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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5/3 WKND. RESULTS NEEDED FOR: Bellwood, Liberty Last Chance, Sonny Sheppard, Jordan, Schuylkill County Relays, York Suburban Relays, NCSAA and North East. Race Videos by Run Like a Champion of State College from the 5/2 West Central Coaches Meet, Mansion Park, Altoona Photo Gallery by Don Rich of May 2 West Central Coaches Meet, Mansion Park, Altoona Photo Gallery by Carl Strub of May 3 Northeast Invitational Late results from Friday's big Boathouse Baldwin Inv show five new PA#1's. Penn Hills' girls ran a WPIAL record 47.38 4x100. Cambrya Jones of Woodland Hills went 11.92 in the 100 (+25.23 for 200); Baldwin's T.J. Hobart ran 4:16.24 in the 1600 (teammate David Adley was at 4:16.63). Hobart also won the 800 in 1:56.12. Kelly Monteleone of Penn Hills leapt 39-1 in the triple jump. And McDowell's Dan Kwiatkowski was back over 63 feet in the shot, this time by a half-inch. Kwiatkowski would finish 4th in a strong discus competiton with a throw of 160-05. He was passed as PA#2 by Connellsville junior Rodney Richter, who threw 173-00. Penn Relays champ, and current PA#1 Matt Kann, was 2nd at 172-9, while Baldwin's Drew Hofbauer threw 166-10. Saturday: Ije Iheoma, the Council Rock South SPRINTER, showed a stunning addition to her range by winning the 1600 at the Lady Rocker Invitational at Council Rock North, going 5:04.93. St. Basil's Colleen Gilmore was sub-2:18 for 800. And Alex Geiger, William Tennent, swept the hurdles. Ridley's Kevin Wilbank broke the 1985 Delaware County 200 meter record held by two-time Olympian and two-time 100m world record holder Leroy of Penn Wood. Wilbank's 21.2 hand-time came in the finals at the DELCO Boys Championships. Burrell's mark was 21.51. Glen Mills took over the top spot in the state in the 4x100 with a 42.0h, after Altoona had held the mark for a day at 42.37. North Penn swept the top spots at the Lower Merion Invitational, with Zach Montijo first in 1:56.54, Justin Bookheimer at 1:56.98 and Brian Quintrell at 1:58.76. Bookheimer also won the 300 hurdles in 39.6. Plymouth Whitemarsh's Kenyetta Givens sept the 100 and 300 hurdles. Kaleena Gray, Coatesville, improved her PA#3 shot put to 42-5. At the 2nd Annual South Fayette Inv, Alquippa ran 43.89 in the boys' 4x100. Seniors Katie Landis of Rochester, and Christopher Spicer of South Fayette, each won the same two events, the discus and shot. At the Twin Tiers Inv, Oswayo Valley NY, Emily Giannotti, a Coudersport sophomore, goes 5:12.62 for 1600 and 11:30.41 for 3200. At the Neshaminy Invitational, Kevin Steinberg PRed on his home track in the 200 at 21.90 for tie PA#3. He also went 10.90 for 100 and led the 4x100 to a 43.33. teammate tim Malloy won the high and triple jumpe. Bristol's David Cuevas won the shot and discus. At the Cedar Cliff Relays, Northern York runs a PA#2 DMR of 12:13. McCaskey's boys went a PA#3 1:29.9 4x200. And the Cedar Crest boys were just off their PA#4 4x400 from Penn with a 3:21.4 4x400. Anna Muzio, Central Dauphin, put the shot 42-6, PA#3, and the discus 127-11, PA#8. Cedar Crest's Mark Manno threw the discus a PA#7 161-8. Central Dauphin East's Travis Nye threw a PA#9 160-11. At the Blue Streak Relays at Manheim Township. Milton Hershey swept the 4x100 and 800 SMR;s with their girls squads going 49.9 and 1:52.0, and the boys, 43.8 and 1:35.9 - the latter a PA #1. Andre Dubose, Lampeter-Strasburg, tied PA#2 with a 6-7 