Above: Campbell dominates the preliminary rounds of the 100m
The crowd was hushed as she stepped into the blocks.
Someone uttered, "Here comes that girl from Spring Grove," as she fell into her starting stance and prepped for her first race.
Then bang, she was out to a ten, 12, and 15-meter lead on the field as she stormed down the front stretch.
Laila Campbell recorded an 11.81 100m preliminary round before improving again in the finals with an 11.74, winning the race by a near half-second.
Campbell wins the finals, improving on her time.
Yet, an 11.74 seems lackluster for her. After all, she ran 11.24 last year to win the YAIAA Track and Field Championship.
But this is only the beginning of her season, and she has improved in each 100m race she has run. She opened the season with a 12.08 and hasn't run slower since - just four 100m races in.
Campbell returned later in the day to run a 24.68 200m.
At the time - both marks were PA No. 1 time. The 100m time still stands, but freshman phenom Kaddel Howard has since dethroned the 200m mark.
This week, Howard ran a stellar 24.34 at the Hempfield and Cedar Crest dual meet. That meeting was FAT Timed.
