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When: Friday, May 19th – Saturday, May 20th
Where: Shippensburg University
Price of Admission: $10
State Qualifying Standards:
Team Competition
The Class AA girls team battle will likely be the closest of the weekend. 3 teams enter with a realistic chance of bringing home the District 3 Title. While Wyomissing enters as the favorite, expect both Susquenita and Annville-Cleona to challenge.
JP McCaskey is the favorite to win all three relays on Saturday and they could win all three of them in record times. They won’t score a lot in the field, but their ability to rack up big points on the track will make them difficult to beat. Cedar Crest and Spring Grove figure to be McCaskey’s biggest threat to winning the team title in girl’s Class AAA action.
Wyomissing is the heavy favorite to claim another District 3 Class AA boys title. Their dominance in the throws and distance events should carry them to the win. The real battle will be for the team runner-up spot. Look for Schuylkill Valley, Steel-High, Oley Valley, Greenwood, and Susquenita to battle for 2nd.
The Chambersburg boys have a deep (and young) sprints crew, an experienced hurdler, an abundance of seasoned throwers (disc and shot), and a jumper who could sweep all three disciplines (LJ, HJ, TJ). They have entrants in nearly every event and could pick up a few points in unexpected places. They have been #1 in the Class AAA boys rankings all season for a reason. South Western and Susquehanna Township could sneak up on the Trojans if they falter.
SQS = State Qualifying Standard. This is the standard that needs to be achieved at the District Championships to get additional qualifiers into the state championship meet. Each District is capped at 8 qualifiers per event even if more than 8 achieve the SQS.
Sprints/Hurdles
Class AA Girls
100m: Wyomissing’s Alexis Hardy (so) is the favorite in the girls 100m dash. She has run 12.26 this season and is seeded nearly 0.4s faster than 2nd seed Miracle Hershey (so, Annville-Cleona). Crystal Ames (jr, Harrisburg Christian) has run close to the SQS of 12.70 and could advance to states as a time qualifier if she doesn’t finish 1st or 2nd.
200m: Alexis Hardy, Kendall Cooper (so, Annville-Cleona), and Miracle Hershey figure to battle it out for the win. All 3 are capable of running under the SQS of 26.25. Hardy is the top seed with her time of 25.76.
400m: 2 girls are entered who have broken the 60s barrier this season. They are Fairfield senior Ava Deming (59.75) and Wyomissing senior Cadi Hoke (59.87). Frances Maury (jr, Trinity) and Kendall Cooper have run 60.37 and 60.68 so far this year and should factor into the title chase.
100mH: Lilyana Carlson (so, Bermudian Springs) and Samantha Wechsler (sr, Susquenita) have been the top 2 high hurdlers all season. They are entered with times of 15.50 and 15.59, respectively. Aliza Staub (so, Bermudian Springs) and Hannah Costa (sr, Harrisburg Christian) could challenge the SQS of 16.01.
300mH: Should be one of the closest races of the day. 2 seconds separates the top seed from the 8th seed and the top 5 are nearly all within 1 second of each other. Freshman Claire Wechsler (Susquenita) is the top seed and the only entered athlete with a time south of 49 seconds so far this season. Emma Bunty (jr, Delone Catholic) and Hannah Costa have both run under 50 seconds and are the 2nd and 3rd seeds.
4x100m relay: Annville-Cleona is the favorite and are the only team that has met the SQS of 50.80 entering the race. Wyomissing, Littlestown, and Susquenita appear ready to chase.
4x400m relay: Trinity is the top seed with their time of 4:09.02. Susquenita is close behind with a 4:11.36 performance. The projected top 3 teams in the team race all have relays running in the fast section, so if the team title race comes down to the 4×400 it could be an exciting finish.
Class AAA Girls
100m: Laila Campbell (jr, Spring Grove) has been quietly getting faster and faster as the season has progressed. I say “silently” because she has been running some fast times at out of area meets. She’ll look to eclipse the District 3 mark she set a year ago of 11.61. Kamyah Wright (sr, JP McCaskey) ran a lifetime best of 12.00 in winning the LL League title last weekend. She will look to dip under 12s this weekend. 11 girls have run faster than the SQS of 12.50.
