4/8 WKND: Haven 12:14.62|Radnor 9:30/45|Laughlin 49-01|Dolan/Hannon quads|Costello 5:02.64|NEW PIX!

MEET DATES NOT CONFIRMED FOR THIS WEEKEND: 4/8 NY-PA Windsor Invitational NY

MISSING MEET RESULTS FROM PRIOR WEEKS 4/1 - Franklin Relays @ Franklin HS

Photo Gallery by Don Rich of the 4/8 Hurricane Track Classic @ Villa Maria Academy

Select Pix by Don Rich of the 4/8 Hurricane Track Classic @ Villa Maria Academy

Photo Gallery by Don Rich of the 4/10 Delco T&F Relay Carnival @ Haverford Township HS

Select Pix by Don Rich of the 4/10 Delco T&F Relay Carnival @ Haverford Township HS

Select Pix by Carl Strub of the 4/8 South Hills Classic @ Baldwin HS

Just how damp was it?
At the Morgan State meet in MD, Liz Costello of Conestoga set a meet record in the Mile. Looks like fun, huh?
(Photo by Ryan Comstock)

Weekend Highlights: Center's Allyn Laughlin set a big PR with a throw of 49-01 to win the Shot Put. Teammate Lindsay Dolan won four events, the 100 Hurdles in 14.38, the 300 Hurdles in 48.14, the High Jump with a 5-00 clearance, and the Triple Jump with a leap of 36-06.50 at the Center Track & Field Classic. At the rain-shortened Morgan State Invitational, Conestoga's Liz Costello set a Meet Record of 5:02.64 in the Mile, breaking the 2005 mark of 5:03.02 set by Bay Shore NY's Maryliz McCurdy. Her negative splits from 22:32 to 2:30 were probably as indicative of her conditioning as much as her smarts (the faster you go, the faster you get out of the rain). The only good thing about the weather at the Hurricane Track Classic was that the wind wasn't 30 mph like it was a week before. However, it was wet. It was cold. And the courageous athletes who toed the line or took their turn at throws and jumps, earned every second and every inch of their performances. The distances were obviously least affected, as evidenced by the 1600 of Gwynedd Mercy's Kelly McEldrew.


McEldrew pulls away to a 5:19.78.

It reached a balmy 52 degrees (at the end of the day) in Pittsburgh at the South Hills Classic. It was one of the warmest spots in Pennsylvania on this Saturday, and it showed in the performances. Bradford senior Erin Hannon continued her domination of the region with four individual wins. North Allegheny's Jade Hambrick won two events. And in the boys' sprints, Ringold's Robert Heller and Brantwood's Davon Moore traded 1sts and 2nds. With Cedar Cliff's athlete performances scattered through the top finishers at the Pan-Ram Invitational, the Colt's boys' and girls' teams dominated on the track of the two-time defending state champ's track. The girls tallied 143 points, while the boys totaled 111. Kassandra Meholick was one of the leaders of the barrage, while for the Cedar Cliff boys, Bill Hawthorn won two. For the record, it's called the Track & Field Coaches Association Relay Carnival. This year, they simply could have called the the North Penn Relay Party (not quite a carnival)... as the men in Blue and White swept the short stuff, right up to the 4x800. It was the Glen Mills show in Pottstown at the Pacer Relays as the Bulls took five relays on the track and five in the field. Selinsgrove senior Josh Hostetller went 191-11 in the Javelin at the Susquehanna University HS Invitational, #2 in the state by just a half-inch... leading ten other athletes over the 160' mark. There were three double champs in Athen's Melissa Miller, Hughesville's Rachel Houseknecht, and her teammate Rebekah Newhart. As it was most places, the rain was heavy, the temps were in the 40's, and the wind was blowing at the Hempfield (3) Black Knight Invitational... but they braved the elements anyway. And they even got a few meet records for their efforts, one on the track and two in the field. Despite the cold, there were some great times at the Brookville Invitational. Elk County sprinter Frank Ehrensberger completed a nice fast triple. Mark Ferguson of Karns City took both hurdles events. For the girls, Iroquois' Nicole Wilson got off to a good start in the Discus. At the Shamokin Purple & White Relays, Blue Mountain won the 4x200 in 1:33.8 and the Sprint Medley in 1:39.4, both elite marks, along with the DMR, Javelin and Triple Jump, helping them to 87 points and the team win. Shamokin went 44.4 in the 4x400. In the Discus at the 4/9 (postponed from 4/8) Wrobo Relays at Notre Dame HS, NJ, Pennsbury's Trenton Bynam threw 144-7 for the win, while in the Shot Put, it was his teammate, Kate Stawicki, winning with a throw of 31-5 1/4. On 4/10 at the 4/8 postponed DELCO Relay Carnival at Haverford Twp, the only thing keeping Strath Haven coach Bill Coren in his seat was the fact that he was calling the loaded Distance Medley Relay from the press box. Considering that a potential berth in the DMR at the upcoming Penn Relays was at stake, he remained remarkably calm. He had reason not to be... because during much of the race, his girls were chasing the great race being run by Cardinal O'Hara. The other really hot relay time of the day had been provided by the Radnor 4x800. Karen Shump, Penncrest, had the best Shot Put and Discus throws of the day. Upper Darby's Bintou Dibba long-jumped 17-08.50. Tyrone's Emily Ingle had two wins, taking the 800 and 1600. Sarah Strayer of Forest Hills won the 3200. Jordan Donaldson of Tussey Mountain, posted a quick 400. Bishop McCort's Abdullah Wadley was named the meet's Outstanding Runner after his 100-200 double. Ingle was the girls' Outstanding Runner. Word is they actually had sleet and snow at the . Thank goodness all we at at the Hurricane Invite was rain. Despite the winter weather, the athletes put on some nice performances. At the Mercersburg Academy Invitational, Mercersburg's Josh Light won the 100 in 11.1 on the cold, wet day, and took 2nd to teammate __. Exeter in the 200, going 23.4 to 22.9. Mercersburg's 4x100 ran 44.9 as the boys took 1st overall. The Mercersburg girls were 2nd to Potomac behind Madi McConnell's 2:23.0 800 2nd place finish.

