Apr 22, 2011 By Paul S. Brittainfor The 3 min read

?CONNELLSVILLE — Lauren Harvey was cooling off on Connellsville Stadium’s artificial turf on Thursday when she was surprised to receive word she’d won the 200 meter dash.

The Connellsville Area sophomore had clocked a time of 28.6 in the second heat to edge Uniontown’s Kendra Sublet by a fraction of a second in a race that was a turning point in the Lady Falcons’ 77-72 Section 2-AAA win.

Harvey, who also won her “favorite” event in the 400 with a time of 1:02, said she was “really surprised” to discover she’d placed first. “This was my second time to run the (200),” Harvey said. “Usually I run the 800. A girl stepped in for the first heat so I ran in the second heat.”

Connellsville coach Jeff Galand said Harvey ran the event to begin preparations for upcoming individual competitions. “She is working on her speed and runs better every day. She has placed in every big invitational. She’s one of our hardest workers, and it’s shown.”

Uniontown (2-2, 2-2) seemed to be in control after winning the 3,200 relay with Christina Homer, Julie Gerber, Jordan Crutchman, and Julie Friend finishing in a time of 11:01.13, and Krista Jackson took the first of her two top finishes in the 100 hurdles. But Connellsville (2-3, 2-3) took first in five of the next nine events, and five of the seven field events.

Another sophomore was a big winner for Uniontown as Friend won the 1,600 and 3,200 after anchoring the 3,200 relay team. “It was a little windy but felt good,” Friend said of the conditions. “I like to take the lead and run in front.”

Despite the close loss and a key ruling that gave Connellsville third place in the 800, Uniontown coach Aaron Scott said he was pleased with his team’s effort.

“Some of our girls weren’t here today and our other girls really stepped up. I’m proud of them. They pushed themselves and each other.”

Another big winner for Connellsville was Tiarra Taylor, who won the 100, anchored the winning relay quartet in the 400, and won the triple jump.

“It feels good to win and the cold feels better,” Taylor said. “My start was okay in the sprint, but in the middle I get faster and faster. My coach, Jace McClain, has really helped me in the triple jump.”

Junior Krista Jackson won the 100 hurdles and pole vault for Uniontown, Homer won the 800, Sara Brown the long jump, and the 1600 relay team of Hannah Wagner, Homer, Mahogany Johnson, and Neely Anderson took first.

Connellsville also had firsts in the 400 relay with the foursome of Darion Lighty, Kylie Pilot, Ashton Grimm, and Taylor. Kyle Basinger won the shot put, Stephanie Burkus the discus, Alex Salyers the javelin, and Mikisa Solomon the high jump.