200m: The District 3 record is going down. Laila Campbell set the record last season at 23.93. She has run 23.77 so far this year. This will be the first District Championship meet in which she will be challenged and it wont be by just 1 athlete. Freshman Kaddel Howard (Cedar Crest) just missed running under 24s at the Lebanon County Championships back on May 4th when she ran a personal best time of 24.01. Kamyah Wright is coming off a record breaking LL League meet in which she eclipsed the 200m meet record running 24.52. 11 girls have run faster than the SQS of 25.91.
400m: The Meet Record time of 55.10 was set back in 2015 by Harrisburg’s Ty’Asia Dansbury. At the Colgate Women’s Games on May 7th, Kaddel Howard ran 53.28! Last year’s state champion, Jillian Sydnor (sr, Shippensburg), won the Mid-Penn title last weekend running 55.36. The two are currently ranked PA#1 and PA#2 in the event. Howard’s time ranks US#10.
100mH: 8 girls have already met the SQS of 15.40. Top seeds Ryleigh Marks (sr, Susquehannock) and Ella Bahn (fr, Spring Grove) have traded off victories throughout the season. Most recently, Bahn brought home the YAIAA title in a new PR time of 14.52. Marks owns the season’s best mark between the 2 from the YAIAA preliminary round when she ran 14.38. This appears to be a class of 2023 versus class of 2027 battle as the top 8 performers are either seniors or freshmen.
300mH: Ella Bahn could legitimately win 3 golds this weekend in Shippensburg. Her best chance on paper will be in the 300mH. She holds a 1.06s season best on the field and dipped under 44s (43.85) at the YAIAA Championships a week and a half ago. Bahn should be pushed by Maddy Brooks (sr, Bishop McDevitt; 44.91), Gemma Galligani (sr, Dover; 45.11), and Violet Houck (fr, Wilson; 45.24).
4x100m relay: 5 teams are entered with season best performances under 49s. JP McCaskey is the only team in the field to run under 48s. They enter with a time of 47.69 and should be eyeing the meet record of 47.44 held by the 2019 Warwick squad.
4x400m relay: JP McCaskey will be eying another meet record in the 4x400m. Cumberland Valley set the record just 1 year ago at 3:52.33. McCaskey enters with a season’s best time of 3:51.41. Could they go sub 3:50 on Saturday? Cumberland Valley is the #2 seed with their time of 3:57.78. Wilson and Cedar Crest have run 4:00.49 and 4:01.95, respectively, and will challenge the sub-4 minute barrier Saturday afternoon.
Class AA Boys
100m: Adam Peterson (sr, Brandywine Heights) is the only competitor in the field who has broken 11s on the season (10.92). Quincey Stewart (so, Columbia) at 11.04, James Dyer (so Millersburg) at 11.14, and Ryder Noel (sr, Delone Catholic) at 11.18 have all run faster than the SQS of 11.30.
200m: Peterson (22.58) and Stewart (22.96) will battle once again in the 200m dash where they are the 1st and 3rd seeds, respectively. William Johnson (sr, Schuylkill Valley; 22.66) also figures to factor into the title chase as the #2 seed. He is the 5th seed in the 100m (11.33).
400m: Logan Freyermuth (sr, Susquenita) and Quincey Stewart are the top 2 seeds. Freyermuth has run 51.94 this season while Stewart has posted a best time of 52.04. 3 other athletes have run faster than 53s.
110mH: Competitive field with 7 athletes who have run faster than the SQS of 15.50. Daquan McCraw (sr, Steel-High) has run 14.68 and is at the top of the performance list. He will be challenged by William Scott (sr, Lancaster Catholic; 14.86) and William Delp (sr, Wyomissing; 14.95)
300mH: The Lancaster Catholic duo of Jansen Hoffard (sr) and William Scott are the top 2 seeds having run 39.24 and 39.80 on the season. Daquan McCraw is the defending champion and may still be the one to beat. He came on strong last post-season and earned a 3rd place medal in this event at states. He’s run 39.93 so far this season, a time 0.4 faster than his winning District’s performance from 2022.
