Pennsylvania's banner season in the girls shot put just keeps getting better and better.
This time it was Siniru Iheoma that shot herself up to US No. 2 with a huge performance in the shot put at Saturday's PTFCA Indoor Track Carnival at Glen Mills. Iheoma, a Council Rock South senior, won the shot put with a best heave of 48-7.75.
With each athlete in the six competitor field getting just three attempts with no finals, Iheoma made the most of it. On her first attempt, she fired off the US No. 2 put. After fouling her second attempt, she came back to put another mark over 48 feet with an official put of 48-4.75.
Her 48-7.75 puts Iheoma at second in the nation this winter trailing only fellow Pennsylvanian Ashlyn Giles of Schuylkill Valley. Giles put down a nation-leading put of 49-7 last week at Hempfield Area. Now the top four girls in the country in the shot put all hail from PA. After Giles and Iheoma, Shenango's Emma Callahan (48-0.25) and Hempfield Area's Isabella Gera (47-7.5) sit at US No. 3 and US No. 4, respectively.
Iheoma now moves up to PA No. 6 all-time in the shot put. Interestingly enough, Iheoma's Carnival put was not a meet record. That is held by East Juniata's Heather Colyer, who broke the Pennsylvania state record with a mark of 52-2.75 from the 1997 Carnival. That still stands as the indoor state record to this day.
Saturday's performance is a big PR in the shot put for Iheoma. She entered the weekend at PA No. 4 and US No. 8 in the shot with a best of 44-5 from way back in early October at a meet at the Armory in New York. Iheoma's previous shot put PR indoors was 45-4 from last season when she was a junior. She also threw 45-11.75 outdoors as a sophomore. During that tenth grade year, Iheoma won the PIAA Class AAA state title in the discus -- arguably her better event.
Event 25 Girls Shot Put
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Carnival: ! 52-05.75 1997 Heather Colyer, East Juniata
Name Year School Finals
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1 Iheoma, Siniru 12 CR South 48-07.75
48-07.75 FOUL 48-04.75
2 Woodcock, Emma 12 Villa Maria Acad 30-11.50
30-08.50 30-11.50 30-10.75
3 Pettus, Jonna 12 Easton Area 28-08.25
23-09.50 27-07.25 28-08.25
4 Lafferty, Tanner 12 Jenkintown 27-11.25
26-03 27-08 27-11.25
5 Rhoads, Alexandrea 11 Reading 26-10.25
26-04.50 26-10.25 24-06
6 Walsh, Mackenzie 10 Ephrata 19-10.00
16-07.50 19-10 16-09