WATCH LIVE: THE PENN RELAYS
BEGINS AIRING ON THURSDAY, APRIL 25
Universal subscribers can access The Penn Relays via their subscription
Some of Pennsylvania's top contenders are staked to compete this weekend at the historic Penn Relays presented by Toyota.
Here are PA's some noteworthy individual athletes to watch for at the 128th running of the meet.
The Girls | The Boys
The Girls
On the Track:
Middle-distance standouts Olivia Cieslak (Haverford Township), Alli DeLisi (Penn Charter) and Gwen Hamilton (Archbishop Wood) will headline the Girls Mile for PA.
Cieslak is the current state lead and US No.7 in the mile with a 4:44.57, but don't overlook DeLisi and Hamilton. DeLisi and Hamilton, the current US No.10 and No.15 800m runners, have similar closing speed to Cieslak if it becomes a kickers race.
Expect these three to add another epic race to their continuous showdown.
Look for Logan St. John Kletter (Mount Lebanon) and Baylee Espinosa (Lewisburg) in the Girls 3k.
Kletter enters with an impressive seed time of 9:43.12, which she ran to take 7th last year at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, followed by Espinosa entered at 9:56.12 from this past indoor season.
Kletter, who's no stranger to high-level competition, can compete for the individual win among some of the country's other top distance runners.
In the Field:
The Girls High Jump will be an exciting competition. Five girls will represent PA in the competitive field. However, there is no clear favorite. Here's the rundown.
Triumph Kilmartin (Altoona) is the current PA No.2 with a mark of 5-5. Niya Jeffers (Chester) will make her outdoor season debut entered at her indoor personal best height of 5-7, while Briana Lee (Penn Manor) enters with an indoor personal best of 5-6. Isabella Tront (Garnet Valley) and Jaidyn Wiseley (Neshaminy) round out the five with indoor personal bests of 5-5.
On their best days, all five girls are very close competitors. Time will tell who emerges on top this weekend.
Veronica Vacca (Mount Saint Joseph Academy) needs little introduction in the Girls Pole Vault.
Vacca was the 2023 Penn Relays Pole Vault Champion and is the favorite again in 2024. This weekend will be Vacca's 2024 outdoor debut after her historic indoor season, in which she cleared 14-3 and won two national titles.
Adeline Woodward (Trinity) and Anna Rank (Elizabethtown Area) are two other top vaulters from PA to watch.
The Girls Long Jump will be another exciting event. Avery Lewis (Friends' Central), Summer Mellow (Methacton) and Saige Forbes (Episcopal Academy) are some of the top PA girls to watch.
Lewis, the indoor state champion and Adidas Track Nationals champion, has already jumped an impressive 20-1.5 this outdoor season. While Mellow has covered 19-5, with Forbes just behind her at 19-4.
Destini Smith (Souderton Area) is PA's big name in the Girls Triple Jump.
Smith is the current PA No.1 and US No.16 at 40-7 from the Cardinal Invitational two weeks ago. Expect to see her carry this momentum into the Penn Relays.
Also, look out for Madison Gee (North Penn) and Shaniyah Weidler (Susquehanna Township).
Maria Clark (Mechanicsburg) is the lone PA thrower in the Girls Discus. Clark is the current PA No.2 at 129-8.
PA has a slew of entries in the Girls Javelin with two athletes who you won't want to miss.
Rosalind Gergely (Blue Mountain) is a standout as the PA No.2 and US No.16 thrower at 147-6. She is just tailed by Eliana Schneider (Cedar Crest) as the PA No.3 and US No.17 at 147-5.
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