Above: Nataly Walters Triple Jumping at the PTFCA Championship
As the headline reads, some athletes just slide under the radar. They may be overshadowed by others, or may be on the verge of a break through. We wanted to bring to light four remarkable athletes that we consider underrated heading into the 2023 Outdoor Track season. We'll keep an eye on their progress throughout the 2023 campaign.
Nataly Walters - Palmerton Area
Walter has established an exceptional start to the season.
On the heels of a third-place finish at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship, Walters won the New Balance Nationals Indoor Rising Stars division long jump competition. She jumped 18-07, which would have placed ninth in the championship field.
A lifetime best for the sophomore seemingly provided a new standard for Walters to hit this outdoor season. She has delivered two jumps better than that 18-07 in thus far, most recently clearing 19-1.5
That was a school record for Palmerton Area and went down as a PA No. 26 All-Time (all-weather). Amongst sophomores - it is the ninth-best mark we've seen.
Frankly, she is already a PIAA Championship contender as a sophomore.
Ethan Turber - Shikellamy
Ethan Tuber concluded the 2022 Outdoor season ranked 134th in the State with his best discus throw of 132-10.5.
Last week - he opened his season with a personal best 161-6, which would have concluded the 2022 season ranked 13th in the State.
The numbers are both impressive and exciting. It is not uncommon for an athlete to make a significant leap in their senior campaign, and Turber is no stranger to improvement. He improved 30 feet over the span of his first season and twenty feet over his junior year.
In his third year throwing the high school Discus, Turner has snagged another 30 feet, and if he can establish consistency at his new mark of 161, he'll be a contender at every meet he enters.
Trevon Foster - Pottsgrove
Foster is quietly one of the best athletes in the State. He indeed slides under the radar, but he is a fierce competitor.
In 2022 he finished 15th in the 110 hurdles at the PIAA 3A State Championship meet. But I'll remind you, he was just a freshman.
In the indoor season, he finished fourth at the PTFCA Championships in the 60m hurdles with a PA No. 35 All-Time mark of 8.06. That time is also a Sophomore Class No. 2 All-Time mark.
Foster is turning into a well-rounded hurdler. He has room to improve his endurance for the 300m hurdles but has already run 14.93 over 110m.
Hailey Reinhard - Emmaus
Reinhard ran a limited Indoor Schedule this year but still placed 13th at the PTFCA State Championships in the mile. A year ago, she knocked on the 5-minute barrier and ran a personal best of 5:00.83 at the PIAA State Championships to finish in 16th.
She is a utility tool on the distance side for Emmaus. She has run the 400m, 800m, 1600m, and 3200m so far this season; scoring wins for her team in each race.
Her season opening times of 5:07.90 (1600m) and 10:57.80 (3200m) have piqued our attention. Those are impressive openers for anyone, especially in dual meet competition.
The Bucknell University commit is looking to put the bow on her senior season. We could see her make some noise down the stretch.