Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell probably had no idea about the impact he would have on the 2006 Pennsylvania cross country season, but suffice it to say that it is going to be big.
It was quite an outdoor campaign for Mechacton\'s Ryann Krais. In May, she set a state record. In June, she established a national class record. And in August, she broke it. She set PRs in 11 events. Four of the events she had never competed in before this year, and she improved with almost every effort.
With the help of a statewide panel of experienced cross country coaches, PennTrackXC.com will publish a weekly statewide poll of boys and girls cross country teams in Pennsylvania during the coming season.
With the help of the PIAA Cross Country Steering Committee, the PIAA is designing and building a new state championship cross country course on the site of the now-closed Hershey Parkview Golf Course located behind the Giant Center. The location of the District 3 Championships will be determined by district officials in August.
The final big meets of outdoor, from Blunt to World Juniors. In the Multis at the AAU Junior Olympics in Norfolk, Virginia, Ryan Krais won the Intermediate Girls Heptathlon on the first two days of competition to improve her US Soph Class Record. On Day Five, she won the 400 Hurdles for her 2nd title. And on Day Six, she added a third title, taking the 100 Hurdles in 14.03. And on Day Eight, she took 6th in the 400. Also on Day Eight, a Havertown Middle Schooler, Sophia Meehan set an AAU record in the 3000 Meter Run, going 10:42.77. She runs for the Dashers Track Club. At the USATF Junior Olympics in Baltimore, in the Intermediate Girls 800 Finals, Easton\'s Chanelle Price set a meet and junior Intermediate record with her 2nd best 800 ever (photo by Robert Wallingford, robertwallingford.smugmug.com) Sarah Morrison and Tim Wertner were the individual champs at the 3rd Tim & Susan Cook Memorial Mile Road Race. At the Keystone Games, Andrew Fahringer of Whitehall, threw the Javelin to a US#3 mark.
The Pennsylvania distance running community has a transfer from the state of Washington, and she\'s training with her new team and getting academic credit by doing her senior project with the state T&F/XC web site.
Summer camps are the motivational and conditioning fuel for your 2006 cross country season. Do the work, get the results. Sit at home, and suffer through September. (Photo: First-year Archbishop Carroll 5th-9th graders with counselors and coaches)
Four more big meets... including the next-to-last step for USATF Junior Olympics, the NACAC Under-23 Champs, the new Caribbean Scholastic Invitational, and Hershey Track & Field PA State Meet. Plus, Tim Hickey is the head coach of the men\'s team for NACAC. At NACAC, Norristown grad Mike Whitehead, now at Michigan, finished 3rd in the Triple Jump with a leap of 52-00.00, and Hampton grad Julianna Reed of the University of Pittsburgh, finished 4th in the 400 Hurdles, running 59.34. At the first Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in Puerto Rico, Westmont Hilltop\'s Karlee McQuillen pretty much competed against herself as two competitors fouled every attempt. McQuillen finished with a throw of 142-6 on her penultimate attempt. Photo: Chad Sargent, Rob McNally, Coach Mister Frisby, Carrington Queen, Kyle Tucker (PhatBack Athletics @ Niagara Falls)
Trevon Rainford wins the 5000 meter run and then comes back on the final day to win the 1500. Breehana Jacobs takes 2nd in the 200 finals and 3rd in the 100 finals. Phatback Athletics won the bronze in the meet\'s final race, the 4x400. At the AAU Region 2 meet at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Ryann Krais competed in her second Heptathlon in a week, and won. She also set a PR in the open 400, plus captured the Long Jump, 400 Hurdles and 100 Hurdles on the final two days of the meet. Reggie Carter took two events, as did Kaleena Gray, Philip Wood and Jermaine Lowery. (Krais setting a PR in the Javelin portion of the Heptathlon)
Set state record. Check. Set national sophomore record. Check.
It seems as if when rising Methacton junior Ryann Krais sets a goal, she achieves it. And in the future, this remarkably talented hurdler, jumper, sprinter, and multis competitor will surely set many records, in high school, college, and if all goes as dreamed, beyond. (Photo courtesy of Victor Sailer, PhotoRun.NET)
Getting faster is the easiest part of running. Running times and winning races that get you into the elite of an event is a lot tougher. But feeling like you belong in that group... well, that\'s a journey that many attempt, but even fewer achieve. That was Liz Costello\'s journey this year, and on Saturday, she arrived. (Photo courtesy of Davey, Dyestat.com)
There\'s a trend here. 2:08.72... 2:08.47... 2:07.71... 2:06.23. And it\'s a trend that is likely to continue, if Easton sophomore Chanelle Price has any say in the matter. (Photo courtesy of Victor Sailor, www.PhotoRun.NET)
There were quite a few great performances by PA prep athletes. PennTrackXC.com talked with three about their performances and expereriences in Indianapolis this week. First up was be Chanelle Price, the Easton sophomore who finished 3rd in the 800 in a nation-leading time. That was followed by Liz Costello, the Conestoga senior who took 5th in a big PR in the 1500 in a loaded field; and then by Ryann Krais, the other super soph who simply set a US Sophomore Record in taking 5th in the Pentathlon.
