PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, April 25-27—A massive javelin throw from Skylar Ciccolini (Mifflin, Lewistown, Pennsylvania) was the high school highlight at the Penn Relays. Despite holding back on training in recent weeks due to a back injury, Ciccolini launched her opening throw out to 184-2 to move to No. 2 on the all-time list (and No. 3 among U.S. Juniors), just 18 inches off the ’15 national prep record of Madison Wiltrout. “I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot,” she said after improving the 172-2 meet record she set last year. “I was just trying not to injure my back more and just hit some positions I’m working on in practice, and it just kinda came together on the first one. It surprised me.” The throwing events are not held in the main stadium at Penn, but Ciccolini loves the intimate throwing venue. “It’s a great runway, the crowd’s great, the atmosphere is really good, the girls are nice,” she said, “so it’s just kind of the perfect storm.”
On the track, Victoria Starcher (Ripley, West Virginia) kicked by defending mile champion Marlee Starliper (Northern, Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) with 200 to go to win in 4:38.19, breaking the meet record set by Mary Cain in ’12. Starliper clocked 4:42.30 and Taryn Parks (Greencastle-Antrim, Greencastle, Pennsylvania) was 3rd in 4:46.73. “I’ve raced them so many times nationally, that I kind of know what kind of moves they make during the race,” Starcher said after covering the final 400 in 64.73. “I’m pretty confident in my kick so as long as I’m in striking distance, I felt like I could come away with the win.” The trio of juniors have split 3 big miles this year, Starliper having won at Millrose and Parks at New Balance.
Boys yearly leads went to Ryler Gould (Free, Newburgh, New York) in the 400 hurdles (52.55) and Justin Forde (McMahon, Norwalk, Connecticut) in the triple jump (50-7½ to back up a windy 51-9¾ winner).
The most notable relay win was Jamaican school Edwin Allen capturing the girls 4×1 for the sixth year in a row. An amazingly young foursome that features a trio of 14-year-olds to go with a 17-year-old combined to lower the meet record to 43.62. Jamaican teams also won both the boys and girls 4x8s but a pair of New Jersey schools posted strong marks: St. Benedict’s (Newark) placed 3rd in the boys race with an outdoor list-leader 7:41.13 and Union Catholic (Scotch Plains) took 2nd in the girls race in 9:00.36, an overall yearly leader.
The girls distance medley saw Clair Walters use a 4:43.34 split to move Fayetteville-Manlius (Manlius, New York) up from 10th to the win in 11:45.28. Closing even faster was Katelyn Tuohy, whose spectacular 4:36.94 brought North Rockland (Thiells, New York) up 9 spots to 6th.
Two days after anchoring her team to 2nd in that DMR with a 4:54.42 split, 11th-grader Taylor Ewert (Beavercreek, Ohio) won the open 5000m walk in 22:28.61, taking almost 10 seconds off the national HS/U.S. Junior Record she set at Penn a year ago.
PENN HIGH SCHOOL BOYS RESULTS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 26-27
(4/26—Mile, 3000, DisMed, HJ, SP, DT, JT; 4x8h)
Mile: 1. Foster Malleck’ (Can) 4:18.22; 2. Sean Dolan (Hopewell Valley, Pennington, NJ) 4:18.60.
3000: 1. Eldad Mulugeta (Northwood, Silver Spring, Md) 8:29.05; 2. Shea Weilbaker (Saratoga Springs, NY) 8:30.08; 3. *Robbie Cozean (Xavier, Middletown, Ct) 8:30.28.
400H: 1. *Ryler Gould (Free, Newburgh, NY) 52.55 (HSL);
2. Romel Plummer’ (Jam) 52.58; 3. Edward Richardson (Bethel, Hampton, Va) 52.67.
4 x 100: 1. St. Jago, St. Catherine, Jam 40.83; 2. Kingston College, Jam 40.86; 3. Calabar, Kingston 41.05.
4 x 400: 1. Calabar 3:12.68; 2. Kingston College 3:13.65; 3. Bullis, Potomac, Md 3:14.40; 4. Excelsior, Kingston, Jam 3:14.92; 5. Holmwood, Christiana, Jam 3:14.97.
4 x 800: 1. Calabar 7:36.61; 2. Kingston College 7:40.96;
3. St. Benedict’s, Newark, NJ 7:41.13 (out HSL);
4. Jamaica College, Kingston, Jam 7:42.41; 5. Weddington, Matthews, NC 7:47.46.
Heats: I–2. Weddington 7:44.41 (out HSL).
DisMed: 1. St. Anthony’s, South Huntington, NY 10:10.23; 2. Bronxville, NY 10:13.05; 3. Christian Brothers, Lincroft, NJ 10:13.77.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Shaun Miller’ (Bah) 6-11½; 2. Ricardo Clark (Jam) 6-10¼.
PV: 1. *Shane Racey (Ravena, NY) 15-5.
