District 3 Track & Field Championship Preview: LebCo Girls

Introduction

Today and tomorrow, athletes from across South Central Pennsylvania will convene at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium for the 2023 District 3 Track & Field Championship Meet.  For every athlete who is competing, they have accomplished a feat that very few have done.  Out of this competition, a select few will be invited back to Shippensburg to next weekend compete at the PIAA State Championship Meet.

The District meet serves as an qualifier for the State Championships.  In the AAA competition, the top five finishers in each event will earn an automatic bid.  For the AA athletes, they must finish in the top two in order to earn an automatic invitation.  In both classifications, the PIAA will accept up to eight qualifiers from each event who meet the State Qualifying Standard (SQS).

Below is a brief preview from each school who has been fortunate enough to qualify athletes for the District Championships.  Underneath that is a list of the LebCo athletes who are entered into each event, along with where he/she is seeded.  While the current rankings give an indication as to if an athlete may be able to finish in the top eight to earn a medal and/or qualify for States, anything can happen at a meet like this when all of the hard work these athletes have endured is put to the ultimate test.

Click to Access the Boys Previews

Girls Previews

Annville-Cleona (AA)

This talented group of Dutchmen that finished 2^nd in the Section 3 of the Lancaster Lebanon League is sending 16 athletes that will compete in individual events.  When the 3 relay teams are accounted for, Annville is represented in all 18 events in the AA championships.  Among the athletes to watch from this group is the contingent of sprinters, led by sophomores Miracle Hershey and Kendall Cooper.  Both Hershey and Cooper are seeded high in the 200m, while Hershey is among the top seeds in the 100m and Cooper is ranked high in the 400m.  Together, they are also members of one of the top 4x100m Relays teams in the event.  Outside of the sprints, look for freshman Mackenzie Stellmach to have a chance at qualifying in multiple events.  There are several other members of this group that could pop into the top two or hit the SQS if they have an above-average day.  Definitely pay attention to see how many young ladies from Annville come home with hardware.

Cedar Crest (AAA)

The Lady Falcons enter the District 3 Championships with a lot to prove, even if a large part of their delegation is making their first trip to the meet.  In fact, one of these first-timers may be part of one of the most watched events of the weekend when Kaddel Howard challenges Spring Grove’s Laila Campbell for gold in the 200m.  Campbell, a junior, won both the 100m and 200m at States in 2021 and 2022.  Howard sat out of the LL League Meet in hopes that she would be 100% free of any nagging injuries ahead of this much anticipated match-up.  Howard is the #2 (24.01) seed in the 200m behind Campbell (23.77), along with being the #1 seeded 400m runner.  Howard’s time in the 400m (55.14) is just ahead of the #2 seed (55.36).  However, considering that Howard recently ran a 53.28 in a non-school event, she could not only win gold, but also set a new District 3 record in the process. If she improves on her 200m time and beats Campbell to the finish, she could also leave with the District record in this event as well, a mark currently held by Campbell (23.93).

Fellow freshman Eliana Schneider is the top-seed in the Javelin and has consistently eclipsed the SQS.  She also enters the meet in a good position in the High Jump. She has also joined Howard on Cedar Crest’s highly seeded relay teams throughout the course of the season.  In terms of senior leadership and experience,Sophia Rosenberg enters the Discus with a mark that meets the SQS and also is in medal contention for the Shot Put.  There are several other members of the Cedar Crest squad that could return with hardware and have a chance to earn their spots at the State meet.

ELCO (AAA)

The Lady Raiders will have four representatives at Shippensburg, each with a decent chance at making a return trip.  Carissa Bender, the Lancaster Lebanon League Pole Vault Champion, is the #3 seeded vaulter and has consistently been at or above the SQS of 11’6”.  Samantha Nelson has done the same in the Discus and Javelin, putting her in a good position to earn medals. Jacey Hentz keeps getting better and could ride this wave of improvement into medal contention, or even qualification, in the Pole Vault and Long Jump.  Sophomore Makenna Haas, the only non-senior of the group will find herself in the same position as Hentz when she competes in the Triple Jump.

Lebanon (AAA)

The Cedars will be sending two representatives to compete.  Zariyah Whigham, the junior who won the Lancaster Lebanon League Triple Jump Championship, finds herself as the #2 seed in the event that she just started doing last month.  It will be a crowded field in the top tier, but Whigham has shown consistent improvement that will have her in the mix for one of the shiny medals and a trip to States.  Mileyska Calderon is the other representative from Lebanon, as the senior qualified in the 100m and Long Jump.  Her top measurement in the Long Jump has her seeded #4 overall and above the SQS, while her 100m time of 12.67 from the LL meet set a new Lebanon record.

Northern Lebanon (AAA)

This season, senior Ashley Rich was the most consistent performer for the Lady Vikings.  This consistency paid off when she cleared 5’0” to win silver at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships.  Rich’s top height of the season is 5’2”, a mark that, if repeated, could earn her a medal. It is worth pointing out that the SQS for this event is 5’3”.