4/7-8: Arcadia Invitational @ Arcadia HS, CA: West Catholic registered, but did not go.

4/7-8: Union Area Invitational @ Union Area HS: (RESULTS NEEDED)

4/8: 18th Pan-Ram Invitational @ Central Dauphin HS: With Colts' names scattered through the top finishers through the events, the Cedar Cliff boys' and girls' teams dominated the 18th Pan-Ram Invitational at the Central Dauphin HS track. The girls tallied 143 points, while the boys totaled 111. Kassandra Meholick was one of the leaders of the barrage, winning the 1600 in 5;20.07 and the 3200 in 11:49.80. The Cedar Cliff 4x100 (51.76) and 4x400 (4:19.98) were victorious, as was Long Jumper Beth Getty, going 16-08.00. Allred Kelly ran 12.71 to take 2nd for the Colts in the 100. Harrisburg's Alysha Cook ran 12.59 for 1st. For the Cedar Cliff boys, Bill Hawthorn won the 200 in 23.24 and the 400 in 52.54. Like their girls' team, they also took both the 4x100 (44.89) and 4x400 (3:36.95). Andrew Maxwell also helped with first place points in the Long Jump, going 21-02.75.


A 5:01.3 anchor by Lisa Vienneau gives Strath Haven a 12:14.62 DMR.

Photo Gallery by John Gayman of the 4/8 Pan-Ram Invitational @ Central Dauphin HS

4/8: 26th Purple & White Relays @ Shamokin HS: Blue Mountain won the 4x200 in 1:33.8 and the Sprint Medley in 1:39.4, both elite marks, along with the DMR, Javelin and Triple Jump, helping them to 87 points and the team win. Shamokin went 44.4 in the 4x400. (GIRLS RESULTS NEEDED)

4/8: 34th TFCAofGP Relay Carnival @ Upper Dublin HS: For the record, it's called the Track & Field Coaches Association Relay Carnival. This year, they simply could have called the the North Penn Relay Party (not quite a carnival)... as the men in Blue and White swept the short stuff, right up to the 4x800. Their 4x100 time of 44.1 and 4x800 mark of 8:05.1 were both elite times, especially considering the weather. They also went 1:35.1 in the 4x200, 3:31.8 in the 4x400, 1:42.6 in the 800 (California) Sprint Medley, and 1:04.2 in the Shuttle Hurdles. All in all, not a bad day. Strath Haven got some good work in, winning the strong 4x1600 in 18:23.2. Cardinal O'Hara was under four seconds back, with Coatesville another two seconds behind that.

4/8: Bedford Chrysler Challenge @ Bedford HS: Tyrone's Emily Ingle had two wins, going 2:24.3 in the 800 in 5:20 in the 1600. Sarah Strayer of Forest Hills won the 3200 in 11:37.4. Jordan Donaldson of Tussey Mountain, posted a quick 51.0 400. Bishop McCort's Abdullah Wadley was named the meet's Outstanding Runner after an 11.1, 23.3 100-200 double. Ingle was the girls' Outstanding Runner.