4x100m relay: This appears to be a showdown between Wyomissing (43.35) and Steel-High (44.08). The SQS is 44.30 and Millersburg (44.67), Delone Catholic (44.98), and Susquenita (44.98) could be within striking distance of that standard.
4x400m relay: This event was looking like it would be hotly contested just two weeks ago. Since then, Oley Valley (3:29.21) and Susquenita (3:30.12) have shed significant time. Millerburg (3:31.63), Greenwood (3:34.20), and Tulpehocken (3:34.23) could still be in the mix for a top 2 finish. If not, running 3:29.60 hits the SQS.
Class AAA Boys
100m: STACKED. This is an absolutely loaded field. 25 guys have run faster than the SQS of 11.10. Lex Cyrus (so, Susquehanna Twp) and Nick Keller (so, Ephrata) have had the best seasons to date. Lex Cyrus just broke the CPAR all-time sophomore class record in the 100m when he won Mid-Penns in 10.55. Keller has run 10.65 this year. Gabe Lewis (sr, Cear Crest) is seeed 3rd with 10.75 but he’s been dealing with an injury that kept him sidelined at the LL League meet. 16 guys in the field have run under 11s this spring. The meet record has stood since 1979 and is owned by Reading’s Jeff White. Could that record go down this weekend?
200m: While not as deep a the 100m field, 12 guy have already exceeded the SQS of 22.50. This event has been heating up over the last 2 weeks. Lex Cyrus will look to capture the sprint double as he is the #1 seed in the 200m. His 21.76 seeds him just ahead of Nico Wright-Phillips (sr, West York) and his time of 21.81. Wright-Phillips has only run the 200m a couple of times this season and his best may be yet to come. Kenneth Johnson (sr, Dallastown; 22.07), LaDainian Strausbaugh (jr, Red Lion; 22.12), and Seth Stouffer (sr, Greencastle-Antrim; 22.21) round out the top 5.
400m: Alex Garcia (sr, Lower Dauphin) and Nick Keller battled it out at the Shippensburg Invite earlier this spring where both set new PRs. Garcia ran 48.38 and Keller ran 48.42. They are currently ranked PA#* and #9 on the season. The two hold nearly a 1s advantage over #3 seed Trevor Albright (sr, West Perry; 49.31). Keller opted out of the 200m to focus on the 100m and 400m. Both he and Garcia will look to help their 4x400s advance to states.
110mH: Bernard Bell (sr, South Western) has been pacing the area’s high hurdlers all season. His 14.29 110mH win at YAIAAs was a PR. 7 guys in the field have broken 15s and 10 have already hit the SQS of 15.10. Tyler Burgess (so, Palmyra; 14.59) and Jermere Jones (jr, Chambersburg; 14.65) are the #2 and #3 seeds. Indoor State 60mH Champion and Penn State University commit Darion Baumgartner (sr, Chambersburg) did not compete this outdoor season and will be notably absent this weekend.
300mH: West York senior and Lehigh University commit Perry Addey ran the fastest 300mH the state has seen since 2019 when he won the YAIAA title in 37.53. He has a 1.5s PR on the field. Could the 1980 District 3 record of 37.07 (Albert Lane, Harrisburg) be in jeopardy? Hoping to push Addey will be Tyler Burgess (39.03), Bernard Bell (39.04), Zach Phy (sr, Conestoga Valley; 39.17), and Landon McGallcher (sr, Manheim Central; 39.52).
4x100m: The SQS of 43.25 has been met by 10 teams in this field. Chambersburg owns the top seed of 42.01. Cedar Crest (42.31), and Susquehanna Township (42.40) could all challenge the 42s barrier. This will be a fun one to watch on Saturday.
4x400m: The 4x400m relay is always a great way to end a meet. The top 8 teams are within 3s of each other. South Western is the top seed with a season’s best time of 3:22.85. Cumberland Valley (3:23.78), Lower Dauphin (3:24.11), Central Dauphin (3:24.53), and Ephrata (3:25.08) round out the top 5. We could see some incredible anchor splits in this one!