Palmyra (AAA)

The Lady Cougars qualified four athletes, all from field events.  Senior Lydia Stoner leads that group after winning the Mid Penn High Jump Championship and is currently seeded #3.  Senior Pole Vaulter Kaylie Groff has matched the SQS (11’6”) and will find herself fighting for a spot in States.  This is also true for the pair of Javelin throwers who qualified, senior Olivia Appleby and sophomore Sofie Price.

District 3 Track & Field Championships Time Schedule

AAA Seeds

100m   SQS 12.50

#18  Mileyska Calderon, Lebanon – 12.67

200m   SQS  25.91

#2 Kaddel Howard, Cedar Crest – 24.01

400m   SQS 58.62

#1 Kaddel Howard, Cedar Crest 55.14

100m High Hurdles     SQS 15.4

#10 Jacey Hentz, ELCO – 15.59

#21 Shannon Dorsey, Cedar Crest – 16.34

4x400m    SQS 4:01.5

#4 Cedar Crest – 4:01.95

4x800m    SQS 9:35.48

#2 Cedar Crest – 9:27.94

Long Jump   SQS 17’9”

#T-4 Mileyska Calderon, Lebanon – 18’1″

#13 Jacey Hentz, ELCO – 17’6″

Triple Jump   SQS 36’6”

#2 Zariyah Whigham, Lebanon – 36’11.5″

#10 Makenna Haas, ELCO – 36’2.75″

High Jump   SQS 5’3”

#T-3 Eliana Schneider , Cedar Crest – 5’4″

#T-3 Lydia Stoner, Palmyra      5’4″

#T-9 Ashley Rich, Northern Lebanon  5’2″

Pole Vault   SQS 11’6”

#T-3 Carissa Bender, ELCO – 12’0”

#T-6  Jacey Hentz, ELCO – 11’6″

#T-6  Kaylie Groff, Palmyra – 11’6″

#10 Hailee Kreiser, Cedar Crest – 11’4″

#13 Ruby Wolfe, Cedar Crest – 10’6″

Shot Put   SQS 37’6”

#8 Sophia Rosenberg, Cedar Crest

Discus  SQS 118’0”

#4 Sophia Rosenberg, Cedar Crest – 130’2″

#5 Samantha Nelson, ELCO – 129’4″

#18 Nachali Manon Aquino, Cedar Crest – 111’2”

Javelin   SQS 122’0”

#1 Elliana Schneider, Cedar Crest – 145’10”

#5 Olivia Appleby, Palmyra – 127’2″

#6 Samantha Nelson, ELCO – 126’3″

#10  Sofie Price, Palmyra – 120’11”

Click here for the full AAA Girls Performance List

League Championship Results

AA Seeds

Annville-Cleona

100m   SQS 12.70

#2 Miracle Hershey – 12.64

#9 Kaylyn Stokes  – 13.24

200m   SQS 26.25

#2 Kendall Cooper – 26.24

#3 Miracle Hershey – 26.38

#8 Kaylyn Stokes – 27.32

400m   SQS 59.85

#4 Kendall Cooper – 1:00.68

#7 Grace Francis – 1:02.89

800m   SQS 2:20.6

#7 Megan Brophy – 2:32.32

1600m  SQS 5:18.3

#5 Mackenzie Stellmach – 5:37.24

#6 Emily Maag – 5:39.24

#10 Noryan Mitchell – 5:45.46

3200m SQS 11:35.00

#2 Mackenzie Stellmach – 12:07.43

#5 Noryan Mitchell – 12:23.6

#6 Emily Maag – 12:27.00

100m High Hurdles   SQS 16.01

#14 Kya Missimer – 18.05

300m IM Hurdles  SQS 47.64

#16 Kya Missimer – 52.72

4x100m  SQS 50.80

#1  – 50.78

4x400m  SQS 4:08.75

#3 4:17.20

4x800m SQS 9:50.4

#3 – 10:17.14

Long Jump   SQS 16’11”

#T-5 Emily Shuey – 16’4.5″

#13 Audrey Sider – 15’1″

Triple Jump     SQS 35’6″

#7 Madison Long – 33’5.5″

High Jump  SQS 5’2”

#T-4 Ava Hoover – 4’10”

#T-4 Claire Hoover – 4’10”

Pole Vault   SQS 10’6”

#T-5 Caitlin Shay 8’6″

Shot Put  SQS 36’6”

#4 Sage Sherk – 33’7.25″

#9 Ava Hoover – 31’9″

Discus SQS 113’0”

#3 Ava Hoover – 107’1″

Javelin SQS 121’0”

#10 Claire Hoover – 98’9″

Click here for the full AA Girls Performance List

Click to Access the Boys Previews