Three Mustangs qualify for state meet
SLIPPERY ROCK — It was a tough day for the local Class 3A schools in the Herald-Standard coverage area at the WPIAL Individual Track & Field Championships on Wednesday at Slippery Rock University, but Laurel Highlands advanced three athletes to the state championship meet that will begin on Friday morning at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
The Fillies’ Diondra Brown was the runner-up in the girls long jump with a leap of 18-02 that broke her PR (personal record) of 17-11.50.
Brown’s distance topped the state-qualifying-standard (SQS) of 17-9.
The junior ran a time of 58.25 in the 400-meter dash, which bests the SQS of 58.50, but she finished in 10th place, as only the top eight qualify for the state meet, even if the athletes surpasses the SQS.
Browns qualified for the state meet in the 400 last season.
“It was tough to not get to go to states in the 400 after qualifying last year,” Brown said. “I think you have to give respect to the 400 runners in our district.
“This is my fourth time doing the long jump, so I was pretty pleased with it. The sand pits here are a little bit different from what I’m used to, but you have to adjust. The sand pit at LH is more like clay. This had more sand, but it was still kind of stiff. Whenever I was doing my landing, I couldn’t get that swoop like I usually can. I had a 17-10 in the prelims.”
Brown is the area’s lone female competitor in Class 3A, but teammates Grant Brambley and Matt Schwertfeger will join her at Shippensburg next weekend in the state meet.
Brown won’t compete until Saturday, but the team will arrive Thursday for registration and a chance to take in the atmosphere at Seth Grove Stadium.
Brown will use that opportunity to scout out the sand pit and have a few run throughs before she competes.
Schwertfeger will compete bright and early at the state meet on Friday morning, as the 1,600-meter run will be the first event contested on the track. Three races in the event will be completed prior to the Class 3A boys. The Class 2A girls will start the day off at 9.
“I really wanted to qualify for states in track,” Schwertfeger said. “I did it three times in cross country, but there are more qualifiers and divisions in cross country.”
Schwertfeger was sixth in the 1,600 at the district meet, but beat the SQS by .97th of a second in running a PR of 4:18.03.
“We went out a little slow,” Schwertfeger said. “It was around a 65 (1:05) in the first 400, but I tried to stay as close as I could to that top group. I was trying to hang on there at the end. It felt good to know I can run with those top guys. My kick is a little worse this year, but I am more fit.”
Schwertfeger competed in the 3,200, but his effort in the 1,600 left him in a tough spot, as he ran his last high school race in 10:14.33, which was short of his PR of 9:43.55.
Brambley cleared 14-03 to top the SQS of 12-03 to place fifth in the pole vault. The sophomore also competed in the javelin, where he was 11th with a throw of 159-08.
The boys pole vault in Class 3A at the state meet will compete on Friday at 12:30 p.m.
Brambley’s sister, Jaden, was seventh in the state last year, but she suffered a shoulder injury this season, which prevented her from competing as a senior. Jaden Brambley will continue her track & field career at Youngstown State.
“We had connections with the old West Virginia University pole vault coach, San Hensh, and we just kind of went with that,” Grant Brambley said. “I was able to PR today and was glad to clear 14-3. Pole vault is muscle memory. You jump up and let your body do the rest. I had watched Jaden compete at states all three of her years, and this is my first time taking it seriously.”
Bramley competed in the javelin, but took 11th in 159-08.
“I really wanted to get to states in the javelin, but I had to put it past me and focus on the pole vault,” Brambley said. “I am excited for the state meet. Of course I want to do well, but the experience will be very important to me as well.”
Larkin qualifies in two events
Geibel Catholic junior Emma Larkin doesn’t consider herself a hurdler.
“I don’t look at myself as a hurdler,” Larkin said. “I don’t focus on form, and my mindset is to run as fast as I can and get over obstacles that come along the way. I have never had a hurdle coach, or even someone to talk to me about it. I don’t even really do a hurdle warm-up.”
If research was done regarding Larkin’s approach to the event, her strategy may be criticized, but it paid off in the Class 2A 300-hurdles at the WPIAL meet, as Larkin was second in the event with a time of 46.15, which broke her PR in a SQS time.
Larkin also qualified for the state meet in the 400-meter dash with a time of 58.51, which bested her previous PR of 58.67. Her fourth-place finish in the district meet was a SQS.
“I have no doubt in my mind that I have the endurance, as I run cross country and always keep myself in good shape, so I kind of bank on the other people not having the endurance and going out way too fast,” Larkin said. “I always tell myself, ‘run, run run,’ and I will catch them. If the hurdles were 350 or 400 meters, there is no doubt in my mind I would have won that race.”