Middle Distance/Distance
Class AA Girls
800m: Wide open field. 5 girls are entered with season best times of 2:30 or faster. Cadi Hoke (sr, Wyomissing) is the top seed (2:27.15) with teammate Addie Cohen (jr) seeded 2nd (2:28.20). This race could have an impact on the team title as 2 Susquenita athletes are seeded in the top 6 and will look to break up what could be a Wyomissing sweep.
1600m: Addie Cohen and Lila Shore (so, Trinity) are the class of the field in the 1600m run. Both girls have already hit the SQS during the season and should advance to states as automatic qualifiers on Saturday. Cohen has sub-5 min potential and has already run 5:04.79 this season. That may have to wait for states though.
3200m: Addie Cohen has run over a minute faster than the field this season, posting a season’s best time of 11:01.11. Who earns the 2nd state qualifying berth is wide open. Mackenzie Stellmach (fr, Annville-Cleona), Scarlett Mathis (fr, Wyomissing), and Meghan Higgins-Haas (sr, Oley Valley) have all run under 12:20
4x800m relay: Trinity (10:08.18) and Susquenita (10:12.08) are the top 2 seeds. Wyomissing is seeded 6th (10:37.15) but appears to have the depth to put together a strong performance if they choose to do so Saturday morning.
Class AAA Girls
800m: This should be a fantastic race. 3 girls have run sub-2:15 and 6 have run faster than 2:17. Ashley Pines (sr, Cumberland Valley; 2:14.40), Sarah Ann Miller (sr, Twin Valley; 2:14.85), Isabella Shertzer (jr, JP McCaskey; 2:14.86), and Anna Lehman (so, Northern York; 2:15.32) are the pre-race favorites. Lehman has been coming on strong of late and most recently edged out Pines for the Mid-Penn 800m title. Even though she is doubling back after running the 300mH, don’t count out Ella Bahn (2:16.52).
1600m: Camy Kiser (sr, Chambersburg) did not compete this indoor season and her fitness really seems to be coming on at the right time. She won the Mid-Penn title over a solid field, running a new lifetime best time of 4:56.13. Gabby Keith (jr, Exeter Township) also enters Districts after running a lifetime best at the Berks County Championships in 4:59.42. Look for Claire Paci (jr, Greencastle-Antrim; 5:01.07), Kailey Granger (sr, Dallastown), and Brooke Preputnick (sr, Hershey) to also contend for the title.
3200m: The top 7 entrants have all run 11:00 or faster this season. Kailey Granger has been running lights out this entire year. The senior enters with a top time of 11:34.77. Camy Kiser (10:47.11), Ella Wolfe (jr, Hempfield; 10:50.19), Victoria Rodriguez (so, Dallastown; 10:53.09), Claire Paci (10:56.51), Kaitlyn Highduch (jr, Governor Mifflin; 11:00.18), and Brooke Preputnick (11:00.29) will all look to keep the pace honest to exceed the SQS of 11:10.00.
4x800m relay: JP McCaskey will look to start what could be a record breaking day for the Tornado by taking down Wilson’s 2015 District Record time of 9:12.05. McCaskey ran 9:09.14 in a dual meet to end their regular season. They hold a nearly 20s advantage on the field. In said dual meet, Cedar Crest ran the District’s #2 time of 9:27.94. They are ranked PA#1 and PA#9 in the event.
Class AA Boys
800m: Zane Cassell (sr, Greenwood) and Josh Wagner (jr, Oley Valley) look to be the class of field. Both guys have eclipsed the SQS by good measure with Cassell running 1:56.99 and Wagner running 1:57.93. 3rd seed David Bednarczyk (sr, Tulpehocken) has run 2:02.53.
1600m: Underclassmen are at the top of the performance list with Ryan Gourley (fr, Oley Valley; 4:35.14) and Isaac Burd (so, Trinity; 4:37.54) leading the way. Seniors David Bednarczyk and Paul Monsour (Wyomissing) could also be in the mix.
