Here’s a look at top Central PA athletes competing in jumps competitions this weekend at the PIAA State Championships.
Pole Vault
Central PA athletes could bring home multiple golds in the pole vault this weekend. Let’s hope the weather cooperates and allows them to compete outdoors rather than moving the competition indoors.
AA Girls
Saturday – 9:00am
Adeline Woodward (so, Trinity) has a season best clearance of 12-0 and has been over 11-0 multiple times this season. Lilyana Carlson (fr, Bermudian Springs) has shown enormous potential this season and closed out her series at District 3 attempting the meet record. Both Woodward and Carlson should compete for top 3 finishes. Lydia Worthing (jr, Bellwood Antis) has a 10-3 season best and could find herself on the award’s stand as well.
AAA Girls
Friday – 9:00am
Katie Urbine (jr, Solanco) won the indoor state title with a jump of 13-0. She won the District 3 title indoors last weekend. If the weather forces things inside she will not be phased. She has a great chance of winning her first state outdoor title. The pack behind the top 3 seeds should lead to a wide open competition for state medals. Look for multiple athletes from Central PA to earn a spot on the podium.
AA Boys
Saturday – 12:30pm
Coming off of a new PR and District 6 title, Richland sophomore Logan Gossard could be primed to bring home state gold. Same could be said for Tulpehocken senior Camden Gehris who set a new PR when he won the District 3 title.
AAA Boys
Friday 12:30pm
Justin Rogers (sr, Hersey) owns the Mid-Penn Conference and District 3 records for the Pole Vault. He also owns the all-time state record with a 17-2 clearance. If he can surpass 16-6 on Friday he would own all of the major records for pole vaulting in Pennsylvania. I really hope the weather cooperates so he can get the full support of the large Seth Grove Stadium crowd. Central PA will not see a big drop off in the pole vault following Rogers graduation. Sophomores Breckin Swope (East Pennsboro) and Mason Bucks (Palmyra) appear ready to take the torch from Rogers. Swope cleared 15-3 and Bucks cleared 14-3 at District 3 to establish new PR’s. They will look to join Rogers on the medal stand. State College Area’s Ian Dorefice (sr) also figures to contend for a top podium spot tomorrow. His 15-0.25 clearance at District 6 was also a PR.
High Jump
AA Girls
Friday – 9:00am
So many girls have cleared 5-2 or higher in this field that the competition should be wide-open. Cameron Upcraft (sr, Penns Valley), Teresa Moore (fr, Lancaster Catholic), and Emma Rolston (sr, Greenwood) have all jumped 5-4 this season. A 5-4 mark on Friday should place them high on the award’s stand.
AAA Girls
Katie Becker (so, Warwick) has been closing in on 6-0 feet all season. Her latest PR came last weekend when she won District 3 with a new District Record mark of 5-10. She’ll could be golden Saturday morning. Maddy Knier (jr, Manheim Central) and Ally Richwine (sr, Carlisle) will look to earn their spot in the medals as well. Knier has made the transition from basketball, where she was first team all-state, to track and field successfully and owns a season best jump of 5-6. Richwine’ s season best is 5-4.
AA Boys
Annville-Cleona’s Noah Gunderson (jr) has been on a roll, winning both the LL League and District 3 titles the previous two weekends. His 6-6 jump at district was a PR. He enters the competition tied as the #1 seed. Trinity’s Tyler Rossi may not have had his best day at District 3, but the Shamrock senior owns a season best of 6-5 and will contend for a medal.
AAA Boys
In what was a rare off-day for Shippensburg’s Dakota Arana (sr), he still won the District 3 high jump title with a clearance of 6-6. You know you are the state’s best when 6-6 is considered an “off-day.” Look for a big rebound from him this weekend as he looks to challenge the PIAA Championship Record of 7-0.75. Arena’s 7-0 clearance at Cy Fritz is tops in class AAA by 5.5 inches. Connor Landreth (sr, Shippensburg), and Jewleus Benner (sr, JP McCaskey) have both cleared 6-5 on the season. Austin Martin (so, South Western), Aryan Sandhu (fr, Milton Hershey), and Brett Gerlach (sr, Central Mountain) all have season bests of 6-4 and should be in medal contention.
