Not even a two-hour weather delay could stop top-ranking performances at Saturday's 96th Roddick HS Invitational. It was an action-packed day with PA No.1 efforts and an unprecedented state record in the 2k steeplechase.
Girls
On the Track
Camryn Kiser (Chambersburg), Lacey Danilovitz (Riverside), and Ellie Keefer (West Chester Rustin) put on a show in the 3200m run, making for an exciting opening event. Kiser and Danilovitz broke away from Keefer with 600m to go in an epic showdown to the finish. Kiser took the win in 10:47.11, with Danilovitz taking 2nd in 10:49.83 and Keefer taking 3rd in 10:54.71. All three performances cracked the PA Top 10 ranks for the season thus far.
Dallastown ran away with the win by nearly 10 seconds in the 4x800m relay, running a new PA No.8 time of 9:39.85. The Dallastown squad, comprised of Natalie Good, Addison Emenheiser, Kailey Granger, and Victoria Rodriguez, beat other top PA talents such as Carlisle and Dallas.
Ryleigh Marks (Susquehannock) won the 100m hurdles out of heat 7 in 14.92. Gemma Galligani (Dover) finished 2nd in 15.50 from the same heat.
Carly Aument (Selinsgrove) and Sydney Rush (Somerset Area) had solid performances in the 100m dash despite a -0.7 headwind. Aument won in 12.15, cracking the current PA Top 10 for the season. Rush came in 2nd with a 12.24.
The 1600m run made for a tactical race between Kailey Granger (Dallastown), Claire Paci (Greencastle-Antrim), Marlee Kwasnica (State College Area), and Gabrielle Keith (Exeter Township). Granger, Kwasnica, and Keith broke away from the pack with 800m to go, and Keith was in pursuit. The victory was up for grabs going into the final lap, and Granger responded with a big finishing push to run 5:07.68. Paci was 2nd in 5:08.15, Kwasnica was 3rd in 5:08.27, and Keith was 4th in 5:08.44.
Heat 3 of the 1600m Run
Parkland won the 4x100m relay with a PA No.8 time of 48.82. With a great start and solid handoffs, the Parkland squad looked untouchable from the backstretch to the finish. West Chester Rustin was 2nd in 49.33, and State College Area was 3rd in 49.44.
The 400m dash was the last event before the two-hour rain delay that halted the meet. Jillian Sydnor (Shippensburg) dominated the field, running a season-best time of 57.34. Sydnor glided down the backstretch and through the second turn creating a gap that nobody else in the race could respond to. Riley Ebersole (Cumberland Valley) also ran a solid race finishing 2nd in 58.63 to rank herself in the state's top 25.
After the rain delay, Gemma Galligani (Dover) and Autumn Becker (Bedford) wasted no time getting things started back up with the 300m hurdles. Galligani ran 46.06 to just out lean Becker, who ran 46.11.
Ashley Pines (Cumberland Valley) won the 800m run in 2:17.76. Finishing just behind her in an extremely close race for 2nd was Claire Paci, who ran 2:19.29. Kate Moncavage (Southern Columbia Area) finished 3rd in 2:19.55, and Lana Hurwitz (Parkland) was 4th in 2:19.63.
Caroline Blakeslee (Lewisburg) won the 200m dash in 26.25. Blakeslee just beat Gabby Delpielago (York Suburban), who ran 26.35.
The second to last event on the track was the 2000m steeplechase, an event not often run by PA high schoolers. Victoria Rodriguez (Dallastown) took the win in an inspiring solo effort of 6:57.29. Rodriguez's performance is a new state record in the 2k steeplechase and the current US No.2 time this season. Emily Leatherman (Carlisle) also cracked the US Top 25, taking 2nd place in 7:25.12. The State College duo of Devon Jackson and Marlee Kwasnica shouldn't be overlooked. Jackson was 3rd in 7:28.27, and Kwasnica was 4th in 7:28.80. The steeple may be a peculiar event for PA athletes, but that didn't stop these four young ladies from having outstanding performances.
Rodriguez's Record-Breaking 2K Steeplechase
The squad from Towanda wrapped up the track action by running 4:09.51 to win the 4x400m relay.
In the Field
Jordan Bowman (Northwest Area) raised the bar setting a new personal best of 5'-4" to win the high jump. This mark ties for 5th with 11 other athletes on the current state rankings. Lydia Stoner (Palmyra) was the only other athlete to clear five feet today after she cleared 5'-2" to take 2nd.
Ava Alexander (West Chester Rustin) crushed the competition to win the triple jump. Alexander covered a new PA No.2 and US No.4 mark of 40'-1.5". This is no surprise, as Alexander is one of the nation's top talents.
The long jump was a close competition, with five girls covering over 17 feet. Hailey Sammarco (Parkland) took the win with her final jump hitting 17'-9.25". Jazmine Bennett (Bishop McDevitt) was 2nd jumping 17'-6.25", Ryleigh Marks (Susquehannock) was 3rd jumping 17'-6", and Hayden Mark (Huntingdon Area) was 4th jumping 17'-3.5". Rounding out the top five was Charly Schlauch (Bloomsburg), who covered 17'-1".
The pole vault competition was fun to watch, with Lilyana Carlson (Bermudian Springs) clearing 12'-0" to win. Kylie Eismann (Lower Dauphin) was 2nd, and Adeline Woodward (Trinity) was 3rd, both clearing 11'-6".
The javelin win went to Belle Bosch (Chestnut Ridge) after a monster throw of 146'-3". Bosch now ranks No.2 in the state with this mark. Rosalind Gergely (Blue Mountain) had a good day taking 2nd with a throw of 139'-11".