3200m: Paul Monsour (9:47.20) and Landon Hostettler (so, Annville-Cleona; 9:55.33) have broken the 10-min mark this season. Isaac Burd at 10:01.01 and David Giles (so, Wyomissing) at 10:02.38 are close behind. The SQS is 9:48.01.
4x800m: With Zane Cassell and Josh Wagner as their anchors, Greenwood (8:13.62) and Oley Valley (8:16.07) sit atop the performance list in the 4x800m. Wyomissing’s season best of 8:22.10 seeds them 3rd and within striking distance of the SQS of 8:15.55.
Class AAA Boys
800m: Aidan Hodge (se, Hempfield) and TJ Roden (sr, Central Dauphin) got to know each other on their official visit to Ole Miss. Hodge committed to Ole Miss while Roden ultimately committed to Penn State. Both universities are two of the top middle-distance programs in the country. Hodge and Roden’s talents will be center stage Saturday in both the 800m and 1600m runs. Hodge (1:52.55) is the top seed in the 800m with Roden the #2 seed (1:53.46). Joseph Butler (sr, Cumberland Valley) has had a breakout senior season. He’ll anchor Cumberland Valley’s #1 seeded 4×800 and will be the 3rd seed in the 800m (1:54.18). #4 seed Anthony Engle (sr, Twin Valley) has run 1:54.34. He will anchor Twin Valley’s #2 seeded 4x800m. The SQS is 1:57.00. The Meet Record is 1:51.68 (Alex Kunzweiler, Cumberland Valley 2013).
1600m: The 1600m is another LOADED field. 16 guys have run faster than the SQS of 4:24.22. The Meet Record of 4:10.73 set by Manheim Township great and Wisconsin University All-American Craig Miller could be at risk. Aidan Hodge enters as the top seed. He broke Nathan Henderson’s 1600m LL League record last weekend when he PRd in 4:11.15. New Balance National XC finalist Colin Whitaker (jr, Lampeter Strasburg) pushed Hodge at the LL League meet where he ran a lifetime best 4:13.09. YAIAA Champion and Cornell University commit Matthew O’Brien is seeded 3rd (4:14;49) and TJ Roden is seeded 4th in 4:15.03. Parker Stoner (Lampeter Strasburg) has been another breakthrough senior this season. He PRd last weekend running 4:15.37. Don’t count out Manheim Township sophomore Cole Stevens, Dallastown senior Jakob Rager, Twin Valley’s Anthony Engle, and Greencastle-Antrim junior Hayden Parks.
3200m: With TJ Roden opting out of the 3200m to focus on the 1600m and 800m the battle for the individual 3200m title figures to come down to Matthew O’Brien (SB of 9:10.79) and Colin Whitaker (SB o 9:15.50). Weber Long (Greencastle-Antrim, now Wake Forest University) established the new Meet Record last year when he ran 9:06.63. O’Brien and Whitaker are capable of breaking that on Friday evening. The question will be if either is willing to push the pace from the beginning of the race. Sophomores Vinay Raman (Hershey) and Adam Kingston (Manheim Township) are the #3 and #4 seeds having run 9:19.55 and 9:22.64 this season.They join what could be an absolutely loaded Class of 2026 recruiting class for the mid-state. Zack Zerbe (jr, Governor Mifflin; 9:22.73), Hayden Parks (jr, Greencastle-Antrim; 9:24.55), Ari Snyder (jr, Chambersburg; 9:25.00), and Chase Choudhry (fr, Exeter Township; 9:25.81) round out the top 8. 15 guys in the field have run the SQS of 9:31.71 this spring. Choudhry broke Colin Whitaker’s CPAR freshman class record in the 3200m earlier this year.
4x800m: Cumberland Valley enters as the #1 seed, running 7:54.83 this season. That said, Twin Valley is the favorite. The Raiders enter as the #2 seed having posted a time of 7:58.47. That time came early this spring and on a rainy day. If you add up their squads PRs they are likely to break the 7:50 barrier and enter states as the #1 seed. While 5 teams has already hit the SQS of 8:02.04 as many as 7 could run sub 8-minutes on Saturday morning. Mechanicsburg, Carlisle, and Hershey have already run faster than the SQS.
