AA Girls 1600m Preview
Melissa Riggins will start her quest for her third straight 1600-800 double at the state meet with the AA 1600 meters on Friday. The Shady Side Academy senior and Georgetown signee won 1600 titles as a freshman and then as a sophomore, both in runaway fashion. She missed the chance for the double during her junior year due to the pandemic, but she's back once again with her sites set on more gold.
Riggins will be shooting for her fifth state title in the 1600 meters to start her day off, and she will be the big favorite.
Brownsville Area's Jolena Quarzo is the second seed. She dropped a PR of 5:00.68 to take second to Riggins at the WPIAL Championships. Coming off the 3200 meters, Quarzo won't have fresh legs, but she could still have a god shot at sub-5. Two district champions -- Portage Area's Lauren Shaffer out of District 6 and Fairview's Maddison Hayes out of District 10 -- have identical season bests in the 1600 and will be factors in this race. Shaffer went 5:06.27 to win at D6, while Hayes ran that time to win at Butler. Hayes is choosing the 1600 over the 3200, so she'll be fresh and is always someone to watch for in championship meets.
Conneaut's Meaera Shannon was a close second to Hayes in D10. She'll be running the 3200 earlier in the meet, but should be right in the mix for a high finish. District 6 runner-up Anna Stitzer of Penns Valley -- also running the 3200 -- will look to close out her meet on a high note.
Mercer's Willow Myers, Warrior Run's Lauren Trapani, Greenwood's Amiyah Priebe, Greensburg Central Catholic's Corinn Brewer, and Corry Area's Hannah Smrcka are among the girls with a good shot of making the podium in this field.
Riggins, as always, will be a tough one to take down, especially with her closing speed. She will be a big favorite in her quest for a third straight state title in the 1600.
ENTRIES:
Event 204 Girls 1600 Meter Run AA
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NFHS Record: 4:33.29 2014 Alexa Efraimson, Camas HS, WA
PIAA Record: 4:39.42 2012 Angel Piccirillo, Homer Center 06
NFHS Hnr Rol: 4:50.00
5:18.30 SQS
Name Year School Seed Finals
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1 Riggins, Melissa 12 Shady Side 07 4:51.93 SQS
2 Quarzo, Jolena 10 Brownsville 07 5:00.68 SQS
3 Shaffer, Lauren 11 Portage Area 06 5:06.27 SQS
4 Hayes, Maddison 12 Fairview 10 5:07.44 SQS
5 Shannon, Meaera 12 Conneaut 10 5:08.54 SQS
6 Stitzer, Anna 11 Penns Valley 06 5:09.24 SQS
7 Trapani, Lauren 12 Warrior Run 04 5:12.88 SQS
8 Myers, Willow 10 Mercer Area 10 5:12.92 SQS
9 Priebe, Amiyah 12 Greenwood 03 5:14.98 SQS
10 Brewer, Corinn 11 Greensburg CC 07 5:15.13 SQS
11 Cohen, Anna 11 Quaker Valley 07 5:16.26 SQS
12 Smrcka, Hannah 12 Corry Area 10 5:16.50 SQS
13 Mahoney, Sarah 12 Lewisburg 04 5:18.50
14 Jones, Krista 11 Elk Lake 02 5:18.78
15 Mehl, Cheyenne 10 Oswayo Valley 09 5:22.75
16 Roberts, Olivia 12 Punxsutawney 09 5:24.55
17 Lape, Natalie 9 Mohawk 07 5:25.99
18 Schwalm, Ryley 11 No Schuylkill 11 5:26.05
19 Miller, Ella 9 Nthrn Cambria 06 5:26.24
20 Whysong, Ava 10 Chestnut Rdg 05 5:26.80
21 Pezzino, Sarah 11 Pen Argyl 11 5:29.96
22 Cohen, Addie 9 Wyomissing 03 5:30.01
23 Rodriguez, Isa 12 Dock Menn 01 5:35.27
24 Wojton, Constance 9 Conwell-Egan 12 6:10.55
25 Harris, Desire 10 Mastery Hardy 12 6:21.60