DVGTCA Meet of Champions 2007

The highlight of the indoor season would probably have to be running at the New Balance Games at the Armory in New York. What an amazing place! We had to fight off teams from all around just to get a seat. But once the bloodshed was over, the view was worth it. The seats overlooked the track, and it was almost like sitting in a football stadium. The track almost smelled fast. How can anyone help but run the race of their life there? I had also never run on a banked track, so even the hollow thundering sound of each race going off was new and fascinating to me.

Photo Galleries by Don Rich of the 2/16 DVGTCA Meet of Champions and 2/17 TFCAGP Meet of Champions - both at Lehigh University

Highlighting the weekend... Chanelle Price (right: winning her US#3 400 in NY - photo by John Nepolitan, Dyestat.com), and Easton moved up the national lists with a remarkable display at the PEPSI NATIONAL HS HALL OF FAME CLASSIC at the New York Armory, winning the 4x400 in a US#3 and meet record time. Easton also won the Sprint Medley Relay in a US#1 time, but was DQ'ed because Price had run in three events. The 3rd event was at the invitation of meet management, where she took the open 400 in a US#3 mark. Steph Fulmer, St. Pius X, won the 2-mile. Norristown's Gabrielle Rinehart was 2nd in the shot put. Pottsgrove's Darin Carter won the triple jump. Peter Selby, Norristown, took 2nd in the 55 hurdles. And Liberty's Becky Frey took 2nd in the pole vault with a big indoor PR. At the 42ND TFCAGP MEET OF CHAMPIONS on Saturday, Jamar Jones posted a PA#2 in the 800. Five guys went under 2. Boyertown teammates Jason Weller and Mark Dennin went one-two in the 3000. O'Hara's Steve Werner posted two PA#1's, going over 23' in the long jump, and under 8.40 in the 60 hurdles. Coatesville won the 4x400 from the next-to-last heat, while North Penn pulled off the same next-to-last heat win in the 4x800. Henderson ran well in the DMR in a race in which Weller came from way back to help Boyertown get 2nd with a 4:20 split. Wayne Crawford of Chestnut Hill Academy upped his PA-leading shot put standard. Cheltenham's Brandon Bing lost for the first time this season in the dash as he was nipped by Penn Charter's Kashif Smith. Bing did win the 200 in 21.96. At the PENN STATE HS INVITATIONAL, Central Dauphin senior Andrew Rotz apparently has his running legs under him after shaking off a season of basketball. He posted a PA#1 in the 800. The Harrisburg boys put it all together in the sprint relays, going just under 3:22 in the 4x400 and just over 1:30 in the 4x200. The Harrisburg girls ran well to take 2nd to Maryland's Eleanor Roosevelt in the 4x200. They also took 2nd to Roosevelt in the 4x400. Ryann Krais anchored Methacton was 3rd. Krais took 4th in the open 400. Hughesville's Rebekah Newhart cleared a PA-leading 5-06 in the high jump. And Karen Shump, Penncrest, was over 48' again in the shot put. The DMR's picked up the pace at the TSTCA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS on Friday night at Slippery Rock. as Norwin's girls were under 13 and Baldwin's boys broke 10:50. Hempfield's Kimberly Kanala put practice into performance with a PR over 41' in the shot put. With quite a few teams drawn to the banked tracks of Saturday's Penn State HS Invitational, and another big meet at the NY Armory, the field was not as crowded as many DVGTCA MEET OF CHAMPIONS in the past. But the quality, as expected, is still there. Methacton's Ryann Krais tuned up for her four-event plan at States with some incredible performances, running a PR and PA#1 in the 60 hurdles. Just prior to the finals, she took her one an only long jump, and came up with a season-PR. But her anchor leg of the 4x200 final was probably the most impressive performance of the night, where she split sub-25 to come back from more than 20 meters to nip Swenson at the line by just .01. Swenson's star frosh Shanae Bailey was a double title winner in her first MOC, taking the 60 and 60 hurdles. Engineering & Science looked strong in the 4x800, going a PA#5. They also took 2nd to Chester in the 4x400. Stephanie McDougal, North Penn had another great jump heading into states. And Archbishop Ryan's Nohjay Nimpson PRed by 7" (indoor or outdoor) in the triple jump to a PA#1 mark. Archbishop Prendergast moved up to PA#4 in the DMR. The Tuesday night TSTCA HIGH JUMP MEET was cancelled because of the snow and ice. Danielle Wasilewski of Abington Heights won the 55 dash at the BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY INDOOR MEET #3. She took 2nd in the 200 to teammatae Nicole Smith. Abington Heights' Kim Meyer won the 800 and mile double, as did teammate Corey Wall. On Saturday at the SUSQUEHANNA OPEN at Susquehanna University, Neely Spence won the mile, while Lara Crofford and Marie Lamparter went one-two in the 3000. On Sunday at the 1st STATE INDOOR TRACK CLASSIC at the University of Delaware, Schuylkill Valley's Devan Coon took 2nd in the 17-18 age group in both the 200 and 400. Kasia Taylor of Engineering & Science won the 15-16 800 and 1500. Aubrie McAlpine of Daniel Boone took 2nd in the 17-18 55 and 6th in the 200.