Throws
Class AA Girls
If Susquenita and Annville-Cleona are to close the gap with Wyomissing in the team race then the throwing events are one place to do it. Wyomissing has no throwers competing this weekend. The Little Dutchmen have throwers with the potential to score in each discipline.
Shot Put: Amanda Smith (sr, Hamburg) enters with a season best throw of 35-8.25. This is a foot better than her nearest competitors. Leah Allewelt (jr, Susquenita) and Leah Ritzman (jr, Greenwood) have both eclipsed the 34-foot mark this year.
Discus: Sophomores Margaret Bila (Lancaster Catholic) and Alexia Green (Dayspring Academy) have thrown beyond the SQS of 113-0. 5 girls in total have thrown further than 100-feet this season.
Javelin: Lauren Akers (jr, Kutztown) has a season’s best throw if 139-7 which ranks PA#5 in AA. Meaghan Miller (jr, Brandywine Heights) is seeded 2nd with a throw of 120-4.
Class AAA Girls
Shot Put: Ericka Jackson (sr, Harrisburg) and Ella Lucas (sr, Warwick) are names to know this weekend. They will battle it out for district titles in both the shot and discus. Jackson will be favored in the shot while Lucas will be favored in the discus. Jackson enters the weekend with a PA#5 throw of 42-5. Lucas has earned the #2 seed with a throw of 39-5.5 and newcomer Sophia Rivera (fr, Ephrata) is seeded 3rd with a 39-1.75.
Discus: Ella Lucas will not only be gunning for the district title, she will look to take down Elise Mitchell’s District record in the process. The University of South Carolina commit enters the weekend coming off of a lifetime best throw of 156-0 at the LL League Championships. Mitchell’s record sits at 156-11. Ericka Jackson should also be eyeing the record as she comes in with a seasons and lifetime best mark of 148-8. 9 girls have already eclipsed the SQS of 118-0.
Javelin: Freshman Eliana Schneider (Cedar Crest) has been one of the breakout stars of this track and field season. Similar to Spring Grove’s Ella Bahn, she seems to be able to do it all. She’ll run on the Falcons 4x800m relay team, high jump, and throw the javelin where she seeded first. Her season’s best heave of 145-10 is less than 5-feet off from Kristen Herr’s (Lampeter Strasburg/William and Mary) District Record (150-5). Maggie Swarr (sr, Lampeter Strasburg; 132-0), Ericka Jackson (132-0), and Maddie Knier (sr, Manheim Central; 130-0) have all thrown over 130-feet this year.
Class AA Boys
Shot Put: Berks County athletes will battle it out for top positioning this weekend. Max Tipton (so, Wyomissing; 48-11.5), Jack Heckman (fr, Tulpehocken; 48-5.5), and Logan Kraus (sr, Schuylkill Valley; 48-3.5) are the top 3 seeds. Last year’s champion J’ven Williams (Wyomissing) early enrolled at PSU for football and Brady Mider (jr) and his Berks Catholic teammates have made the move to AAA, thus opening up the AA shot put and discus field this season.
Discus: Should be a good competition between top 3 seeds Asa Kochvar (sr, Steel-High; 141-3), Cohen Glassmire (sr, Schuylkill Valleyl 139-9, and Jamie Miller (fr, Wyomissing; 137-10). Miller has made nice improvements as a freshman this season and could be a real threat for the title.
Javelin: Wyo-Wyo-Wyo. Big team points are expected for the Spartans in this event as they hold the top 3 seeds. Collin Niedrowski (jr) has been the top javelin performer in District 3. He owns a season and lifetime’s best mark of 190-8. Drew Forrey (jr) and Isaac Focht (jr) will both look to eclipse the 176-0 SQS to ensure all three Wyomissing athletes advance to states.