4/8: Brookville Invitational @ Brookville Area HS: Despite the cold, there were some great times in Brookville. Elk County sprinter Frank Ehrensberger ran 11.2, 22.7 and 51.4 to complete a nice fast triple. Mark Ferguson of Karns City took both hurdles events, the 110 in 15.3 and the 300 in 40.7. For the girls, Iroquois' Nicole Wilson got off to a good start in the Discus, going 130-07.

4/8: Center Track & Field Classic @ Center HS: At a dual meet earlier in the week, Center's Allyn Laughlin had nearly thrown 49'. On Saturday, in cool conditions at her home invitational, she set a big PR with a throw of 49-01 to win the Shot Put. Laughlin also won the Discus with a throw of 118-10. Teammate Lindsay Dolan won four events, the 100 Hurdles in 14.38, the 300 Hurdles in 48.14, the High Jump with a 5-00 clearance, and the Triple Jump with a leap of 36-06.50. Northgate's Lucas Zarzecczny posted a quick 9:34.27 3200. And for the conditions, the sprints were strong. Hopewell's Alyssa Cosnek went 12.7 in the 100. Northgate's Kyrie Watts took the boys' 100 in 10.9. Cardel Johnson of West Allegheny, went 22.5 in the 200.


Robert Heller (Ringgold) 23.02 (photo by Carl Strub)

4/10: DELCO T&F Relay Carnival @ Haverford Township HS: (POSTPONED FROM APRIL 8) The only thing keeping Strath Haven coach Bill Coren in his seat was the fact that he was calling the loaded Distance Medley Relay from the press box. Considering that a potential berth in the DMR at the upcoming Penn Relays was at stake, he remained remarkably calm. He had reason not to be... because during much of the race, his girls were chasing the great race being run by Cardinal O'Hara. Haven's Elonnai Hickock lead off with a 3:51.8 1200. The 400 is the one leg where you can quickly lose contact, but Alisha McKeithan kept Haven in the race, splitting a strong 58.4, before handing off to 800 leg Taylor Wright, who ran 2:23.0. When anchor Lisa Vienneau got the stick, she was about 40 meters behind O'Hara anchor Beth Kelly. Vienneau didn't panic, and through the first three laps of her 1600 leg, she slowly worked her way back. She closed the gap approaching the bell for the final 400 and passed Kelly as they went through line for the last lap. Vienneau split 5:01.3, and the 12:14.62 put Strath Haven firmly on the road to the big race on the first day of Penn. The mark set a Delco Relays' record. O'Hara held on for a 12:25.70. The other really hot relay time of the day had been provided by the Radnor 4x800, going 9:30.45 to break the 2002 meet record of Haverford. (Anna Casey ran 2:23.0, June Farley 2:22.1, Liz Milewski 2:20.1, and Shanon Holm 2:25.2. Strath Haven also won the 4x100 (50.50), the 4x400 (4:03.25), the Shuttle Hurdles (1:05.73), along with the Long Jump, 32-101/4, (Sarah Serratore 16-10.50, Kathryn Ellis) and Shot Put (Shay Brown 36-11, Neen Brown 35-00.25) 71-11-1/4. Karen Shump, Penncrest, had the best Shot Put and Discus throws of the day, 43-07, and 118-05, respectively. Upper Darby's Bintou Dibba long-jumped 17-08.50.

4/8: Hempfield Black Knight Invitational @ Hempfield (3) HS: The rain was heavy, the temps were in the 40's, and the wind was blowing... but they braved the elements anyway. And they even got a few meet records for their efforts. In the 3200, Elizabethtown's Josh Gunnett set a meet record of 10:03.8. The others came in the field events, as Hempfield's Brandon Mobley won the Shot Put in a meet record 49-04.50. He also won the Discus with a throw of 133-10. Oxford's Terrence Draper won the Triple Jump, going 42-03, also a record. And for the girls, Hempfield's Sydney Clark ran 11:49.0 to win the 3200, eight laps of fun in the rain.

