Union Area Invitational 2006

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 (100H photo by Don Rich @ Hurricane). 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