Class AAA Boys
Shot Put: Berks Catholic moving to class AAA this season was bad news for the field. Brady Mider (jr, Berks Catholic) threw beyond 60-feet indoors has been inching closer to that barrier as the outdoor season has progressed. He won the BCIAA title last weekend with an outdoor PR of 59-4. He’s ranked PA#1 by 16 inches so far this season. Warwick’s Ivan Tejada has been another breakout senior. He hit a new PR on May 8th with a throw of 56-7.5. Alex Witmer (sr, Berks Catholic) is the #3 seed with his season’s best 53-8. 10 guys in the field have thrown beyond the 50-foot mark.
Discus: Seniors Matthew Arnold (sr, York Tech) and Joseph Sevison (sr, Central York) enter as the top 2 seeds with throws of 173-4 and 163-1. They may be the favorites, but this appears to be a wide open field with as many as 7 or 8 guys having a shot at the title. 10 entrants have already hit the SQS of 153-0 during the season. Josh Durika (so, Northern; 162-9) and Peter Mertz (jr, Chambersburg; 162-3) are the other competitors who have eclipsed 160-ft so far this year.
Javelin: This should be a close competition between at least 4 athletes who have already hit the SQS of 178-0. Jackson Hersh (jr, South Western; 185-7), Sam McCraken (jr, Ephrata; 182-0), Aidan Zimmerman (jr, Conestoga Valley; 180-10), and Matthew Remash (sr, JP McCaskey; 180-9) are the top 4 seeds.
Jumps
Class AA Girls
High Jump: Alison Watts (jr, Bermudian Springs) has cleared 5-2 this season and enters as the favorite. Clara Engel (fr, Kutztown) has cleared 5-1 and Fina Mochi (sr, Delone Catholic) has jumped 5-0. The rest of the field enters with season bests between 4-8 and 4-10.
Pole Vault: Should be an exciting competition between Lilyana Carlson and Adeline Woodward (jr, Trinity). Both enter with season bests better than the meet record of 11-7. Carlson has cleared 12-3 this season while Woodward has cleared 11-8.
Long Jump: Samantha Wechsler and Clara Engel have both eclipsed the 17-foot mark this season with Wechsler leaping out to 17-7 and Engel jumping 17-1.75. 4 other girls have jumped beyond 16-4.
Triple Jump: Wechsler is coming off a big personal best mark of 37-8.75 from last weekend. She’s currently PA #2 in class AA. Alison Watts has won the past 2 District 3 triple jump titles. She is the #2 seed with a season’s best mark of 36-6.25. She won the 2021 state title with a lifetime best jump of 38-4.5. 3rd seed McKenna Weller (jr, Greenwood) should also be in contention and she owns a season’s best mark of 35-6.25. The SQS is 35-6.
Class AAA Girls
High Jump: Warwick’s Katie Becker (jr) has been dealing with injury leading up to this championship and has not competed in several weeks. If healthy, she is the class of the field. She has a season’s best clearance of 5-6 and owns a lifetime best of 5-10. Freshman phenoms Ella Bahn and Eliana Schneider have jumped 5-5 and 5-4 this season and should contend for the title. Also clearing 5-4 this season are Brianna Lee (jr, Penn Manor), Julia Rosenberger (jr, Berks Catholic), Nylah Davis (so, Northeastern), Maddie Knier (sr, Manheim Central), and Lydia Stoner (sr, Palmyra). The SQS is 5-3.
Pole Vault: Katie Urbine (sr, Solanco) will look to put last weekend’s 3rd place finish at the LL League Championships in the rear view mirror. It was a rare off week for the Liberty University commit. She has consistently been the top vaulter in PA over the past 2 seasons and has cleared 13-feet multiple times. Hoping to challenge her will be Lower Dauphin’s Kylie Eismann. Eismann appears ready to ascend to the top of the vault world when Urbine graduates. Just a sophomore, she has cleared 12-7 so far this season. Piper Linn (jr, Greencastle-Antrim), Anna Rank (so, Elizabethtown), and Carissa Bender (sr, ELCO) have all cleared 12-0 this year. 9 girls have hit the SQS of 11-6 during the season.