Long Jump
AA Girls
Madison Ziska (sr, Schuylkill Valley) has jumped over 18-feet this season and seems primed to compete for state gold on Friday. Teammate Annie Gao (so) appears to be on the fringe of medaling as well after earning a new PR at districts.
AAA Girls
State College Area’s Shannon Mullin could bring home two golds this weekend. She is the top seed in both the long and triple jump competitions and owns a season best long jump of 19-0. District 6 challenger Hailey Rios (sr, Somerset) placed 2nd to Mullin last weekend, but owns a 19-2 season best. Expect one more great battle between the two. Jazmine Bennett (jr, Bishop McDevitt) leads a strong District 3 contingent and is the #4 seed with her mark of 18-3.25 from districts. 4 other District 3 athletes follow her in the seeding, all of whom set season bests (SB) at districts – Rebecca Tirko (sr, Northern – 18-1.75 SB), Taylor Foster (sr, Bishop McDevitt – 18-0.25 SB), Anne Bair (sr, Gettysburg – 17-11.25 SB), and Maddy Knier (jr, Manheim Central – 17-10SB). This is a big event for Central PA!
AA Boys
Carter McDermott (so, Penn Cambria) has posted one of the top long jump marks all-time for sophomores. His SB of 22-10.5 ranks 3rd all-time amongst sophomores in Central PA. McDermott is the #1 seed this weekend. Owen Irvin (sr, Bald Eagle) jumped a SB 22-0 to place 2nd to McDermott at District 6 and is the #5 seed.
AAA Boys
Saturday – 9:00am
Jake Adams (sr, Altoona) has been dominant in the long jump this season and has stretched his PR out to 23-9. He has consistently demonstrated the ability to jump over 23-feet and that consistency will serve him well on Saturday. The District 3 long jump competition did not produce any new season bests, but Gabriel Sample (sr, Muhlenberg – 22-9 SB), Nathan Kirkwood (sr, Greencastle – 22-9 SB), Anthony Mansfield (sr, Palmyra – 22-6 SB), Ryan Criste (sr, Hempfield – 22-5.5 SB), and Spencer Edey (jr, Shippensburg – 22-4.5 SB) have all shown they are capable of medaling.
Triple Jump
AA Girls
Saturday – 12:30pm
Alison Watts (so, Bermudian Springs) won the 2021 PIAA State title in the triple jump and set a big PR of 38-4.5 in the process. Her SB this year is 36-10 which is only 0.5 an inch shy of her PR entering states last season. Expect her to battle for back to back state titles this weekend. Samantha Wechsler (jr, Susquenita) and Hayden Mark (so, Huntingdon) have both jumped over 36-feet and could contend for medals.
AAA Girls
Friday – 12:30pm
Girls triple jumping has been awesome this season in Central PA. Shannon Mullin (sr, State College) enters as the favorite, but there are a few girls from our area that could legitimately challenge for state gold. Here is a look at 5 girls looking to make a lot of noise this weekend, with their SB performances:
AA Boys
Saturday – 9:00am
Amory Thompson (sr, Wyomissing) leads our local class AA boys in the triple jump and has a season best leap of 44-5.5. He’s a top 3 medal contender. Isiah Dyer (jr, Millersburg) PR’d at District 3 and enters as the #7 seed. Carter McDermott may be entered as the #19 seed based on his District 6 performance, but he jumped 43-9 at the Shippensburg Invite earlier this season. He could medal as well.
AAA Boys
Friday – 9:00am
JJ Kelly (fr, Chambersburg) is just a freshman, but he has proven he has what it takes to perform well in big moments. His 47-0 PR and District 3 title is evidence of that. Basir Epps (sr, JP McCaskey) has Central PA’s best mark on the season with his 47-1.25 leap at Hempfield back in April. Others with SB >45 feet and in medal contention include Justin Walker (sr, Reading – 45-8 SB), Caden Delattre (so, Hollidaysburg – 45-6.25 SB), and Traevon Kater (jr, Shippensburg – 45-1.25 SB). Should be a close competition.
