Leaping Lee
California’s Qualk wins state title in long jump
SHIPPENSBURG — Lee Qualk saved his best jump for his last.
The California senior flew 22-10.50 on his sixth and final attempt of his high school career to win the state championship in the boys Class 2A long jump Friday morning in the PIAA Track & Field Championships at Seth Grove Stadium on the campus of Shippensburg University.
Qualk is the first boy in program history to win a state championship. Kailyn Clancy won a state title in the Class 2A girls shot put in 2014.
“It was just a great experience,” Qualk said. “When I saw that number of 22-10, I just jumped in the air and started celebrating because that was exactly what I was looking for. It means everything to me to be the first boy at California to win a state title.”
Qualk entered Friday’s competition as the second seed behind Fort LeBoeuf’s KC Wasiulewski with a mark of 22-08. The two-time WPIAL champion was fourth entering the finals, but amid the rain and wind, he regrouped and scored his best jump.
“It was tough jumping in the rain,” Qualk said. “My second jump in the finals was my worst jump of the day. In my final jump, it cleared up a little bit, even though it was still raining. I felt like I had a little bit more wind behind me, and I also just felt like I was ready to jump my best jump of the day.
“I couldn’t have been happier to have my last jump be my best. It started pouring down rain going into the finals and I was soaked. People were talking about how nobody was going to PR (personal record) and whatever jumps we had in the prelims were going to be our best jumps of the day.”
Conemaugh Township’s Jackson Sotosky was second at 22-9.25 and Nativity BVM’s Noah Dolbin was third at 22-7.
Qualk’s experience at the state meet last year wasn’t one to remember, but he showed his potential to win a state gold after jumping a PR of 23-5.50 in earning the long jump title in the 51st Baldwin Invitational on May 2. Qualk defeated some of the top Class 3A jumpers in winning at Baldwin High School.
“I was thinking about redeeming myself from last year’s state meet the whole week,” Qualk said. “I knew I had so much more left in me last year, and I just couldn’t put out onto the board and into the pit.”
Qualk is unsure if he will compete in track & field at the collegiate level, but his victory should spark some interest.
“I don’t have any commitments for track & field right now,” Qualk said. Penn State was interested in me, and I am going to shoot him a message after this is all over and let him know what happened.”
Qualk wasn’t the only California representative to reach the podium, as fellow senior Ella Neil placed eighth in the girls Class 2A high jump at 5-2. Neil, who will continue her track & field career at Washington & Jefferson College, finished high school as a two-time state medalist and three-time qualifier. She was sixth last season.
“My goal this year was to medal again,” Neil said. “I also wanted to clear 5-2, which I did in my last high school meet. I am overwhelmed with joy to be here one last time with such a competitive field and all my high jump friends.”
Emma Larkin’s goal for the state meet was simple .. She wanted to place in the top eight in the PIAA in either the 400-meter dash or the 300 hurdles in Class 2A.
When the finals are completed Saturday, the Geibel Catholic junior will have not one, but two medals.
Larkin placed sixth in the 300 hurdles and seventh in the 400 with times of 46.21 and 58.31.
“I got what I wanted,” Larkin said. “This definitely takes off a lot of the pressure for tomorrow. I just didn’t want to run in the cold, rain and wind, and I was glad that it cleared up by the time I competed.”
The Lady Gators’ leading scorer in basketball chose not to rest the day before the state meet, as she competed in the Rising Stars Undergrad Girls Select Thursday evening in Leetsdale.
“We drove up this morning after I played last night,” Larkin said. “I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Entering Friday’s competition, Larkin was the 12th seed in the 400 and the ninth in the 300. She has qualified for the state meet all three of her years in high school, but didn’t compete last season, as she was in the 800-meter run, which isn’t her strongest event.
“I qualified for the 300 hurdles and the 400 my freshman year, but I didn’t make the finals,” Larkin said. “I didn’t compete last year because the 800 isn’t a strong event for me.”
Beth-Center’s Deakyn DeHoet didn’t feel much pressure entering Friday’s preliminary round in the boys Class 2A 100-meter dash, and he sprinted with nothing to lose in finishing second in his heat at 11.14.
“I could have had a better start,” DeHoet said. “I lifted my heel high off the ground, so that definitely took a couple of tenths off my time, but I was able to get through to the finals. I never really came in with pressure because I am focused on football. I just do track to stay in shape and help with speed.”
DeHoet’s result in the preliminaries earned the junior a berth in Saturday’s final, and as long as he finishes the race and isn’t disqualified, the Jefferson-Morgan student who competes for the Bulldogs in track & field will stand on the podium as the top eight in the state.
“Last week (at the WPIAL meet) I played basketball right before the meet, so this week, I took it easy and didn’t do too much,” DeHoet said. “I wanted to save my legs.”
DeHoet ran the first heat in the preliminaries, and had to do it from the first lane, which is not ideal for sprinters, but he was able to push through the adversity.
“I usually drift to the left side, so I had to be really careful in the first lane, especially with that bar,” DeHoet said.
Brownsville freshman Aijanae Foster finished in a three-way tie for ninth place in the girls Class 2A high jump at 5-0. Foster was joined by Amya Wilson, Ta’Veonna Harris and Jersey Feick-White in placing 29th in the girls Class 2A 400 relay with a time of 52.01.
Mount Pleasant freshman Bryson Bankosh finished 18th in the Class 2A boys long jump with a mark of 20-10.
Laurel Highlands senior Matt Schwertfeger placed 25th in the boys Class 3A 1,600-meter run in a time of 4:29.06. Schwertfeger will attend West Virginia University, but the school doesn’t have men’s cross country and track & field teams, so he will focus on his academics. He plans to continue running.
Waynesburg Central’s Zack Andrews was 20th in the 300 hurdles in boys Class 2A with a time of 42.18.
California’s Andrew Typovsky (20th-141-7) and Christian Ross (22nd-139) competed in the boys Class 2A javelin.
Laurel Highlands’ Grant Brambley wasn’t able to clear 13-0 on three attempts in the boys Class 3A pole vault.