LJ: 1. Wayne Pinnock’ (Jam) 25-10w; 2. Jordon Turner’ (Jam) 24-11w; 3. Shacquille Lowe’ (Jam) 24-4¼w.
TJ: 1. Justin Forde (McMahon, Norwalk, Ct) 51-9¾w (50-7½ out HSL);
2. Apalos Edwards’ (Jam) 51-1¾; 3. Luke Brown’ (Jam) 50-9½.
SP: 1. Courtney Lawrence’ (Jam) 66-3½; 2. Cobe Graham (Jam) 60-4¼; 3. Isaiah Allen (Sherando, Stephens City, Va) 59-9¼.
DT: 1. Kai Chang’ (Jam) 217-10; 2. Daniel Cope’ (Jam) 194-11; 3. Paul Brennan (Princeton, NJ) 186.11.
JT: 1. **Ian Hall (Rogers, Newport, RI) 211-5; 2. Hughie Sean Rolle’ (Jam) 202-10; 3. Alex Williams’ (Jam) 200-8.
PENN HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS RESULTS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 25-27
(4/25—Mile, 3000, DMR, HJ, PV, LJ, TJ, SP, DT, JT; 4/26—4 x 100, 4 x 400, 4 x 800)
Mile: 1. Victoria Starcher (Ripley, WV) 4:38.19 (HSL);
2. *Marlee Starliper (Northern, Dillsburg, Pa) 4:42.30; *Taryn Parks (Greencastle-Antrim, Greencastle, In) 4:46.73.
3000: 1. **Brooke Rauber (Tully, NY) 9:34.21; 2. Lydia Russell (Friends Central, Wynnewood, Pa) 9:37.52; 3. Isabell Sagar (Loyalsock, Williamscreek, Pa) 9:37.70.
400H: I–1. Lashanna Graham’ (Jam) 56.62; 2. Brooke Jaworski (West, Wausau, Wi) 58.62; 3. Vanessa Watson (Spencerport, NY) 58.97; 4. *Leah Phillips (Bullis, Potomac, Md) 59.05. II–1. Britton Wilson (Godwin, Richmond, Va) 58.58.
Open 5000W: 1. *Taylor Ewert (Beavercreek, Oh) 22:28.61 AJR, HSR (old records 22:38.16 Ewert ’18).
4 x 100: 1. Allen, Clarendon, Jam 43.62 (3 aged 14, 1 17); 2. Hyde, Jam 44.69; 3. St. Jago, Jam 44.78…8. Western Branch, Chesapeake, Va 46.71.
4 x 400: 1. Holmwood Tech, Jam 3:37.20; 2. Hydel, Jam 3:38.01; 3. Spalding, Jam 3:43.83; 4. Bullis 3:44.12; 5. Union Catholic 3:46.55 (3:45.39h).
4 x 800: 1. Allen 8:54.02;
2. Union Catholic 9:00.36 (HSL);
3. Neumann Goretti, Philadelphia 9:03.07.
DisMed: 1. Fayetteville-Manlius, Manlius, NY 11:45.28 (Walters 4:43.34); 2. Beavercreek, Oh 11:49.14; 3. Saratoga Springs, NY 11:49.79 (Chmiel 4:50.80); 4. Mt. de Sales, Cantonsville, Md 11:49.79; 5. Strath Haven, Wallingford, Pa 11:51.26; 6. North Rockland, Thiells, NY 11:52.29 (Tuohy 4:36.94).
Field Events
HJ: 1. Lydia Botterlier (Palisades, Kintnersville) 5-10½; 2. *Morgan Smalls (Panther Creek, Cary, NC) 5-10½.
PV: 1. Gennifer Hirata (Stafford, Fredericsburg, Va) 13-7¾; 2. Sydney Horn (Manheim, Lancaster) 13-1¾.
LJ: 1. Jada Seaman (McDonogh, Owings Mills, Md) 19-6.
TJ: 1. Ackelia Smith’ (Jam) 42-8 ¾; 2. Lotavia Brown’ (Jam) 42-5 ¼; 3. Rhianna Phillps’ (Jam) 41-10; 4. Christina Warren (Perkomen Valley, Collegeville, Pa) 41-4½; 5. Alissa Braxton (Commack, NY) 40-5½.
SP: 1. Danielle Sloley’ (Jam) 47-2; 2. Mallory Kauffman (Greenwood, Millerstown, Pa) 46-9¾.
DT: 1. Adrienne Adams’ (Jam) 160-5; 2. Marie Forbes’ (Jam) 159-4; 3. Aliesha Shaw’ (Jam) 156-9.
JT: 1. Skylar Ciccolini (Mifflin, Lewistown) 184-2 (56.14) (HSL) (3, 3 AJ; 2, 2 HS) (184-2, 145-7, p, 162-3, p, p);
2. Kristen Herr (Lampeter Strasburg, Lampeter) 157-5; 3. Brielle Smith (Oakcrest, Mays Landing, NJ) 150-7. ◻︎