Larkin has qualified for the state meet in at least one event all three of her high school seasons. Last year, she earned a state berth in the 800-meter run. She advanced to Shippensburg her freshman season in the 400 and 300 hurdles. Larkin didn’t compete at the state meet last year because of a commitment to a basketball event, as she is one of the top players in the area.
Larkin was the top seed in the 300 hurdles last season heading into the WPIAL championships, but she had a false start in her race and was disqualified.
“With what happened last year, I was very nervous about that,” Larkin said. “It crossed my mind in both races about false starting and getting disqualified. I think it’s normal for humans to be nervous about that, but once I got on that start line, it didn’t cross my mind.”
Larkin’s goal at the state meet is simple: “I want to medal.”
Not bad for a freshman
Brownsville’s 400 relay team of Jersey Feick-White, Aijanae Foster, Ta’Veonna Harris and Amya Wilson finished eighth in Class 2A girls and beat the SQS time of 50.80 in PR of 50.57 to qualify for the state meet.
Foster, a freshman, also qualified for states in the high jump after finishing in a three-way time for sixth place at 5-02, which hit the SQS.
“It is a good feeling to be a freshman and qualify for the state meet in two events,” Foster said. “I felt like our team did pretty good in the handoffs and exchanges in the relay. We lowered our PR by about one second. We will do what we can at states.”
Feick-White, a sophomore, believes her offseason conditioning was instrumental in her success this year.
“I think that really helped, and I felt like we had good exchanges,” Feick-White said. “I am the anchor leg, so I just grab the baton and go.”
Harris, a junior, started track & field last year, but became very focused this season.
“I think we do a pretty good job considering we don’t have a track facility,” Harris said. “We work on our handoffs and different ways to work on exchanges.”
As the first leg, Wilson understands the importance of getting the team off to a solid start.
“To be successful in any relay, the opening leg must get off to a good start, and that starts with coming out of the blocks well,” Wilson said. “It is a great feeling to qualify for states. I have been doing track since I was in seventh grade, so this is nice. It is also good for Brownsville. There is a lot of potential for athletes at Brownsville.”
Waynesburg pole vault duo makes states
Mason Schroyer and Jackson Brunell knew that most of the competitors at the WPIAL Class 2A field were close, so their goal was to get on the podium.
They did more than that.
Shroyer placed third and Brunell was fourth, which qualified them for the state meet next weekend in Shippensburg.
Both are state bound for the first time.
“It feels great,” Schroyer said. “It’s really cool that we get to go to states.”
Shroyer, a junior, finished at 13-6, just shy of his personal best.
Brunell, a freshman, set a new personal best at 13 feet. He is the grandson of longtime Waynesburg pole vault coach Butch Brunell.
“With my grandpa being the coach, I started young and found a big interest in it,” Brunell said. “I played a bunch of other sports up until fifth grade, but I just really clicked with the pole vault.”
Teammate Zach Andrews placed third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 40.65 to qualify for the state meet. Andrew not only broke his PR, but he also bested the SQS in the event.
California’s Typovsky, Ross place in javelin
The Trojans’ Andrew Typovsky and Christian Ross are headed to Shippensburg after the duo finished in fourth and fifth place in the boys Class 2A javelin at the district meet.
Typovsky was fourth in the event with a throw of 154-09. By finishing in the top four, Typovsky will make his first trip to the state meet.
“It was all about learning the technique,” Typovsky said. “I play baseball, so I have to juggle between the two sports, but the practices are at different times, so I can get it done. It is great to be able to go to the state meet with one of my teammates in the same event.”
Teammate Ella Neil will compete in Shippensburg in the Class 2A girls high jump after finishing in a tie for sixth place with a jump of 5-02. Her mark was not only a PR, but hit the SQS.
Kent back to states
Belle Vernon junior Ryan Kent will return to the state meet for the second straight season after finishing third in the boys discus in Class 3A with a personal-best throw of 155-03. Kent was 11th in the shot put (46-00.50) and 12th in the javelin (156-01).
DeHoet, Mehall reach PIAA
Jefferson-Morgan junior Deakyn DeHoet who runs track for Beth-Center finished fifth in the Class 2A 100 to advance to the PIAA meet. Southmoreland junior Megan Mehall earned a trip to the state meet with a fourth-place finish in the Class 2A 800 (2:17.06).
Observer-Reporter staff writer Jerin Steele contributed to this story.