New year, same results
Laurel Highlands’ Baker, Brown dominate in section tri-meet
Laurel Highlands’ Bella Baker and Diondra Brown showed Connellsville and Uniontown that it may be a new year, but the senior duo is ready to wreak havoc on the rest of the local teams after dominating in Thursday’s Section 2-3A tri-meet at Mustang Field on the campus of Laurel Highlands High School.
The Mustangs topped their cross-town rivals, 83-67, but suffered an 80-70 setback to the Lady Falcons. The Lady Red Raiders downed Connellsville, 82-68, for a three-way draw.
Uniontown is 3-1 in the section and 4-1 overall. LH is 1-1 in section play and 2-1 overall, and the Lady Falcons sit at 2-2 in section and overall action.
Baker, who will continue her academic, cross country and track & field careers at Davis & Elkins College, swept the distance races (800, 1,600, 3,200) and ran a leg of the Mustangs’ victorious 4×800 relay team that crossed the finish line in 10:47.88.
Baker was joined by Hannah Hertlein, Taylor Schwertfeger and Morgan Ferris in the relay.
Baker topped the field in the 800-meter run in 2:32.34. She won the 1,600 in 5:43.93 and the 3,200 in 12:42.10.
“Today, I was kind of focused on just running more of a workout,” Baker said. “We have an invite on Saturday, so I was running more for team points to help us win than worrying about times. I just ran at a tempo pace.”
Baker, and the rest of her teammates, will be competing in the 34th Annual Hempfield Area Lady Spartan Invitational at Hempfield Area High School. The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
“I am really focused on that meet,” Baker said. “Those will be tough races to win, but I am looking to have those top-level girls push me into hitting my PR (personal record).”
The temperatures this track & field season have been lower than normal, but Thursday’s competition was filled with a sunny ski and a high that was between 75 and 80 degrees. Distance runners are generally not fans of the cold and rain, but the heat can also hinder their races.
“The weather today was different than what it’s been, so that was something that I’m not really used to yet because of the cold days that we have had, but it felt nice to not have freezing weather,” Baker said. “It is a lot easier to breathe out here today.”
Brown won the 100 and 200-meter dashes before hustling off to the field to win the long jump. She teamed with Neela Hill, Sahayla Dues and Makenna Frey to win the 400 relay in a time of 52.08.
Brown won the 100 in 12.59 and the 200 in 25.85 before soaring 17 feet and 7.5 inches through the air in the long jump.
Dues swept the 100 and 300 hurdles in times of 15.57 and 49.63. Hill cleared 5-0 to win the high jump.
The Lady Red Raiders’ Ellie Carei won the 400 in 1:03.53. Carei was joined by Azhiyah Belt, Addison Caruso and Rhiannon Feather in winning the 1,600 relay (4:37.48).
The Lady Falcons won two throwing events, as Sarah Tinkey threw 33-5 in the shot put, and Sophia Pleva fired the javelin 80-0.
Uniontown’s Madisyn Wood Crudup chucked the discus 88-4 to avoid a Connellsville sweep in the throws.
The Lady Red Raiders’ Lyric McLee took a break from flag football and softball to win the triple jump in 32-11.5.
Connellsville’s Larissa Franks won the pole vault in 9-0.