Coverage

17th Taco Bell Classic starts Friday Apr 08, 2008

The 17th annual Taco Bell Classic starts Friday at Spring Valley High School in Columbia. Others meets taking place this weekend include the Furman Invitational in Greenville and 20th annual Woodward Invitational at Heathwood Hall, also located in Columbia.

4/12: Horton 16'|Seymour 5:05-Shirk 207-7|Krais 13.50-58.94|McNally 9:05.1|Iheoma 55.58|Loht 140-1 Apr 11, 2008

His PR had been 168. His goal was 200. Then out of nowhere, Ryan Bell blows past 220 in jav (includes video of the throw) Results needed for Union Area and Pacer 2008 PA Outdoor Leaderboard: Girls / Boys Harbor Creek Inv Photo Gallery by Carl Strub Left: Ryann Krais winning the 400 hurdles and breaking her own meet record at Taco Bell - Photo by W. Caparas On Saturday at the Hempfield Black Knight Inv, Conestoga Valley senior Vince McNally ran a 9:05.1 3200. His coach Mike Craighead reports that McNally split 4:34.7 and 4:30. Boyertown's Mark Dennin was at 9:26.1. At the 2nd Lady Skins Inv at Neshaminy, Council Rock South senior Ije Iheoma ran a US#14 55.58 400. The Central Bucks East girls were showin' off a little speed taking top spots in the 100, 2-3 in the 200 behind Iheoma and then a PA#3 49.24 4x100. At West Perry HS in the Mustang Invitational, soph Laura Loht burst onto the javelin scene with a 140-1 throw. At the Brookville Invitational, Kane's D.J. Horton cleared 16-0 in the pole vault, tie for US#6. Punxutawny's Laybn Hollis, Baldwin's David Adley, Mercer's Weston Schaa, and DuBois' Bethany Naugle were all double winners. There were four double winners at the Harbor Creek Invitational. McDowell senior Dan Kwiatkowski won the shot put with a big throw of 60-10.50, and also took the discus. Oil City senior Nick Klena won the 800 and 1600. Grove City sophomore Hanna Casalnova delivered in the 400 and 800. And fellow soph Laura Nientemp of McDowell won the 100 and 200 in. Cathedral Prep senior Akeem Satterfield ran a PA#3 10.77 100 in the prelims of the 100. He won the finals in 10.98, and also posted the fastest 200 of the day, a 22.31 in the prelims. He would take 3rd in the finals behind Johnny Dugun of McDowell. At the 20th Pan-Ram Invitational, Carly Seymour of Central Cambria set a meet record of 5:05.08 in the 1600. Justin Shirk, of host Central Dauphin, got on track with a 207-7 javelin. Juan Steward, Cumberland Valley, went 10.89 and 22.47 in the boys sprints, while Daniel Boone's Aubrie McAlpine went 12.32 and 25.80. Central Bucks West won the girls team title, Altoona, the boys'. Conestoga Valley's Vince McNally Leading Boyertown's Mark Dennin through a sub 4:30 1st 1600 - photo by Jim Dillner. On day one of the Taco Bell Classic in SC, Methacton teammates Ryann Krais and Betsy Dempsey placed 3rd and 5th, respectively, in the high jump. Krais cleared 5-6. On Saturday, Krais came back with an amazing day in the hurdles, finishing 2nd in the 100 in a PR of 13.50. Krais was second to the top hurdler in the US, Jackie Coward, who ran 13.27. Krais's time is US#2. Jasmine Stowers was 3rd in 13.67. In the 400 where Krais can hit her stride, Coward had a great start and was the 1st over the first 2 hurdles. But Krais soon caught and passed her, winning to break her meet record with a 58.94. Alix Williams of Strath Haven was 3rd in 1:04.28. Williams took 4th in the 100 hurdles in 14.49. Father Judge sent a full contingent. Jerome Lowery captured 2nd in the 400 hurdles in 54.45. The team also took 3rd in the 4x400 in 3:25.76 and 6th in the 4x800 in 8:08.62. At the Bristol Knights of Columbus Relays at Holy Ghost Prep, Neshaminy's Tim Malloy won three events, taking the 100 hurdles in 15.14, the high jump at 6-4 and the triple jump, leaping 44-02.25. Teammate Kevin Steinberg continued to rip through the sprints, powering to an 11.28 100 and 22.46 200. His 4x100 was also victorious. At the Purple & White Relays at Shamokin, the girls' 1600 sprint medley relay saw two nationally elite times, as Southern Columbia ent 4:21.8 and North Schuylkill was just over six seconds back. At the DELCO Relay Carnival at Upper Darby, Chester broke a Delaware County record, running a 3:52.5 in the 4x400, now top 25 in the US. Cardinal O'Hara posted a 9:37.6 4x800 behind a leadoff 2:18 by Robyn Oakley. Karen Shump, Penncrest, took the discus (144) and the shot put (47'11"). The North Penn girls won eight relays on the track and five in the field at the Don Seltzer Relays, finishing the 144 points. In the boys competition, host Exeter prevailed. At the Arctic Blast Inv at Northern HS, Oxford's Jordan Jenkins ran a fast 5:07.85 1600 and also captured the 3200. At the Harbor Creek Inv, McDowell's Dan Kwiatkowski threw 60'-10 1/2" in the shot and teammate Laura Kosiorek went 15.02 in the 100H. At the Mercersburg Academy Inv, the Finucane family , James and Lena, dominated the 1600. At the Trojan T&F Classic at Center HS, Khiry Watts, Avonworth-Northgate, went 10.8 and 22.3 in the 100 and 200. Christa Rogers, Quaker Valley took the 100 with and without hurdles. Neshannock's Kacey Gibson ran the 3200 in 11:04.7. At the Susquehanna HS Classic @ Susquehanna University, Montoursville's Keenan Michael continued his winning ways in the hurdles. Teammate Tesa McKibben won three events, the 300 hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump. State College sprinter Alex Kenney posted quick times in the 100 and 200. At the TFCAofGP Relay Carnival at Upper Dublin, Derek Hynes, Central Bucks South, cleared 15 in the pole vault. Abington went 3:23.41 to beat Simon Gratz by just over a second in the 4x400. At the Hurricane Inv at Villa Maria Academy, Swenson's Shanae Bailey won the 100 (12.27p) and the 200 (24.97). Teammate Anthonia Ballard won both hurdles. Swenson's 48.59 took the 4x100. Kaleena Gray, Coatesville, took the shot and discus. Unionville busted 9:28 in the 4x800. McDowell's Dan Kwiatkowski threw 60-10.50 to win the shot put at Harbor Creek - Photo by Carl Strub At the Mansfield University HS Inv, Bradford's boys won the team title behind a strong 3:33.87 4x400. At the Fairview Inv, the home team swept both team titles. Shaler's Izzy Moreno was 5th in the 100 at the Beachwood Invitational in Ohio. On Tuesday, April 8, Wilmington HS senior Ryan Bell launced the javelin a US#1 20-07 on his second of three attempts at a dual meet at Mercer... At the April 7 Larry Simmons Inv at Penncrest, Karen Shump, Penncrest, upped her discus from Saturday's 147 to improve her PA#1 to 150; and she added a 46-11.50 in the shot put. For the first time and only time this season, I will be NOT spending a day at a meet. I've been busy with a lot of interviews for what I hope will be several interesting stories. If I don't get started on those this weekend, the athletes may graduate before I get it done, and another may be on her way to China to compete. We'll have some pix from two meets though, and I'll be at the Shippensburg Inv next weekend, followed by the Penn Relays, and then the West Central Coaches Meet.