Though the school year is winding down, Track and Field is not. They attended the MPSSAA 4A Track and Field State Championships from May 21 through May 23.
In the girl’s 4×800 meter relay, junior Ani Bailin, junior Amelia Menefee, senior Morgan Kirsch, and junior Sophie Harjes placed 2nd with a time of 9:25.90. “The biggest factor was building my confidence. I told myself that I was capable of competing against the best girls in the state and pushing myself to my limits,” stated Bailin.
The team’s success didn’t stop there. In the 3200 meter, Bailin placed 3rd, running a time of 11:07.59. Freshman Nya Stoian followed in 4th place and Harjes came in 5th. In the girls 1600 meter, Bailin placed 7th, Harjes placed 8th, and Stoian placed 9th. Additionally, Menefee placed 9th in the girls’ 800 meter with a time of 2:20.60 and Harjes followed at 10th running a time of 2:20.97. Menefee said, “The biggest factor was the girls in front of me. I knew they would run really fast times, so I just pushed myself to not fall behind them, which got me a [personal record].” Senior Amanda Ridore placed 9th in the girls high jump and junior Jaylin Harried placed 4th in the girls triple jump.
For the boys team, senior Hunter Whitten ran the 1600 meter, placing 8th with a time of 4:27.64, and placed 7th in the boys 3200 meter with a time of 9:41.76.
Next week, select athletes will be attending the Nike National Championships in Oregon from June 12 to June 15. Junior Fiona Narrod-Malcolm, Ridore, Harried, and junior Kia Cordle will compete in the girls 4×100 meter. For the girls 4×200 meter, Narrod-Malcolm, Cordle, Ridore, and junior Olivia Carty will compete. Ridore will compete in the girls high jump, Harried in the girls triple jump, and Bailin in the girls 3200 meter and the girls mile. “I’m really excited for nationals next week. It’s a super fun atmosphere and I can’t wait to close out my season on a good note. I’m tapering my mileage a bit and focusing on speed to prepare,” Bailin shared. In Pennsylvania, the New Balance National Championships will take place from June 13 to June 16, where Stoian will run the girls mile.
