Walt Murphy's Penn Relays Preview
Walt Murphy, who publishes Eastern Track and X-Country X-Press, has published his annual preview of the Penn Relays Carnival. It's an event-by-event look at the meet. Take a read, enjoy, and should you see any mistakes or if you feel he neglected a deserving individual or team, send him an email (his request). (WMurphy25@aol.com)
Walt Murphy's Penn Relays Carnival Preview as PDF
Conestoga Penn Relays Previews by Coach Ryan Comstock:
With such poor weather on Saturdays this spring we have not had much of a chance to see our best relays race yet at the large invitationals. Fortunately, the weather has a been rather nice during the weekdays so we have had great practices all spring and can still head to Penn feeling very prepared.
Thursday: Girls 4x100, 4x400, DMR, Girls High Jump
4x100- Kierstin Quinn 12, Ashley Niness 12, Whitney Winters 10, Carly Niness 10We have put more emphasis on our 4x100 this year than we ever have. Despite all but one leg being the same as our state runner up 4x800 from 2005, it looks like we can still dip well under the 50 second mark.
4x400- Ashley Niness, Liz Costello 12, Kierstin Quinn, Carly Niness This race will be personal. We have won Central League race 3 years in a row. so the seniors on this relay want to go out in style and are prepared to challenge the event record of 3:55.53 set by Penncrest in 1997. Qualifying for the Philadelphia Area Championship is also on our list of goals. That is raced on Saturday at 5:00.
DMR- Meghan Shanley 9, Ashley Niness, Carly Niness, Liz Costello)We chose this event over the 4x800 because of its prestige. There are no heats, just one race - The Championship of America. I consider us to be in a great situation. We have only run the race once this year (including the indoor season) luckily it was good enough to gain acceptance. We have no expectations except for having fun and enjoying this opportunity. Freshman Meghan Shanley (1200 lead off leg) may have the least big meet experience of anyone in the race, but what she is lacking in experience she more than makes up for in the desire to do her best. She is tough as nails and when the pressure is on Meghan seems to use that to her advantage and always has raced her best. The Niness Sisters, Ashley and Carly will make up our 400 and 800 legs. Over the last month both have looked like they are in the best shape of their lives! Carly, who has an 800 PR of 2:12 loves to chase girls down. The sisters seem to be on the verge of their first spring season breakthrough performance. Liz Costello will be running the 1600m anchor leg. Liz already has a solid reputation in PA for this distance. However, she has recently taken the quality of her training to an even higher level. The combination of her conditioning and her strong desire to compete and beat this country's best may lead to shocking results. (SIDE NOTE: our school record is 12:10 set in 2000. This will be Conestoga's 2nd appearance in the Penn Relays DMR, the first coming in 2000. Conestoga had the lead heading into the final leg... however, the anchor collapsed from dehydration.)
High Jump- Emily Moles 11th gradeEmily has always been a fierce competitor and hard worker, but she has been pushing herself harder than ever this year! Confidence will be her best asset on Thursday. This is her 2nd time around at Penn and she is coming off a great indoor season where she was named our team MVP and placed very well at the national indoor championships. Emily looks to be very composed and ready to rise to the occasion.
Friday- BOYS 4x100 and 4x400
4x100- Christo Tait 12, Zach Young 12, Bryan Barley 9, Cameron Wright 12
Just like the girls, we have put more emphasis on the 4x100 this year. Because of the poor Saturday weather we have not yet seen our full potential in this event. Coach Dante Coles has been working very hard at getting our exchanges to near perfection. If everything falls into place- with our level of talent we are very capable of great things! (Dante Coles was a member of our school record 4x100 set in 1997-- 42.64)
Saturday-Boys Central League 4x400- Christo Tait, Michael Schmittlein 11, Dan Browne 12, Cameron WrightOur #1 goal here is to leave with a Penn Relays plaque and the new Event record - 3:20.54 set in 2001 by Strath Haven. While again, we have missed too many Saturday invitationals so far this year, the boys have taken full advantage of the great weather during the weekdays. We ran to a 3:24 indoors and are looking stronger than ever. The camaraderie between this group is outstanding. They all want to leave this weekend as champions and they definitely have the make up to do just that.
PA's Top Seeds
PA high school athletes are among the top seeds in several events, and include Craig Miller, Manheim Township (Mile), Josh Hostettler, Selinsgrove and Brian Moore, LaSalle (Javelin), Nathan Stewart, Glen Mills (Shot Put), Rachel Gehret, Altoona and Erin Hannon, Bradford (High Jump), Lindsay Regan, Easton (Pole Vault), and Allyn Laughlin, Center, and Karen Shump, Penncrest (Shot Put), Kacey James, Carlisle, Elisha Jones, Eisenhower, and Meghan Briggs, Palmyra (Javelin), Natalie Clickett, Union City (Discus). Gehret and Jones are defending champs. Regan won at Penn in 2004. Laughlin has the top throw in the US this season.
Walt Murphy's Penn Relays Preview
Walt Murphy, who publishes Eastern Track and X-Country X-Press, has published his annual preview of the Penn Relays Carnival. It's an event-by-event look at the meet. Take a read, enjoy, and should you see any mistakes or if you feel he neglected a deserving individual or team, send him an email (his request). (WMurphy25@aol.com)