May 23, 2003 By Jim Downey 3 min read

Some have already been there, but the trip most of the nearly 20 local athletes are making to the PIAA Individual Track & Field Championships will be a first time in competition at Shippensburg University. Four athletes of the 18 participating in the two-day meet won medals last year. Waynesburg Central’s Helen Higgins won medals in both the shot put and discus in Class AA last year, but the senior qualified in only the shot put this year as she looks to improve last year’s fourth-place effort of 36 feet, 113/4 inches.

Brownsville’s Doug Patterson is the reigning WPIAL Class AA long jump champion, finishing fifth in the event last year with a leap of 41 feet. Shanna Yourchik qualified in both the 100 high hurdles and high jump so the Jefferson-Morgan senior will look to double last year’s state medal output when she placed sixth in the high jump. Yourchik will have a familiar face in the jump pit with in the person of training partner Emily Mathason of West Greene.

Brandon Mahoney will probably have to vault his personal best for a high medal in the Class AAA pole vault. The Laurel Highlands senior finished second in the WPIAL for the second year in a row, placing seventh in the 2002 state meet.

Southmoreland’s Tim Fratto dropped the long jump, but the defending champion in the Class AA triple jump has the second best jump coming into the weekend of activities. Fratto had a disappointing performance last year and did not medal.

Beth-Center’s Danielle Hutchinson (javelin), Brownsville’s Joe Cardine (110 high hurdles), Southmoreland’s Larry Earnesty (800) and Jon Sebek (high jump) and Waynesburg Central’s Travis Conklin (pole vault) are all making their first trip to the PIAA Championships. Cardine enters with the sixth-best qualifying time in the state.

Christina Roadman just missed a medal in the discus last year, but the Connellsville senior enters this year’s competition with the furthest throw of the year. Roadman launched her first throw in the WPIAL Class AAA Championships just over 130 feet; nearly five feet more than the second best qualifying throw. Roadman also qualified in the javelin.

Laurel Highlands senior Mikie Monaghan qualified in the 1,600 last year, but will go to her final state meet in the 3,200 this year. Mount Pleasant’s Lindsey Biller advanced in the triple jump.

Vaughn Jones looks to build off his Class AAA long jump gold medal, but the Albert Gallatin senior will have his hands full in search of a state medal. Matt Humbert owns all of the Laurel Highlands’ hurdles records, and will hope to better his school record time in the trials this morning to advance through the preliminary heats.

Mount Pleasant’s Jared Smartnick finished second last year in Class AA, but the Vikings moved up a classification this year. Despite the move, the junior finished fourth this year with a qualifying vault of 13-9.

The competition begins at 9 a.m. this morning with preliminaries and finals in the field and track running through late afternoon. The schedule repeats Saturday with the day beginning at 9 a.m. and finishing with the boys’ Class AAA 1,600 relay. The championships will be broadcast live on PCN.p