Saturday, May 29, 2010

PIAA Track and Field, live blog

2:03 p.m. – McGuffey senior J.T. Deschamps wins Class AA 300 intermediate hurdles in a blistering time of 39.01 on a humid, muggy afternoon. Deschamps becomes McGuffey's first PIAA track champion since distance runner Jeff Weiss and the first from Washington-Greene counties since Char-Houston's Brianna Liebold.

9:14 a.m. – One race complete, one medal for a local athlete as South Fayette's Nicole Hilton wins silver in the Class AA 3,200.

Hilton, a junior, never did much running before the summer, when she began going for jogs with her father. She played soccer, basketball and softball at South Fayette as a freshman and sophomore.

She decided to give indoor track a try this winter, excelled and no she's a silver medalist in the 3,200. Hilton ran a personal best of 10:48.4.

"I didn't think I'd make it this far when I started," Hilton said. "I started to run this summer and I found out that I like to run."

10:41 a.m. – Trinity's Mike McClelland cruised past the first two heights in the Class AAA high jump. The boys are at 6-4.

Haven't seen official results yet but there's a chance that Fort Cherry's Brian Lauff and McGuffey's J.T. Deschamps qualified for the finals in the Class AA 110 high hurdles. There's also a chance neither qualified as both were close to fourth place in their respective heats.

Clairton's Trenton Coles just competed in the 100 dash.

10:52 a.m. – Lauff qualified for the finals in the 110 hurdles by placing fourth in his heat. Deschamps just missed with a fifth place finish in his heat but he qualified for the finals in trhe 300 hurdles yesterday.

Peters Township senior Phil Venanzi did not medal in the Class AAA shot put. Venanzi was seeded eighth.

McClelland just cleared 6-4. He's closing in on his first PIAA outdoor medal.

11:06 a.m. – In what qualifies as a surprise, Fort Cherry sophomore Jessie Merckle did not medal in the Class AA javelin. Merckle, the WPIAL champion, hadn't thrown her best at the end of the year but, at one point this spring, she was ranked among the top five throwers in the country in the event.

And for our Clairton people, Coles advanced to the finals in the 100 dash.

12:27 p.m. – McClelland places 7th in high jump at 6-6. Only two jumpers topped that height but McClelland placed behind four others on scratches.

Fort Cherry senior Brian Lauff placed sixth in the 110 hurdles at 15.04. That equals his placement from last year's meet.

"I'm happy to place but I felt I could have run better and placed higher up," Lauff said. "I wanted to be in the top 3 but sixth isn't too bad."

12:32 p.m. – Hilton places seventh in the 1,600 run for a two-medal day. Canon-McMillan's Nick Gibson, who pulled out of the 800 run and the relays, will be running in the Class AAA 1,600 shortly.

1:14 p.m. – Gibson clutches left leg on third lap of 1,600. He finished hard but he did not medal. … Trenton Coles of Clairton placed seventh in the 100 and third in the 400. The 400 champion was a young man named Kyle Younkin of Somerset, which was discovered by the Germans in 1904. Translated it means, "Land of 400 champions." Some blog followers may remember that's my hometown. Congrats to Younkin, the first PIAA track champion in Somerset history.

Speaking of Somerset, my lunch today was an Italian hoagie from Frank's Pizzeria. If you're ever in Somerset, head uptown to Frank's.

3:30 p.m. – Meet has concluded and the area snagged three additional medals.

Canon-McMillan senior Chelsea Zahn placed third in the Class AAA discus (134-01). She placed fifth last year.

Jefferson-Morgan's Hans Lubich took fourth in the Class AA high jump at 6-4 and Fort Cherry's Nate Bellhy was sixth in the high jump, also at 6-4.

5 comments:

KiPA - Kevin in PA said...

Can we tell Frank that you sent us?

mike_kovak said...

Sure, but he'll look at you funny.

KiPA - Kevin in PA said...

Why, did you break his kid's leg in a soccer game once or something?

mike_kovak said...

No. I don't know the owner. Frank's has been around for a while and operated under several owners.

KiPA - Kevin in PA said...

I'm very disappointed. I thought you knew everyone.