Seto has strong meet in Section 6-AA Championship
COAL CENTER — As though her meet wasn’t filled enough Thursday, the Brownsville coaching staff threw Maris Seto in the 1,600 relay, in the opening leg to boot.
Seto, fearing a false start, survived her one lap around the track to help the Lady Falcons finish second in the final event of the Section 6-AA Championships hosted by California Area High School to go with a pair of first-place finishes and a second-place.
Seto won the high jump (5-0) and triple jump (36-7) and finished second in the long jump (15-11½) in preparation of her defense of the county meet Field MVP.
The one result left Seto just a bit wanting as she reviewed her day.
“I wanted to get into the 37s (feet) in the triple jump,” said Seto. “I was just trying to get the marks. I saved a few in the last meet, so I went full out today.
“I had two good jumps in the long jump, but scratched by a hair twice.”
Seto said she plans to head into the FCCA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Connellsville with the same attitude as she did last year as a freshman before unexpectedly leaving with the MVP award.
“I will go in like I am not the defending champion,” explained Seto. “I’m shooting for 5-2 in the high jump. I’m so close. I want 37 in the triple jump. That would be a PR for the season. I’m trying to PR in the long jump. Anything better than 16 (feet).”
Teammate Whitney Ptak won the 300 intermediate hurdles in 49.26 (a personal best), ran on the last relay, and just missed the medals stand in the 100 and high jump.
“My legs were shot for the day,” Ptak said after the high jump. “I wanted to do my best in the 300 hurdles. I was looking to break 49 (seconds), but it was close.”
Ptak just missed advancing to the state meet last year, finishing with a seventh-place medal but came .7 seconds shy of qualifying.
“I bothers me to this day. It burns,” said Ptak.
Frazier’s Cassidy Guiser spent a portion of her afternoon chasing Washington speedster Alyssa Wise, the meet MVP. Guiser was third in the 100 (13.5), second in the 200 (27.8), and second in the 400 (1:00.4). The Lady Commodores, with Guiser in the anchor leg, finished third.
“I love racing (Wise). I push myself beyond belief,” said Guiser.
Guiser then looked towards running against the Class AAA schools in Saturday’s county meet.
“I’m still nervous,” explained Guiser. “I’m confident with my times I can run and in what I’ve been doing. I just want to meet my times and medal in everything.”
Teammate Lauren Timko won the 100 high hurdles in 17.29 seconds.
West Greene’s Rebecca Phillips won the 1,600 (5:55) and finished second in the 3,200 (13:05). Phillips made a move on the fifth of eight laps in the 3,200 to pull into the second spot.
“I had a PR in the 1,600. I ran a 5:56 on Tuesday. The time I’m going for is 5:54, just off by one second. It’s so frustrating,” said Phillips. “My time in the 3,200 was really good, by far a PR. I made my move in the 3,200, but I thought I’d feel better. I didn’t have much left after the mile.”
California’s Eilish Miller was third in the 1,600 (6:14) and ran the first leg of the victorious 3,200 relay (10:59).
“The 1,600 was a bad time. I ran my best time in the (3,200) relay. My legs were kinda shot after that,” said Miller, a senior. “I didn’t think I’d be able to do that. I was surprised.
“I ran 5:55 (in the 1,600) last year. My best is 6:06 this year, but I ran a qualifying time (in the 800) in the relay. Maybe I’ll run in the 800. I’ll see how I feel.”
Jefferson-Morgan’s Tori Conti was third in the 800, just a second off the pace set by Washington’s Andrea Sharp. She finished fourth in the 300 intermediate hurdles (53.5).
“Those are my two favorite events,” said Conti. “I just wanted to beat my times. I was a couple seconds off each. Though it’s not bad since we practice the hurdles in the parking lot with recycling barrels as hurdles.”
Beth-Center’s Hannah Lacey was fourth in the 100 (13.4) and the 200 (28.07), and helped the Lady Bulldogs finish second in the 400 relay (53.79).
“I just want to keep consistent times,” explained Lacey. “I’m not super happy with my 100. It was okay.”