Long Jump: The long jump competition features a deep and talented field. It took 17-1.5 to just qualify into the district meet. 5 girls have jumped over 18-feet with 2 others sitting with season’s bests of 17-10. Jaylynn Dorsey (so, Susquehanna Twp) is the to seed with a mark of 18-3.5. Maddie Knier (18-2.5), Annika Krasnai (sr, Manheim Township; 18-2.25), Annie Gao (jr, Schuylkill Valley; 18-1), and Mileyska Calderon Calderon (sr, Lebanon; 18-1) are right on her heels.
Triple Jump: Shaniyah Weidler (so, Susquehanna Township) had her best jump of the season when she won Mid-Penn’s a week ago. She owns a lifetime best of 38-10.25 and a current season’s best of 37-6.75. Zariyah Whigham (jr, Lebanon; 36-11.5), Maslyn Soisson (jr, Central York; 36-11.25), and Maddy Brooks (36-10) should also be in contention for a win.
Class AA Boys
High Jump: After dealing with injury for most of the year, Annville-Cleona’s Noah Gunderson (sr) appears to be good as new. He won the LL League Championship with a clearance of 6-6. Ethan Yawger (sr, Covenant Christian) is seeded 2nd with a season’s best 6-3.
Pole Vault: Luke Martinez (sr, Schuylkill Valley) may make a good decathlete in the future and enters the weekend as the top seed in the pole vault (13-6). He’s also the #2 seed in the long jump. Myles Schmidt (sr, Kutztown) is the other athlete in the field who has cleared 13-feet.
Long Jump:4 guys have jumped 21-2 or better. The SQS is 21-6. Jaeion Perry (jr, Steel High) and Luke Martinez are the top seeds with jumps of 22-0 and 21-10.
Triple Jump: Millersburg senior Isiah Dyer (43-7.5) and Greenwood senior Luke Taylor (42-11) figure to battle for the top of the podium. The next closest competitor has jumped 41-2.5.
Class AAA Boys
High Jump: There aren’t guarantees in anything, especially the high jump, but JJ Kelly’s improvement in the event this season makes him hard to beat on paper. The Chambersburg sophomore has cleared 6-10 this spring. Akeem Mustpha (sr, Susquehanna Township) has emerged as a threat to Kelly in the high jump and long jump. Mustpha set a lifetime best 6-6 earlier this season and is the #2 seed. Ty’Shawn Ewings (jr, Harrisburg) and Trevor Schneider (sr, Penn manor) have both jumped 6-5. 4 other guys have jumped 6-4 on the year.
Pole Vault: A year after Justin Rogers (Hershey, now at UVA) won District and State gold AND cleared 17-feet, we have 3 guys in District 3 with season and lifetime best jumps 16-0 or better. All three are juniors who could ultimately challenge Rogers District and State Meet records. Mason Bucks (jr, Palmyra) enters as the top seed with a 16-1 season best. Breckin Swope (jr, East Pennsboro) and Drake Risser (jr, Lower Dauphin) have both cleared 16-0. Another junior, Gettysburg’s Gabe Pecaitis, has cleared 15-0. Settle into your seats on the home stretch for what should be an excellent pole vault competition!
Long Jump: Akeem Mustpha took over the #1 seed from JJ Kelly following his 23-4 foot performance in winning the Mid-Penn title last weekend. Kelly enters as the #2 seed with a season best jump of 23-0. South Western star Bernard Bell is the #3 seed with a 22-8 entry.
Triple Jump: JJ Kelly won state gold last year as a freshman. He enters this weekend as the top seed in District 3 with a season’s best 46-7. He jumped 48-1 to win the state title in 2022. Mark Bridgeford (jr, Milton Hershey) finished 2nd to Kelly at Mid-Penn’s with a lifetime best of 46-0. He’s the #2 seed. Jaylon Bean (sr, Waynesboro; 45-2), Andy Garcia (sr, Hempfield; 45-1.25), Michael Scott (so, Dallastown; 45-1.25), and Atai Tahasan (sr, Hershey; 45-1) have all jumped out over 45-feet this spring.