Leading the list of returning winners are Cedar Crest standout
Kaddel Howard and Spring Grove's Ella Bahn. Heading to Shippensburg this weekend,
both seniors are a perfect 3-for-3 in PIAA Class AAA finals and have hit the
NFHS Honor Roll standard each and every year in the two-day meet.
Howard, a Florida Gator commit, is No. 1 in the state and
country after her 51.48-second PR to win the District 3 400-meter title. That
performance is worth a sizable advantage over Moon Area sophomore Rachel Stepp,
who is No. 2 in PA after her 54.69 back in April. Only two other girls have turned
in sub-55 clockings this year.
Bahn claimed her third consecutive 300 hurdle crown in 2025
with a 41.98 performance and also won 100 hurdle gold in 13.64. Heading into
opening day, the Princeton recruit is second fastest in the 100s and third best
in the 300s, with Kennett junior Aydriane Bowden leading both qualifying lists.
Central Bucks East won the 4x800 last year with a solid
9:03.23 run and is back with the best district time of 9:10.22, while
Cumberland Valley ran 3:50.29 to win PIAA gold in '25 and ran 3:50.72 to
prevail in the District 3 final last week.
Amirah Nesmith of Cheltenham will be shooting for her third
100 title in a row, having run 11.47 to lead this year's field to Shippensburg.
She also won the 200 a year ago and trails only Howard on the qualifiers list
as the top two also ran in the 23s at districts.
Sophia Rivera of Ephrata is back to defend in a pair of
throwing events with deep fields. The senior qualified third in the shot put as
the top four threw 42 feet, 11.5 inches or better a week ago and seventh in the
discus, with the top group all over 130 feet.
Athletes looking to defend dominate the landscape in Class
AA girls, with Lewisburg Area distance ace Baylee Espinosa leading the way. The
senior and Penn State recruit claimed both distance races a year ago, recording
a PIAA meet record in the 3,200. She outdueled Wellsboro's Lauren Kosek in this
year's District 4 meet, with the duo being the fastest qualifiers in the AA
1,600 and the top two again in the 3,200.
Warrior Run will bring a two-year title run to Saturday's
4x800 final. The challenge will be sizable as Hughesville cranked out a 9:14.64
performance in district competition for a 15-plus second gap on the next
fastest team.
Kylie Temple of Hughesville won the 300 hurdles by almost a
full second a year ago in 43.45. This year, the senior emerged from the district
meets with a list-topping 43.67 clocking and a cushion of 1.14 seconds.
Conemaugh Township's Baylee Sleek was a 5-8 winner in the
high jump in 2025 and shares the top qualifying spot at 5-6 with Grove City's
Milena Sciullo.
Junior Mackenzie Magness of Freeport Area warmed up for a
title defense in the pole vault with a WPIAL (District 7) title-winning
clearance of 12-0. Aleah Morgante of Grove City leads AA qualifiers at 12-8.5
as the District 10 champ.
Weather permitting, big numbers are likely in the long jump
as the lead trio in AA broke 19 feet in district competition. Amarah Crabbe of
West Catholic won a year ago at 18-5.75 and spanned 19-4.5 last week, with
freshman Olivia Thomas of Mid Valley the top qualifier at 19-5. Kutztown senior
Clara Engel is third on the district performance list at 19-2.75.
In the shot put, Laurel senior Alexis Geiwitz hit 41-2 for
gold in 2025 and was one of five over 40 feet last week. The top 10 competitors
are all from Districts 4, 7 or 10.
One of the most interesting storylines of this weekend will
be in AA boys where junior Jonah Montagnese is entered once again in all four
distance events. The Quaker Valley standout will look to defend his 1,600 title
this morning before working through a Saturday schedule that opens with the
3,200 and wraps up with the 4x800 relay and open 800.
A year ago, Montagnese won the metric mile in 4:11.06, was
fourth at twice the distance, sixth in the 800 and contributed a leg on the
Quaker's winning relay squad. He was a quadruple winner last week and has the
third fastest 1,600 time and fastest 3,200 district effort (9:10.60) by more
than 13 seconds.
This year's 4x800 field also features a pair of sub-8:00
teams in Lewisburg Area and Hughesville, while Quaker Valley also is the
returning champion in a 4x400 field that shows 29 of 35 teams under the state
qualifying standard from the district meets. Also defending a title is
Greensburg Central Catholic's Jerry Davis, who claimed the 400 dash in 48.50.
He is one of four qualifiers to have run under 49 flat last week, with that
group separated by just nine hundredths of a seconds.
A pair of District 10 champions from 2026 will be looking
for their second PIAA crowns as Mercyhurst Prep junior Vincent Feliciano is
back in the 100 dash and Corry Area senior Blake Cook is the fastest qualifier
in the 300 hurdles after running 37.56 to win a year ago. Annville-Cleona's David
Moran also returns in the 800, entering the meet as the fourth-fastest district
performer.
In AAA boys, North Penn is back in the 4x800 relay field
after running 7:48.28 for the win a year ago. In this year's district meets, eight
AAA quartets bettered that mark.
Also returning to defending are the 4x100 team from Cumberland
Valley and the 4x4 squad from Downingtown West. A year ago, the Whippets
covered four laps in 3:13.86 as this year's team is the fastest out of the
district meets at 3:15.82.
Middle distance standout Carter Smith of Mifflin County sits
atop the 1,600 qualifying list with his 4:01.54 run in District 6. That's 6-plus
seconds better than the next fastest.
The only other 2025 champion back in AAA boys is New Oxford's
Brayden Billman. His winning triple jump effort a year ago was 47-5, and he will
hit the runway at Seth Grove Stadium as a heavy favorite off his 50-4 district
winner that is PA#1.