Kalsey, Hampson win WPIAL gold
Waynesburg Central’s Peyton Hampson (left) battles with Fort Cherry’s Margo Darragh in the final 50 meters of the girls Class AA 800 final at the WPIAL Class AAA/AA Individual Track & Field Championships held at Baldwin High School on Thursday, May 17. Hampson held off Darragh for the gold medal. (Photo by Jim Downey)
West Greene's Rebecca Phillips grits her teeth as she grinds out the final 50 meters of the girls Class AA 800 final at the WPIAL Class AAA/AA Individual Track & Field Championships held at Baldwin High School on Thursday, May 17. Phillips held on for eighth place, her second medal of the championships.
Marissa Kalsey wanted one more vault, but Waynesburg Central vault coach Butch Brunell nixed the idea.
After all, Brunell felt the Waynesburg senior really had nothing left to prove last Thursday afternoon after she cleared a meet record 12-6 for the Class AA gold medal at the WPIAL Class AAA/AA Individual Track & Field Championships at Baldwin High School.
Kalsey has company when the two-day PIAA Championships begin this morning at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium with gold medal winner Peyton Hampson and district medalist Richelle Tharp also earning a berth. West Greene will be represented in the Class AA 1,600 by Mikayla Sonneborn and Rebecca Phillips, and Sonneborn earned an additional berth in the 800.
Kalsey’s gold medal-winning vault topped former Waynesburg standout Jocelyn Lindsay’s WPIAL meet mark of 12-5 set in 2001.
Funny thing about it was the Westminster College recruit doesn’t remember the record-setting vault.
“I didn’t even know (the record-setting) vault happened,” said Kalsey, truly in the moment. “I didn’t make 12-6 until my third vault. It was a most stressful time.
“The vault was my PR (personal best) and ties the school record (held by Lindsay). A PR was a huge goal of mine today.”
Kalsey, who came up short on her opening vault at 10-6, wanted to keep going, but Brunell said no, fearing injury.
Kalsey enters this morning’s final as the top seed, looking to top 13 feet, or even higher.
For Hampson, the gold medal in her final WPIAL finals was a year in the making. The race came down to a battle with Fort Cherry’s Margo Darragh, and Hampson held her off in the final 50 meters to win in 2:16.53, about a half-second ahead of Darragh.
Hampson made her move with 250 meters to go, but had to hold on at the end after a fast start.
“I went out way too fast in the first 200, and paid for it at the end,” explained Hampson. “I knew Margo (Darragh) was my toughest competition here and I had to stay with her.
“I got a little nervous right at the 400 mark. I saw (Darragh) take off and there was a big group, so I had to go to the outside lane to go with her.”
Sonneborn was in the lead group during the first lap of the 1,600, but eventual winner Shady Side Academy’s Emily Lamm made a move on the first turn of the opening lap, and never relented, finishing first in 5:13.07, 10 seconds ahead of the Lady Pioneer senior.
“(The pace) felt slow going into the second lap. (Lamm) started to pass me, and I didn’t want to pass her on the curve,” said Sonneborn. “She just kept pulling away and pulling away. The gap got too big.”
Sonneborn earned a second berth into the state meet after she finished fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:20.63.
Phillips earned her first trip to the state meet after the sophomore finished fourth in the 1,600 in 2:27.13, just two seconds out of third place. She earned a second medal in the 800, placing eighth, but did not earn a spot in the PIAA finals.
“I didn’t feel as fast, but I saw my time and I was on pace,” said Phillips. “I tried to stay third, but she pulled ahead of me.
“I was looking to advance in the mile.”
Sonneborn should have enough downtime today with the 1,600 preliminary scheduled at noon, and the 800 preliminary at 3:30 p.m.
Tharp will throw in the girls Class AA javelin finals early Saturday at 9 a.m., automatically qualifying for her first state finals after she finished fifth in the district meet with a throw of 120-5.
“It wasn’t my best day, but at least I made it,” said Tharp, whose goal is to top 140 feet. “The conditions here were real nice. Today just wasn’t my day.”
Waynesburg’s Brittany Blair-Martin capped her career by finishing tied for seventh with a vault of 8-9.