win. Central Dauphin's Gabriella Recce was second, also clearing 12-9 (PA#2), and Western Wayne's Trina Barcarola was third with a jump of 12-3 (PA#3).
  • Recce also jumped a PA#2 in the triple jump, leaping an indoor PR of 38-1.5 for the win. She's currently in the top two in the state rankings in three events, holding down the lead in the long jump since Week 1 of the season.
  • Wilkes-Barre's Rafael McCoy ran a PA#2 time of 6.50 to win the 55 meters, continuing his big start to the season in the sprints (he's also PA#4 in the 60 dash).


Other Highlights