4/8: Hurricane Track Classic @ Villa Maria Academy: The only good thing about the weather was that the wind wasn't 30 mph like it was a week before. However, it was wet. It was cold. And the courageous athletes who toed the line or took their turn at throws and jumps, earned every second and every inch of their performances. The distances were obviously least affected, because if you're racing 1600 or 3200 meters, you kind of enjoy the cool rain in a strange way. Gwynedd Mercy's Kelly McEldrew used a late surge to win in 5:19.78. Henderson's Carly Hamond took 2nd in 5:21.32, with Saint Basil's Christina Morelli 3rd in 5:22.41 and Germantown Friends' Cece Davis-Hayes 4th in 5:22.85. Hamond apparently enjoyed the weather so much, she came back for eight laps later, taking 2nd to Hatboro-Horsham's Kerry Swayne, 11:30.93 to 11:33.83. Methacton's Ryann Krais stuck with the longer stuff, winning the 300 Hurdles in 45.08 and the 400 in 58.02. She took 2nd in the Long Jump with a leap of 16-08.50. Coatesville's Sequoia McBall won in the miserable conditions, leaping 16-10.50. Teammate Tierra Flowers was 6th in the Long Jump, but took 1st in the 100, going 12.93. Coatesville won both the 4x100 (50.2), and the 4x400 (4:11.05).

4/8: Ice Breaker Relays @ Wallenpaupack HS: Word is they actually had sleet and snow at the Ice Breaker Relays. Thank goodness all we at at the Hurricane Invite was rain. Despite the winter weather, the athletes put on some nice performances. The Shuttle Hurdle Relay was strong for both boys and girls as the Liberty girls went 1:09.0 and the Valley View boys ran 1:06.9. The Delaware Valley girls set a meet record on 51.9 in the 4x100. The girls of Pocono Mountain West did likewise in the 800 Sprint Medley Relay, posting a 1:53.4. The Pocono Mountain West boys went 1:39.4 to take their SMR. Pole Vaulters Beki Finn and Becky Frye of Liberty combined to jump 21-06 in the Pole Vault, a meet record. Lakeland ran 10:59.8 to win the Distance Medley Relay. East Stroudsburg South won the boys team title by two points over Lakeland, and Liberty won the girls title with 112 points.

4/8: JV Meet @ Whitehall HS: (RESULTS NEEDED)

4/18: Mercersburg Academy Invitational @ Mercersburg Academy: Mercersburg's Josh Light won the 100 in 11.1 on the cold, wet day, and took 2nd to teammate __. Exeter in the 200, going 23.4 to 22.9. Mercersburg's 4x100 ran 44.9 as the boys took 1st overall. The Mercersburg girls were 2nd to Potomac behind Madi McConnell's 2:23.0 800 2nd place finish.

4/8: Morgan State High School Invitational @ Morgan State University: At the rain-shortened Morgan State Invitational, Conestoga's Liz Costello set a Meet Record of 5:02.64 in the Mile, breaking the 2005 mark of 5:03.02 set by Bay Shore NY's Maryliz McCurdy. Her negative splits from 22:32 to 2:30 were probably as indicative of her conditioning as much as her smarts (the faster you go, the faster you get out of the rain.) Norristown's Peter Selby took 5th in the prelms of the 110 Hurdles in 15.35. The meet was then cancelled.

4/8: Pacer Relays @ The Hill School: It was the Glen Mills show in Pottstown. The Bulls took the 4x100 in 44.4, the 4x200 in 1:33.7, the 4x400 in 3:49.3, the 1600 Sprint Medley Relay in 4:04.2, the Shuttle Hurdles in 1:04.8 and four of the five contested field relays.

4/8: South Hills Classic @ Baldwin HS: It reached a balmy 52 degrees in Pittsburgh. It was one of the warmest spots in Pennsylvania on this Saturday, and it showed in the performances. Bradford senior Erin Hannon continued her domination of the region with four individual wins, taking the 100 Hurdles in 15.32, the Long Jump with a 17-01.50 effort, the Triple Jump with a season best of 38-01.00 and the High Jump, clearing 5-06. North Allegheny's Jade Hambrick won the Shot with her 35-08.25 throw, and the Discus, going 118-01. In the boys' sprints, Ringold's Robert Heller and Brantwood's Davon Moore traded 1sts and 2nds. Heller had the advantage in the 200, going 23.02, with Moore just .03 back. In the 100, Moore won by at tenth of a second in 11.40. McDowell's Joe Wayne ran alone to a 1:57.79 800 victory.

