Penn Relays Carnival 2007

Philadelphia, PA

Coverage

Pennsylvania Stories at the Penn Relays: Posted Wed: North Penn - Tue: Joe Berry - Mon: Coatesville Apr 29, 2007

There were championship performances – whether first place, first American or first Pennsylvanian – at nearly every turn of this year's Penn Relays Carnival. PennTrackXC.com talked with  these talented individuals about their performances, and these are their stories... Saturday's Pennsylvania Stories: POSTED WEDNESDAY: The NORTH PENN 4x800 which was the top American team. POSTED TUESDAY:  JOE BERRY and Hatboro-Horsham coach BOB AYTON on the pole vault at Penn. JAMES PITTENGER on his high jump, JOE KOVACS on his discus performance. Friday's Pennsylvania Stories: COATESVILLE'S huge win in the boy's DMR. BRIAN MOORE - the top American in the javelin. WAYNE CRAWFORD and TOM CICOLI on their shot put competition. Thursday's Pennsylvania Stories: SAMANTHA MCMILLAN in the mile - RYANN KRAIS & METHACTON COACH ROB RONZANO on her 400 hurdles win - KARLEE MCQUILLEN in the javelin - ABBY SCHAFFER winning the pole vault - KAREN SHUMP in the shot put - CARLY SEYMOUR in the 3000

Penn Relays Day 3 Highlights: Deep Creek boys make Championships of America finals Apr 29, 2007

The Deep Creek boys were the lone Virginia relay to make into the Championships of America finals this past week at the Penn Relays as the Hornets won their qualifying heat on Saturday morning with a time of 3:18.08. In the COA finals of the 4x400 meter relay, Deep Creek finished sixth in 3:19.44 as the second US squad with Long Beach Poly of California winning in 3:09.89. Making up the Deep Creek 4x400 were Keonta Coleman, Dejor Simmons, Dewey Gatling, and Curtis Campbell. Lakeland junior Chris Copeland had the highest individual finish at Penn among any of the Virginia boys in the high jump as the Nike Indoor Nationals All-American and defending AAA state indoor champion matched his personal best height with a clearance of 6'8" to earn second place honors. Check out race videos from Penn Relays at flocasts.com 

Penn Relays Day 2 Updates: Lightning delays, Baird defends discus title Apr 27, 2007

Girls Discus: Lightning delays have cause headaches and affected performances on Friday at Penn Relays pushing back many events to be contested later. However, one event is already competed in the girls discus throw as Park View junior Natalie Baird (pictured left by Don Rich of penntrackxc.com) is now a two-time Penn Relays champion in the discus throw. Baird was third in the event going into the finals, but came through with her best throw of 148'4" in the clutch to win. The meet is currently about 2:10 behind schedule this afternoon due to th earlier delays. Boys 4x800: The poor weather this morning affected the times in the 4x800 meter relay greatly this time as the fastest time was only 7:55. Forest Park boys were eight seconds slower than their 7:55 two weeks ago at Gus Lacy as they finished third in their section with a time of 8:03.81, but the adverse conditions showed in the slower times as Forest Park beat two solid teams in Eleanor Roosevelt MD (8:05.16) and Gonzaga DC (8:07.92) in the process. Eleanor Roosevelt boys were NIN winners in the event. Boys 4x100 Qualifying Heats:  I.C. Norcom looks to have just missed the Championships of America finals as now the boys' 4x400 meter relay is the final hope for Virginia to have at least one relay make into top finals race. I.C. Norcom had the fastest 4x100 on the day from Virginia with their small schools heat #20 win of 42.26. A total of 7 Virginia schools were heat winners at Penn Relays with four in the large schools heats of the 4x100 meter relay in Deep Creek (Heat #7, 42.34), Bethel (Heat #1, 42.64), Western Branch (Heat #29, 43.00), and Oakton (Heat #20, 43.50). Meanwhile, Woodside (Heat #29, 43.39) and Booker T. Washington (Heat #28, 43.91) won in the small schools heats along with I.C. Norcom. In Saturday's final will be I.C. Norcom in the small schools finals and Bethel and Deep Creek in the large schools finals.  Girls 4x100 Large Schools Finals: With five of the eight teams in the finals of the large schools girls 4x100, the odds were in Virginia's favor to have at the race winner and it was Landstown, who just missed making the Championships of America finals by a thousandth of a second in yesterday's qualifying heats, as the decisive winner here in a state best time of 47.08. Rounding out the Virginia finishers in the finals were Deep Creek (3rd, 47.76), Western Branch (4th, 48.10), Bethel (5th, 48.30), and Osbourn Park (7th, 48.56).  Boys Mile Run: Washington-Lee senior Chris Tyson had a great race in the mile run at Penn Relays to finish sixth overall with a big personal time of 4:13.64, which would convert to a state leading 1600 meter time of 4:12.04. Tyson improved by five seconds from his All-American run in the mile at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York this past March. Boys 3K: Mike Spooner of West Springfield ran three seconds faster than he did in 2006 at Penn Relays and 10 seconds faster than he did as a sophomore in his third appearance at Penn Relays. Spooner finished sixth in the race with a time of 8:33.10, which converts roughly to a 9:10 3200 meter time. Fellow Virginians Bradshaw Kenimer of T.C. Williams (14th, 8:41.36) and Paul Norland of Thomas Jefferson (15th, 8:43.70) finished close together, which would be 3200 meter personal best converted times for both at 9:19 and 9:22 respectively.