high jump. Penn Manor's Jocelyn Witmer matched her season-best 12-0 pole vault. Ephrata's katie Ream cleared 5-4 in the high jump, tie for PA#7. And Alie Girvin, Penn Manor, threw the discus a PA#8 133-2. Wyomissing hosted the annual Shaner Meet where Muhlenberg junior Tyrell Ellison won three events the high jump (6-6), thelong jump (22-7.50), and the triple jump (46-7.25). At Coughlin HS in the James Cross Wilkes Barre Inv., Crestwood junior Mandissa Marshall cleared a PA#A2 12-1 in the pole vault. Lakeland's Justin Virgitsky threw the discus a PA#7 161-1. And Coughlin's Shelly Black swept the hurdles.Friday was a huge day in west, east and central PA. At the 3rd Henderson Inv, Malvern Prep's Brian Fulton went 1:52.77 in the 800, PA#1 and tie US#10. Max Kaulbach, Germantown Friends, won a stacked two-mile in 9:02.35. Eric Brittingham, Methacton, upped his javelin PR to 201-10. At the West Central Coaches Meet at Mantion Mark, Altoona, stars started their farewells on prep careers and stars introducted themselves. Carly Seymour, Central Cambria, won the 1600 and 3200 (winning 1600), nearly matching her meet recosrd times. Younger sister Kelsey ran a statement 800. Senior Kristen Brandt, Central Mountain, ripped wins in the long and triple, the latter with four leaps over 38'. Frosh Chloe Schmidt, State College, boasted anchors of 2:13 and 58 to go with a 57.34 400. Alex Kenney, a State College sophomore, won the 100 and 200 in record times, with Altoona junior Aaron Nadolsky just behind in both. Nadolsky did anchor the PA#2 4x100 to a 42.37. Altoona senior Travis Hammakeer set a meet, stadium and school record with his 15-7 pole vault after AA friend and competitor D.J. Horton, Kane, cleared 15-3 in AA, with a near miss as 15-7. Indian's Dan Dandrowicz won the long and triples in AAA. In AAA, Jordan Donaldson, Tussey Mountain, had a 4 9.24-1:56.68 night. And Mercersburg Academy's James Finucane challenged a Dave Mock 3200 record with his 9:22.28, while the 2nd place finisher in that race, Jim Spisak, Bishop McCort, challenged a Mock record in the 1600, going 4:18.30. At Thursday's Ken Montgomery Memorial Inv, Ije Iheoma, Council Rock South, posted a PA#4 200 of 24.98 to go with a 12.47 100. Neshaminy's Kevin Steinberg ran a PA#3 200 of 21.77 along with is 11.08 100. On Wednesday at the Philly Public League Champ Qualifiers, Swenson junior Anthonia Ballard won the 100 and 300 hurdles. Swenson sophs Shanae bailey and Vanessa Mack took the 100 and 200, respecitvely. E&S's Jenna Arnold and teammate Terence Lee captured the distance double. Robeson places three in the top four of the 800. Gratz's Khaliff Featherstone (400) and Frank Wainwright (110-300H) took two legs of the winning 4x400. Joella Neilson, Girls' High, won the long and triple jumps. On Thursday at the Trojan Track Classic at Wissahickon, Folarin Ijelu leapt a PA#1 (US#17) triple jump pf 48-3.5. North Penn cruised to a 4x800 7:54.24, with Norristown in 2nd at 7:57./01. Nick Crits used his home track to set a school record of 9:15.62 for 3200. Hatboro-Horsham's Steve Topper took both hurdles. Gwynedd Mercy's Taylor Bumpas ran a season best 2:13.77 800. Also on Thursday, Pennridge hosted the Helman Invitational, where sophomore Tom Mallon, Central Bucks South, ran a PA#4 800 of 1:55.7. 2008 PA Outdoor Leaderboard: Girls / Boys Past weekend results needed for 3/29: Jersey Shore | 4/12: Union Area, and Pacer | 4/19 Moon Mixed, and East Allegheny | 4/26: Fairfield, Tri-County (boys)