Lady Bulldogs open season with section sweep
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Beth-Center’s Kinlee Whited wins the girls 100-meter dash just inches ahead of Waynesburg Central’s Julianna Fowler during Tuesday’s Section 6-AA triangular meet with Jefferson-Morgan at Waynesburg Central High School.
Beth-Center's Casey Falcon finished first in the girls 1,600-meter run during the Lady Bulldogs' triangular meet with Waynesburg Central and Jefferson-Morgan at Waynesburg Central High School.
Jefferson-Morgan's Shelby Burkett sprints from the starting block during the girls 400-meter relay against Waynesburg Central and Beth-Center during Tuesday's Section 6-AA triangular meet at Waynesburg Central High School.
Beth-Center's Casey Falcon (left) takes the handoff from Emily Jenkins in the girls 3,200-meter relay during Tuesday's Section 6-AA triangular meet with Waynesburg Central and Jefferson-Morgan at Waynesburg Central High School.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Beth-Center’s Ayla Stopko (left) and teammate Francesca Paul compete in the girls 100-meter high hurdles during Tuesday’s Section 6-AA triangular meet with Waynesburg Central and Jefferson-Morgan at Waynesburg Central High School.
Beth-Center's Sydney Urbine carries the baton across the finish line for first place for the Lady Bulldogs in the girls 400-meter relay against Waynesburg Central and Jefferson-Morgan Tuesday at Waynesburg Central High School.
WAYNESBURG — Beth-Center’s Kinlee Whited said she had a full slate of events in Tuesday’s Section 6-AA opening triangular meet at Waynesburg Central because she wanted to do her part for a win over the Lady Raiders.
Well, the combined efforts of Whited and the Lady Bulldogs paid off because Beth-Center swept the meet, defeating Waynesburg, 84-65, and Jefferson-Morgan, 107-28.
“I don’t really run the 100, but we needed the points,” said Whited. “Our coach told us the girls have never beat Waynesburg Central. I wanted to get the points to beat them.”
Whited is a hurdler by trade, and she did her part by winning the 300 intermediate hurdles in 52.74 seconds. She is not a sprinter, usually, but did pretty good in that race, too, by finishing first in 13.55 seconds.
“The 100 warms me up and gets my speed going,” explained Whited.
She also ran a leg on the victorious 400 relay (53.84) and 1,600 relay (4:41).
Whited finished seventh in the 300 intermediate hurdles in last year’s WPIAL Class AA final, and is looking to improve on that finish this year.
“Today was alright for a first meet,” said Whited, who is in her second year of track. “I want a time under 49 seconds, definitely. I have the school record. I want to set it and set it for good.
“I want to aim for what the first people (in the 300 intermediate hurdles) got, 44 seconds. I’d like (to run) around 45, 46 seconds. The perfect timing for me is to get that midseason,” said Whited. “I hope (to qualify) for states.”
The Lady Bulldogs had a solid performance throughout the meet, winning all three relays and taking first overall in the triangular meet in eight events.
Ayla Stopko (100 high hurdles, 20.98), Casey Falcon (1,600, 6:44; 3,200, 16:20), Lexie Marchando (400, 1:04), Sydney Urbine (800, 2:55), and Kennedy Kuhns (javelin, 103-8) joined Whited (100, 100 high hurdles) with overall first-place finishes.
The Waynesburg girls fared well in the field events with Bree Echegaray (high jump, 4-8), Juliana Fowler (long jump, 14-2), Kaley Pell (triple jump, 30-4), Alexis Baker (shot put, 31-4), Maddie Brooks (discus, 81-3) and Keira Fuqua (pole vault, 4-6) all finishing first overall.
Brooks also finished second in the discus and fourth in the javelin. Brooks wasn’t real pleased with her marks, but the weather conditions might’ve impacted her effort. The temperature dropped after the meet started, a meet that began in a steady rain shower.
“It was so wet and muddy. I didn’t get to wear my (throwing) shoes,” Brooks said of the footing. “The cold affects my muscles.”
The sophomore has her goals set for the season, saying, “I hope to beat all my PRs (personal bests). As long as I see an improvement and it shows my efforts this year.
“I try to get (her throws) as far as I can and win as many points as possible.”
The Lady Rockets’ Shelby Burkett showed well in her first high school meet with the freshman finishing sixth overall in the 100 in 15.21 seconds and fourth in the 200 with a time of 31.84 seconds.
The cool temperatures are a concern for sprinters and explosion athletes, as evidenced when Beth-Center’s Ben Sterling clutched his hamstring in the final 15 meters of the 100 and limped across the finish line.
“The cold tenses my muscles. (Ben Sterling) is a great runner. That psyched me out,” said Burkett.
“This is my first meet ever. This is a run-through for me. We have another meet Thursday. I actually just wanted to have fun today.”