4/28 @ Penn: SAT-Berry sets PV MR, N Penn top US 4x800|FR-Coatesville wins DMR|TH-3-1/2 PA WINS Apr 27, 2007

 RESULTS FROM MOST MEETS NOW POSTED!NEW FRI: JAGUAR @ THOMAS JEFFERSONRESULTS NEEDED: BRESLIN & DAMIAN FEIN. LET US KNOW OF FRI MEETS THAT WERE CANCELLED OR POSTPONED Posted Wed PM: CLICK HERE FOR the story of the North Penn 4x800 COA.   There were championship performances – whether first place, first American or first Pennsylvanian – at nearly every turn of this year's Penn Relays Carnival. PennTrackXC.com talked with  these talented individuals about their performances, and these are their stories... Saturday's Pennsylvania Stories: POSTED WEDNESDAY: The NORTH PENN 4x800 which was the top American team. POSTED TUESDAY: JOE BERRY and Hatboro-Horsham coach BOB AYTON on the pole vault at Penn. JAMES PITTENGER on his high jump, JOE KOVACS on his discus performance. Friday's Pennsylvania Stories: COATESVILLE'S huge win in the boy's DMR. BRIAN MOORE - the top American in the javelin. WAYNE CRAWFORD and TOM CICOLI on their shot put competition. Thursday's Pennsylvania Stories: SAMANTHA MCMILLAN in the mile - RYANN KRAIS & METHACTON COACH ROB RONZANO on her 400 hurdles win - KARLEE MCQUILLEN in the javelin - ABBY SCHAFFER winning the pole vault - KAREN SHUMP in the shot put - CARLY SEYMOUR in the 3000THREE PA PHOTO GALLERIES:Thursday     -       Friday     -       Saturday   Saturday @ Penn: Hatboro Horsham's Joe Berry jumps 16-03.25 to set a Penn Relays record in the high school pole vault. Justin Germani of Daniel Boone takes 2nd, clearing 15-05. The 4x800 tradition that is North Penn added another chapter as the team of three juniors and a sophomore took home the top American prize, finishing behind three Jamaican teams. In the 400 hurdles, Jarrett Eaton of Abington is 3rd, going 53.26. In the long jump, Reuben Ames, Glen Mills, is 10th. Wissahickon's Folarin Ijelu is 7th in the triple jump.  Joe Kovacs, Bethlehem Central Catholic, is 4th in the discus. In the high jump, James Pittenger of William Tennent is 3rd, while Kyriq Williams of Phoenixville was 4th. In the girls Tri-State 4x100, Harrisburg took 2nd. The Altoona boys took 2nd in the Large Schools 4x100. In the Philadelphia Area 4x400's, the Neshaminy boys were 3rd, and Coatesville took 4th. The Methacton girls took 2nd, with Engineering & Science, Council Rock North, Strath Haven, Chester and North Penn all under 4 minutes in the race.  Friday @ Penn: Coatesville wins the COA in the DMR with anchor Kyle Dawson holding off a furious charge from Colts Neck's  Craig Forys. The small school 4x800's got off on time, but the large school races were delayed by 1.5 hours, followed by another half hour delay. The large school boys follwed the first rain delay and North Penn was the only PA team to advance to the COA. Gwynedd-Mercy took 10th in the girls' 4x800 COA. Unionville's Paul Springer took 2nd in the mile, while Boyertown's Jason Weller and Strath Haven's Rob Speare were 4th and 5th in the 3000. In the javelin, Brian Moore of LaSalle College nearly pulled it out on the last throw, finishing second to an athlete from British Columbia. Wayne Crawford of Chestnut Hil Academy and Tom Cicoli of Archbishop Carroll were 2nd and 3rd in the shot put. PA placed 5th and 6th in the girls discus thanks to Kaleena Gray of Coatesville and Jade Hambrick of North Allegheny.  Thursday @ Penn: Ryann Krais started the day with a win in the 400 hurdles. Karlee McQuillen kicked off the afternoon with a javelin title. Abby Schaffer kept the Easton tradition alive by taking the pole vault. A former Hershey runner who moved to Utah as a sophomore, came back to win the mile. Plus incredible 400 splits by Chanelle Price and Krais. One PA team advances to the 4x800 Champ. of America. Karen Shump takes silver in the shot put. Carly Seymour was 7th in the 3000. Details coming soon.   

