Welcome to TRACKside – Stories and notes on athletes, teams, coaches and races to be published mid-week during the 2008 indoor and outdoor seasons. Vaulting to the top of PA | Angling for the Perfect Jump | One Fast Frosh D.J. Horton - Travis Hammaker: There are a few events where the athletes share a bond that is the event itself. No bond is stronger than that which is created by the shared danger and thrill of the pole vault. Kristin Brandt has it all figured out. All she has to do now is get the right day, good competition, great speed, a steady but evenly building run, and just the right amount of height. Then, and only then, will it be the perfect jump. She can see it clearly. In fact, she's done it, only they've all been fouls. State College freshman Chloe Schmidt probably would not think of telling people she is the top freshman runner in the state. But there she is in the rankings. #1 in the mile at 5:00.79 (4:59.05c 1600); #1 in the 800 at 2:16.41, and probably most surprisingly, #2 in the 400 at 57.34. No, the deceptively diminutive and slightly shy 9th grader at State College High School doesn't look at the world that way. You see... comparisons to fellow freshmen just don't seem to be in her nature.
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Weekend Highlights: Lindsay Regan took over the top spot in PA again with a 12-10 Pole Vault in the Elite Divison at the Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada. Competing in her first-ever Pentathlon, Bradford senior and Nebraska-signee Erin Hannon rode 1st (HJ), 2nd (LJ), 3rd (55H), and 6th (SP) place finishes to a lead, and then survived the 800 with a 14th place to win by 14 points over Kutztown University\'s Renee Marchand. The Glen Mills throwers are back, big-time. With a one-two-three finish, and season-PRs by the top two at the Delco Champs, Glen Mills now occupies PA#1, #4 and #7. West Chester Henderson and Saint Basil Academy took a meet record and now top PA in the DMR (photo by Ryan Comstock), while a pole vault record also was toppled at the DVGTCA Meet at Kutztown. At Widener in the TFCAGP D1 meet, Joe Berry took down a record in the Pole Vault. In the Semis of the Colgate Women\'s Games, Engineering & Science advances four to next week\'s Finals at Madison Square Garden. To see the deepest throwing field in the state, it\'s best to be west this season, as Allyn Laughlin takes the top spot at the TSTCA Indoor Meet #4 at Pitt. On Saturday at the TFCAGP D2 meet, four records were tied or fell on the Widener University track. At Albright, Tory Toso, Devan Coon and Nick Hilton were all double winners. At the TSTCA Shot Put competition, it was Hempfield\'s night in the ring as their athletes took 1st and 2nd in the girls\' competition, and 1st and 3rd in the boys\'. In Akron, OH, Jasmine Cottle, Taelor Fowler, Channing Richardson, Cardel Johnson, Shawn Anderson, Chris Wolfe and Alex Ita all moved up the PA rankings with some great sprints.