4/8: Susquehanna High School Classic @ Susquehanna University: Selinsgrove senior Josh Hostetller went 191-11 in the Javelin at the Susquehanna University HS Invitational, #2 in the state by just a half-inch... leading ten other athletes over the 160' mark. The 300 Hurdles was deep, led by Justin Brouse of Warrior Run in 40.80. Warrior Run posted a fast 3:30.68 4x400. For the first, Athen's Melissa Miller was a double winer, going 25.88 in the 200 and 58.49 for 400. In the distance races, Casey Miller of Lewisburg ran 5:13.32 to take the 1600, while the 3200 champ was State College's Katherine Ward in 11:24.65, with Miller in 2nd, less than seven seconds back. Hughesville's Rachel Houseknecht was the Hurdles champ at both distances, winning the 100 in 15.82 and the 300 in 47.10. Teammate Rebekah Newhart won the High Jump, clearing 5-02, and long-jumped 16-08.75.

4/10 Wrobo Invitational @ Notre Dame HS, Lawrenceville NJ: (postponed from 4/8

In the Discus, Pennsbury's Trenton Bynam threw 144-7 for the win, while in the Shot Put, it was his teammate, Kate Stawicki, winning with a throw of 31-5 1/4.


Weekend Preview: It's the 2nd big weekend for PA T&F, and once again, there are meets in every corner of the state. Mid-states have great choices: The Susquehanna University HS Invitational in Selinsgrove; the 18th Pan-Ram Invitational at Central Dauphin in Harrisburg; the 26th Purple & White Relays in Shamokin; and The Hempfield (3) Inv. In the Northeast, it's the Ice Breaker Relays at Wallenpaupack. In the west, watch for great stuff from the Union Area Inv; the Bedford Chrysler Challenge, the Brookville Inv; the Center T&F Classic; and the South Hills Classic at Baldwin. And in the Southeast, it's the 34th TFCAofGP Relay Carnival at Upper Dublin; the DELCO T&F Relay Carnival at Haverford Township; the Hurricane Track Classic at Villa Maria Academy; and the Pacer Relays at the Hill School.

Performance Lists for the Susquehanna University HS Invitational

Field Performance List for the Pan-Ram Invitational

At Center, Indoor state Shot Put champ Allyn Laughlin will be making her spring debut. She has thrown 48-10 at a dual meet on March 28th. And with so many talented throwers in PA this season, she'll be pushed... hopefully over that 50' barrier.

West Catholic had been scheduled to compete at the huge Arcadia Invitational in California. They then scheduled the Morgan State Invitational in MD... but because of sanctioning issues (MD now operates like NY), they have no meet. Columbia will compete at the Woodlawn Warrior Invitational in Maryland.

At the DELCO Relays at Haverford Township HS, word is that three teams will be attempting to qualify for the Penn Relays DMR. The DELCO race will be at around 4 and will feature Archbishop Prendergast, Cardinal O'Hara, and Strath Haven. Radnor's girls will be shooting for a sub-9:40 in the 4x800. I'll be at much of the DELCO meet after spending the morning at the Hurricane Classic at Villa Maria... a meet that will feature Ryann Krais and her talented Methacton mates, plus 20 other strong teams listed below.

ABINGTON
BISHOP MC DEVITT
BISHOP SHANAHAN
CENTRAL
DOWNINGTOWN EAST
DOWNINGTOWN WEST
GERMANTOWN FRIENDS
GIRL'S HIGH
GREAT VALLEY
GWYNEDD MERCY ACADEMY
HATBORO-HORSHAM
METHACTON
PAUL ROBESON H.S.
PENNRIDGE
ST. BASIL'S
UNIONVILLE
UPPER PERK
VILLA MARIA ACADEMY
WC EAST
WC HENDERSON
WISSAHCKON

The Susquehanna University HS Invitational will feature six strong athletes in the boys' Javelin, headlined by Selinsgrove senior Josh Hostetler and Danville senior Travis Miller. Hostetler has thrown almost 206'. The top seeds are:

1 Josh Hostetler SR Selinsgrove 194-08
2 Travis Miller SR Danville 190-00
3 Jordan Myers JR Greenwood 186-08
4 Sam Eck SR Jersey Shore 183-05
5 Victor Cruz SR Coughlin 182-00
6 Tarron Todd JR Jersey Shore 180-08

Also at the meet, watch for strong relays and top performances in the sprints by the boys of State College. Athens' Melissa Miller debuts in the 100 and 200. She'll have good competition from Indian Valley sophomore Brooke Mathews in both races, along with Coughlin junior Jill Rubbico and Lewisburg senior Kalle James-Wintjen. Her teammate Casey Miller, a sophomore, will try the distance double, but will face a tough challenge from a fresh Kathryn Ward of State College in the 3200.

At the 18th Pan-Ram Inv, Cumberland Valley's Adam Thielemann<./b> headlines the Discus competition. And Hershey's Jess Tack and Susquenita's Steph Harrison square off in both the Shot Put and Discus.