Penn Relays Day 1 Updates: Its all about the watch for Gatling and Forbes Apr 26, 2007

 Photo by Don Rich from Ashley Gatling's high jump win last year at Penn Relays. She did it again in 2007 with a top clearance of 5'7" (1.70 meters) at Franklin Field. Bethel's Shakia Forbes also won her first Penn Relays crown in the long jump with a mark of 19'4.25" (5.90 meters). Day 1 updates as results are posted online through http://pennrelaysonline.com as well as flashresults.com  Girls High Jump: Deep Creek senior Ashley Gatling became a Penn Relays champion for the second time as she repeated in the high jump with a clearance of 5'7". Gatling just recently signed with Norfolk State University. Asked by penntrackxc.com's Don Rich if she was happy with 5'7"? "No, I'm never happy with 5'7". I can't remember the last time I missed 5'7". But a win is a win, and I got another watch." said Gatling.  Its all about the watch at Penn Relays! Everyone wants one, but only a small few can have one!  Girls Long Jump: Bethel senior Shakia Forbes has a national title in the long jump and now she has a Penn Relays titles as well after putting up a top mark of 19'4.25" on Thursday at Franklin Field. Virginia had two of the top three in the event as two-time AAA state champion indoor champion Brittni Finch of Centreville was third over 19 feet at 19'1.50". While Forbes has a Penn Relays title over Finch, Finch has what Forbes wants in a state title in the long jump. The long jump should be a great event in June at Todd Stadium. Girls Triple Jump: Virginia had two in the top six of the triple jump, which had a total of 17 competitors. Western Branch junior Ermesha Fair (38'10") and J.R. Tucker sophomore Jasia Richardson (38'8")  both put up great marks well over 38 feet in fifth and sixth places respectively. It was the first time to Fair has achieved a mark over 38 feet, while Richardson was just off her personal best from the state indoor meet.   Girls 4x800: Without our top two relays from the indoor season in state meet record breakers Midlothian and previous US #1 indoor squad in Westfield, Virginia girls were overmatched in the 4x800 qualifiers for the Championship of American finals with none advancing. Potomac School improved upon their state leading time by five seconds to finish sixth in their section with a time of 9:30.89. The next fastes from VA was Langley at 9:38.72 as they finished ninth in their section.    Girls 4x100: Landstown girls post the fastest time among Virginia squads with a large schools heat #13 win in 47.64. Deep Creek (heat #7, 48.21), Bethel (heat #3, 48.50), Western Branch (heat #30, 48.87), Osbourn Park (heat #19, 48.96), and  Booker T. Washington (heat #27, 49.03) are also heat winners. Landstown's time tied them four the fourth fastest among the US high school squads with Rancho Verde at 46.67 and Long Beach Poly CA at 47.28 faster, while they shared the same time with Uniondale NY at 47.64. However, it appears when taking the times to the thousandth of the second, Unionadale gets the nod as the final team to qualify for the Championships of American finals. Oh so close for Landstown! The Virginia Beach girls will be in the large school finals with fellow Virginia squads Deep Creek, Bethel, Western Branch, and Osbourn Park, so that means 5 Virginia schools will be in the finals of 9 teams! Girls 4x400: Osbourn Park girls run the state's fastest time in a loaded heat with the Jamaicans (Holmwood Tech JA 3:44.78, Manchester JA 3:45.68) as they finish fourth in a time of 3:51.75. Osbourn Park's time is ninth fastest overall among all the 4x400 heats, thus puts them just short of qualifying for the Championships of America finals.. Deep Creek finishes fifth in the same heat at 3:57.30, while Landstown runs the second fastest on the day two heats prior in 3:52.56 as they finish third in their heat won by Eleanor Roosevelt MD in 3:43.95. The Booker T. Washington girls also break four minutes by winning their heat with a season best time of 3:55.71. Girls 3K: Northside senior Catherine White took a top 3 finish in the Penn Relays 3K for the second year in a row as she posted a nearly identical time of 9:49.10 from her 2006 time of 9:49.19. Her time converts to roughly a 10:32. W.T. Woodson senior Sarrah Hadiji also competed in the 3K and took ninth in 10:00.24, which would convert to a 3200 meter personal best of 10:44 for 3200 meters. More updates to come from Penn.

VA @ Penn Relays Apr 26, 2007

Photos taken by Don Rich of penntrackxc.com of Virginia athletes at the 2007 Penn Relays.

Carly Seymour is one of many top five PA seeds for Penn - and she\'s ready to run. Apr 25, 2007

Central Cambria junior Carly Seymour is the 5th seed in a loaded girls' 3000 field for the 2007 Penn Relays Carnival. But she is just one of many top five PA seeds in the big events which dominate the high school action on Thursday and Friday. In fact, there are eight boys' events and five girls' events where Pennsylvania individuals are among the favorites for a Championship of America (and the Penn Relays watch, of course.). PennTrackXC.com contibutor Kim Jaick Soden caught up with Seymour earlier this week, and says that a new training parnter has helped her prepare for the big stage that is Franklin Field. Seymour at Foot Locker Northeast where she finished third before going on to earn a 9th place finish at nationals in cross country. 

Penn Relays\' Herman Mancini dies Feb 27, 2007

He ran a tight ship as chief clerk for 32 years, and attended more than 65 of the carnivals. -- by Joe Juliano in the 2/27 Philadelphia Inquirer