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Jun 25, 2023

CC girls 3200 relay repeats as champ

May 29, 2023 Mirror photo by Michael BoytimThe Central Cambria 3200 relay team

May 29, 2023

Mirror photo by Michael BoytimThe Central Cambria 3200 relay team members celebrate.

SHIPPENSBURG — It is said pressure molds diamonds.

In the case of the Central Cambria girls 3200-meter relay team, it yielded gold — again.

Last year's PIAA 2A champions in the event, Abigail George, Annaliese Niebauer, Abigail Sheehan and Alaina Sheehan, defended their title Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium at the PIAA championships with a time of 9:27.9.

"We came in here wanting to defend our title," Abigail Sheehan said. "We trusted our training, and that's all you can really do at this point. There was a lot of competition to get us to our best time. It's kind of bittersweet, because this is my last race with the seniors, but I’m happy we could have this last one with them."

The Lady Devils won the race relatively comfortably with runner-up Elk County Catholic finishing in 9:31.15, but trailed after two legs of the race.

"There was a lot of pressure going into it," Alaina Sheehan said. "As soon as the race started, I got off to a pretty good start and passed it off in good position, and I knew my teammates would have my back."

Just as she did last year, Niebauer helped Central Cambria take control.

"I was in a similar situation last year," Niebauer said. "I just had to think back to what our coach (Randy Wilson) told us about running that to win and being aggressive. It was a little intimidating to have a team out in front of me, but I kept with it and kept grinding."

Niebauer handed off to George, the two seniors on the team, and George clinched the title as her teammates celebrated as she ran down the final stretch.

"I thought the race went really well," George said. "We were going into it with a little bit of pressure to go back-to-back, but I think that helped push us. A big part of it was just running our own race and not worrying about what everyone else was doing."

Central Cambria wasn't just dealing with the pressure of having its entire team return from last year's championship. The Lady Devils have one of the most storied distance running reputations in the state.

"It means a lot to us," George said. "We grow up from middle school to high school and see all these state championship pictures on the wall. We think to ourselves, we want to be that. We want to carry that on. So, I think that that's what made this really important to us."

Now that they are two-time state champions, the Sheehans, George and Niebauer are certainly a big part of that legacy.

"There's such a special tradition at our school with cross country and track and field distance running," Niebauer said. "It's amazing to think that you are part of that tradition, and you get to carry on where others have left off."

Once again, Niebauer and George both scratched from individual events they qualified for at the state meet to concentrate on the team race, even with it being their senior year.

"We knew that we were going to have to scratch some races, especially with gold so close," Niebauer said. "It was very worth it."

Minyhah Easterling, a senior at Glendale who competes for the Cambria Heights track and field team, was part of an impressive area showing in the Class 2A shot put.

Richland's Sasha Garnett upset Homer-Center's Justley Sharp with a throw of 45 feet, 5.75 inches to win a state title. Sharp's throw of 44.7.25 was good for silver.

Easterling made it three District 6 finishers in the top five with a fifth-place distance of 37 feet.

Northern Bedford's Lizzie Long finished 17th with a put of 33 feet, 2.75 inches.

Altoona's Hailey Kravetz finished off an impressive junior year with a seventh-place medal in the Class 3A 300-meter hurdles.

"This was definitely a great year," Kravetz said. "I set a bunch of hard goals at the beginning of it, and I’m glad that I was able to check them off."

Kravetz was the final qualifier Friday and improved her seeding by finishing seventh in 45.69.

"Today I wasn't the happiest with my race," Kravetz said. "But, I was able to jump a spot, so I was happy with that."

PIAA girls notes

n Forest Hills senior Delaney Dumm won a silver medal in the 2A 3200-meter run just behind two-time state champion Jolena Quarzo of Brownsville, who holds the record in the event. Central freshman Lanee Berkhimer was 23rd in 12:40.12.

n Central Cambria's George was 15th in the 800-meter run in 2:24.02, and Niebauer was 20th in 2:29.59.

n Tyrone's Reagan Irons finished 13th in the 2A triple jump with a leap of 35 feet, 4.75 inches. Juniata Valley's Ellie Manyara was 14th with a distance of 35 feet, 1.25 inches.

n Hollidaysburg's Lily Jodon finished in a tie for 22nd in the 3A high jump by clearing 4 feet, 10 inches.

n Bellwood-Antis senior Lydia Worthing passed on the first two heights in the 2A pole vault and failed to clear 10 feet when she came into the competition.

n Altoona's Megan Kelly ended up 21st in the 3A javelin with a top throw of 105 feet, 4 inches.

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