It only took current PA No.2 ranked Ella Lucas (Warwick) one attempt to win the discus. Lucas threw 145'-5", beating 2nd place Mia Pierce (Laurel Highlands) by an impressive 23'-9".
Similarly, to Lucas, Sasha Garnett (Richland) won the shot put with her first attempt. Garnett entered the current PA Top 5, throwing 42'-7".
Boys
On the Track
Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock) started things on the track with a scrappy solo effort to win the 3200. O'Brien broke away from the pack 600m into the race and didn't look back. He clocked a time of 9:10.79, ranking him 5th in the state. Notably, Aidan Hodge (Hempfield) was 2nd in 9:21.48, splitting an impressive 62 high last 400m.
The action continued into the 4x800m relay, with Shikellamy running a new PA No.1 time of 7:58.08. Parkland had a 10-meter lead going into the race's final leg, but that wasn't enough of a gap to hold off Tim Gale (Shikellamy). Gale ran a 1:55.37 anchor leg to take home the win for his team.
It was a fast day for the 110m hurdlers, with three stand-out performances cracking this season's PA Top 5 ranks. Bernard Bell (South Western) led the charge to win in 14.30. Behind Bell was Andrew Beers (Parkland) in 14.53 and Jermere Jones (Chambersburg) in 14.65.
The 100m dash had some strong performances despite a varying headwind from heat to heat. Dylan Simon (Parkland) powered through a slight headwind of -0.3 to run a PA No.2 time of 10.58. Finishing in 2nd from the same heat was Evan McCracken (Richland), who had a PA No.3 performance of 10.58. A sophomore, Nick Keller (Ephrata), was 3rd running from a different heat. He clocked an impressive 10.65 through a -0.5 headwind.
The 1600m was a tactical race that came down to a well-timed sit-and-kick finish from Nick Sloff (State College Area). Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock) led a pack consisting of Sloff, Rory Lieberman (Danville Area), Colin Whitaker (Lampeter Strasburg), and Parker Stoner (Lampeter Strasburg) through the first three and a half laps of the race. Lieberman tried to break away from the pack with 200m to go while Sloff boldly worked his way around the other runners through the turn. Sloff and Lieberman ran side by side through the homestretch until Sloff made one last surge to take the win in 4:19.52 over Lieberman in 4:20.04.
Chambersburg and Parkland had excellent showings in the 4x100m relay. The Chambersburg squad won, hitting an impressive new PA No.1 time on the year in 42.01. The team from Parkland responded to the pace running 42.28. This time ties them for the PA No.2 rank with Emmaus and Roman Catholic.
The 400m dash was unfortunately interrupted by the elements with only one heat left. However, the two-hour rain delay didn't stop Jesse Myers (State College Area) from flying to a new PA No.1 time of 47.48 once the meet got back on track. Alex Garcia (Lower Dauphin) was 2nd in 48.38, and Nick Keller (Ephrata) was 3rd in 48.42.
Josiah Schans (Montoursville) ran away with the 300m hurdles win,
running 40.61.
Thomas Hess (Lewisburg Area) had an excellent solo performance gapping the field from the gun. Hess won the 800m run in a 1:54.04.
Nick Keller (Ephrata) was Saturday's 200m dash champion in 22.50. Kenneth Johnson (Dallastown) was 2nd in 22.63, getting just out leaned by Keller at the line.
The 2000m steeplechase made for an exciting second-to-last race of the day. Despite not being something PA athletes would typically train for, Mason English (Lower Dauphin) showed great potential in the event, winning in 6:22.83. In a battle for 2nd, Dalton Noblit (Greencastle-Antrim) bested Owen Coughlin (State College Area). Noblit ran 5:33.47, and Coughlin ran 6:35.77.
Lower Dauphin won the 4x400m relay in 3:27.61 with a comeback finish against Mechanicsburg. During the anchor leg, Samuel Garcia (Lower Dauphin) split a 50.37 to close the gap and beat Samuel Nolan (Mechanicsburg).
In the Field
Ben Kimmel (Boiling Springs) and Jayden Ekoko (Easton Area) both cleared 6'-2" during the high jump competition. Kimmel came out on top, clearing the mark on his first attempt.
Caden Delattre (Hollidaysburg Area) won the triple jump after covering a new PA No.7 mark of 45'-2.75" on his second attempt. Samuel Chedester (Easton Area) was 2nd covering 44'-4.50" after only posting one attempt because of the bad weather.
Caden Delattre (Hollidaysburg) also took the win in the long jump. Delattre covered a new PA No.9 mark of 22'-7.75" on his final attempt. Connor Johns (Parkland) was 2nd with a mark of 22'-4.25".
After getting moved indoors because of the rain, Drake Risser (Lower Dauphin) won the pole vault with an impressive 16'-0" effort. Risser's performance puts him at the PA No.1 spot by 5 inches.
Bronson Krainak (Danville Area) won javelin by over a foot on his second and final attempt of the day, throwing 188'-8". Tyler Arnold (Southern Columbia) was 2nd with a 176'-9" effort.
Matthew Arnold (York County School of Technology) took the discuss win throwing 157'-0". Short of his 161'-2" season best, but still a consistent performance for the senior. Alex Polenik (Penns Manor) was 2nd with a 156'-9" effort, just three inches short of Arnold.
Ivan Tejada (Warwick) and Danny Pham (Central York) had good performances in the shot put. Tejada won with a 53'-11" throw while Pham finished 2nd throwing 52'-2.50".