Penn Relays 2007: Girls’ HS Individual Events Preview
Posted April 20th, 2007 at 10:09 PM by thefinalsprint.com
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Kimberly Williams of Jamaica’s Vere Tech is going for her third straight girls’ championships in the triple jump at this year’s Relays, and probably for the meet record as well.
Williams jumped exactly the same distance – 40-11 – to win the event the past two years. In Jamaica earlier this spring, she jumped 44-4 ¼, far beyond the existing meet record of 42-2 ¾ set in 1998 by Carlene Cummings of Morrow (Englewood, N.J.). There are two other 40-footers in this year’s field, Stephanie McIntyre of South Brunswick (N.J.) and Gabriela Baiter of Elwood/John Glenn (Long Island, N.Y.).
Another field record is also in danger in the shot put, where the nation’s leading putter, Kamorean Hayes of Harding (Charlotte, N.C.), is entered. Hayes has a best of 52-6 ½. The meet record was set 27 years ago by Elaine Sobansky of Trinity (Washington Pa.), at 50-0 ¾, in just the third year for the girls’ shot put at the Relays. Sobansky is the onetime national record-holder in the event.
In the discus, the leading entrant is Natalie Baird of Park View (Sterling, Va.), who has thrown 157-7, not far from the meet standard of 160-5 set four years ago by Lindsay Grigoriev (Atholton, Md.). Four other 140-footers are in the field: Latanya Nation (Edwin Allen, Jamaica), Deborah Rose (Holmwood Tech, Jamaica), Kelsey Huckins (Keene, N.H.) and Becky O’Brien of Greely (Cumberland, Maine).
The javelin pits the defending champion, Taneisha Blair (Holmwood Tech) against the top high school thrower in the U.S., Karlee McQuillen of Westmont Hilltop (Johnstown, Pa.). Blair has thrown 157-0, while McQuillen has thrown 157-3 this season and threw 162-4 in 2006. The meet record is 154-3, set in 2004 by Rudy Radocaj (Williamsport, Pa.).
On the track, the defending champion returns to defend her title in the 3,000. Ashley Higginson (Colts Neck, N.J.), who won the National Scholastic Indoor 2-mile, returns in the 3,000 where she has a best of 9:26. Her leading challengers are Cassandra Schenck of Crestwood (Mantua, Ohio), Catherine White of Northside (Roanoke, Va.) and Carly Seymour of Central Cambria (Ebensburg, Pa), all of whom have broken 10:00 for the distance.
Danielle Tauro (Southern Regional, NJ) will skip the mile this year to run the DMR. In her absence, the top entrants include Suejin Ahn of Ward-Melville (Setauket, N.Y.), Kimberly Standridge (Randolph N.J.), Stephanie Morgan (Barnesville, Ohio), Caitlin Lane (Greenwich Central, N.Y.), Tori Pennings (Warwick Valley, N.Y.), Brianna Welch (North Shore, Long Island) and Samantha McMillan of Judge Memorial (Salt Lake City, Utah). All have broken five minutes.
In the intermediate hurdles, a host of sub-60 Jamaican runners will face a Philadelphia-area runner, Ryann Krais of Methacton (Fairless Hills, Pa). The current U.S. prep leader in the event (59.34), Krais was third here last year. During the summer, she broke the national high-school sophomore-year record in the girls’ heptathlon. The leading Jamaican competitors are Shana-Gaye Tracey (Manchester), who has run 57.90; Andrea Sutherland (E. Allen), 58.46; Andrea Reid (Holmwood), 58.05; and Judith Riley (Manchester), 58.44. The leading other domestic competitors include Tierra Brown (Hampton, Va.), 62.60; Nicole Saunders of Menchville (Newport News, Va.), 58.88 in 2006; Josefine Kvist (Ridge, N.J.) 61.49; and Turquoise Thompson of Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, 60.86. Thompson, a sophomore, won the Mt. SAC 300 hurdles earlier this month in 41.74.
The pole vault is a closely bunched field—none of the competitors have cleared 13 feet, but a number have gone higher than 12-0: Beki Finn of Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.), Stephanie McDougal of North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), Stephanie Duffy (Washingtonville, N.Y.), Abigail Schaffer (Easton Area, Pa.), Canadians Ariane Beaumont-Courteau (Montreal, Quebec) and Melanie Blouin (Saint-Augustin, Quebec), and Joanna Wright of Reynolds (Winston-Salem, N.C.).
The favorite in the high jump is Ashley Gatling of Deep Creek (Chesapeake, Va.), who has gone 5-10 and was runner-up at the Nike Indoor. At 5-8 ½ or better are Brigetta Barrett of Ketcham (Wappinger Falls, N.Y.), Grace Watson (Belmont, Mass.) and Audrey Gariepy-Bogui of Churchill (Potomac, Md.). Watson was National Scholastic Indoor runner-up.
The long jump has five girls who have gone farther than 19 feet: Shakia Forbes of Bethel (Hampton, Va.), who has jumped 19-8 wind-aided and 19-6 ¼ indoors; Brittni Finch (Centreville, Va.), 19-7 ¼; Melissa Osbourne (St. Jago, Jamaica), 19-3; Ashley Hendrix (Uniondale, N.Y.), 19-4; and Tynita Butts of T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.) 19-0 ¾. Forbes was National Scholastic champion and Nike runner-up this winter.
Written by: Jack Pfeifer
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Tags: girls high school individual events preview, jack pfeifer, Penn Relays, penn relays preview
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