Five Photo Galleries by Don Rich of the Nike Outdoor Nationals, June 15-17 at North Carolina A&T University.
The stories and athletes who achieve all-American status on Saturday at the 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC. (PHOTOS POSTED MONDAY. STORIES ON CHANELLE PRICE, JUSTIN SHIRK & JOHN AUSTIN, SIMON GRATZ, RYANN KRAIS< BREEHANA JACOBS, ANDREW ROTZ AND PAUL SPRINGER POSTED 6/21)
The stories and athletes who achieve all-American status on Friday at the 2006 Nike Outdoor Nationals at North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, NC. (STORIES ON THE KARLEE MCQUILLEN AND LORRAINE HILL, PLUS ALLYN LAUGHLIN POSTED 6/21)
SATURDAY:Chanelle Price wins 800. All-Americans in the 100, 800, 800 SMR, 400 Hurdles, Jav, Discus. FRIDAY:It was a day where PA dominated two FIELD EVENTS as Karlee McQuillen is US Jav champs... and PA athletes made strong showings on the track. All-Americans in the Javelin, Shot Put, Triple Jump, 100, plus the Sprint Medley and 4x800 Meter Relays... (Photo: Breehana Jacobs, Laurel Highlands junior, was a 2-time all-American, taking 6th in both the 100 and 200
Central Dauphin freshman Justin Shirk has been near the top of the state in the Javelin most of the season, finishing 3rd in the PIAA AAA competition at states with a throw of 198-07 (in photo by PennTrackXC.com). According to the rankings by both the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) and PennTrackXC.com, that is his season-best and a PR. But while checking through the performance list for the Nike Outdoor Nationals, another performance by Justin Shirk was clearly noticeable. It was a 207-05 and it was labeled as the US Freshman record, set in May, 2006.
Pennsylvania athletes entered in the Nike Outdoor Nationals
Photo Gallery by Don Rich of 6/9 Pennsylvania Distance Classic @ West Chester Henderson High School
Photo Gallery by Don Rich of 6/9 Pennsylvania Distance Classic @ West Chester Henderson High School
On Sunday in California at the Golden West Invitational, Jared Jodon won the Pole Vault, Aaron Kauffman was 2nd in the 800, and Travis Miller took runner-up honors in the Javelin. On Friday, it was a great start to little meet in West Chester on a comfortable, sometimes rainy, but never windy 1st Annual Distance Festival. How about three PA PIAA State Champions tuning up for next week\'s Nike Outdoor Nationals. And at the 1st Milestat.com Elite Track Gala, Diana Filtz and Ben Hahn won two distance events on Day One. (Cover photo: Jared Jodon, Laurel Highlands senior, 16-03 PV win - photo courtesy Margaret Gallagher, DyeStatCal)
Mea Culpa. Sometimes keeping track of the stats is overwhelming. And sometimes the workload is, too.
While the majority of PA athletes and teams have shut down for the season, two teams from the Philadelphia Catholic League still have members participating in post-season meets. On Saturday, the boys of Cardinal O\'Hara were in New York City at Icahn Stadium, while the West Catholic girls were in Orlando Florida at the Golden South Invitational. O\'Hara was joined by LaSalle on Sunday at the Boys\' Eastern States meet at Iona Prep in New York.
10 Photo Galleries by Don Rich of Friday & Saturday Action @ PIAA State Championships
During the two days of competition, and then throughout the beginning of this week, Don Rich talked with athletes and coaches about their experiences at States, and learned some very interesting things. Quaker Valley record-setting 4x100 was mostly a family affair. Simon Gratz was not the first to sweep three relays in a state meet... but it\'s been a long time. And Brad Miller did get something from twin brother Craig before his Friday race, and it wasn\'t advice.
When the Philadelphia Public League became PIAA District 12 in 2004, no one knew exactly what impact the teams would have at the state level, but Simon Gratz head coach Robert Massie had an idea they\'d do very well. His team had run US#1 ranked relays most of the indoor and outdoor campaigns. They rolled over national competition. And Massie says, there was little reason to expect anything different when they arrived at the 2005 PIAA T&F State Championships, their first.
Karlee McQuillen ups her PA all-time best in Javelin to 162-04. Ryann Krais took over the all-time best in the PA history in the 300 Hurdles with a 41.46, bettering the 1996 mark of 41.88 set by Joyce Bates of Simon Gratz. Gratz US#3, North Penn US#4, 3200 meter relay. Brad Miller,4:10.43 1600. Ryann Krais US#4, 41.46. Allyn Laughlin, 50-10.75 SP. Fast 800\'s including a sub-1:52. Front page: Karlee McQuillen improves her PA best (photo by Megan Zeller)