SHIPPENSBURG — Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Ella Schweitzer first tried the high jump in eighth grade. She liked it but didn’t love it. Her passion still lied on the track.
“I don’t hate it,” the sophomore said. “It’s just that running was always my first event. When I started doing the high jump, I did it just to get points [for the team].”
Schweitzer still doesn’t love the high jump, but she also is collecting medals after competitions.
She cleared 5 feet, 2 inches to finish tied for fifth in Class 2A at Friday’s PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
Palmerton’s Emma Snyder, the District 11 champion, tied for 14th after clearing 5 feet. River Valley’s Sara McConnell won at 5-7.
Schweitzer, a CYO champion in eighth grade, cleared 4-10, 5 feet and 5-2 on her first attempts before coming up just short at 5-4.
“My coaches said I could place or maybe take first at states,” she said. “That really motivated me because I didn’t want to just come here and compete. That’s not me.”
Schweitzer’s heart still lies with running events. She’s had to give up the 3,200 relay, because it conflicts in the postseason with the high jump.
Instead of pouting, however, the Crusader has made the most of athleticism.
“I never really had a trainer,” Schweitzer said. “But I’m going to work with one to get better with my technique.
“But I still miss getting the medals with the 4 by 8 girls and being around my teammates. They are still my teammates, and they are there to support me and I’m cheering them on.”
Friday’s qualifying races
— Catasauqua’s Hailey Jenkins qualified for the 2A 100 with a time of 12.37, which was eighth. Pine Grove’s Viktorya Luckenbach was 10th in 12.39.
— Luckenbach qualified first in the 2A 200 with a time of 25.06. Jenkins (26.16) did not advance.
— Stroudsburg’s Alena Murray (12.27) was 16th and Emmaus’ Gabrielle DeVita (12.59) was 27th in the 3A 100.
— Easton’s Maggie Scalzo qualified eighth in the 3A 100 hurdles finishing in 14.75. Emmaus’ Kayla-Rayne Quinones was 14th in 15.34.
— Palmerton (49.29) and Northwestern Lehigh (49.51) lowered school records they set earlier this month to qualify for the 2A 400 relay final. The Blue Bombers (Claire Thomas, Nataly Walters, Sarah Sabo, Erin Gombert) qualified sixth and the Tigers (Sophia Schaffer, Carsyn Van Norman, Taylor Langley, Kaia Grantham) eighth.
— Parkland (Kaley Seide, Cierra Valley, Dhaniya Miner, Ana Gbur) ran a 48.23 to qualify seventh for Saturday’s final in the 3A 400 relay. Stroudsburg (48.68) was 15th and Emmaus (49.62) was 26th.
— Notre Dame-GP (Lauren Bower, Emily Lessig, Olivia Schweitzer, Savina Steele) ran a school-record time of 4:00.93 to win its heat and qualify for the 2A 1,600 relay final. Catasauqua (4:25.55) did not advance.
— Southern Lehigh’s Alexandra Lea (24.81) qualified second for the 3A 200 final. Nazareth’s Amanda Mercurius (25.16) was 10th. Stroudsburg’s Julia Grant (25.16), Parkland’s Kaley Seide (25.50) and Cierra Valley (25.54) plus Dieruff’s Aniya Holder (26.30) also did not qualify.
— Lea (56.04) and Grant (56.06) qualified third and fourth, respectively, for Saturday’s 3A 400 final. Parkland’s Lucy Tobia was 25th in 59.25.
— Notre Dame-GP’s Savina Steele (57.51) qualified third in the 2A 400. Northwestern’s Sophia Schaffer (1:00.72) was 24th. Notre Dame-GP’s Emily Lessig 26th (1:00.92).
— Northern Lehigh’s Evelina Mayak was ninth (15.30) and Steele (15.38) 10th in the 2A 100 hurdles preliminaries.
— Parkland (3:58.75), Easton (4:07.06) and Southern Lehigh (4:07.72) did not qualify for the 3A 1,600 relay final.
Other results
— Emmaus’ Madi McCartney (5:06.41) and Saucon Valley’s Virginia Kraus (5:07.72) were 20th and 21st, respectively, in the 3A 1,600.
— Schuylkill Haven’s Anna Schaeffer (5:23.26) was 19th and Notre Dame-GP’s Brenna Hammerstone (5:27.81) was 26th in the 2A 1,600.
— Northwestern’s Sadie Fenstermaker was 11th (110-5) in the 2A discus. Notre Dame-GP’s Evelyn Hersh was 15th (106-8).
— Blue Mountain’s Rosa Gergely was seventh in the 3A shot put. Lehighton’s Lorah Thomas was 13th (35-6.25).
— Nazareth’s Naomee Adisa tied for 14th in the 3A pole vault, clearing 11 feet. Whitehall’s Tessa Hopkins did not clear a height.
— Stroudsburg’s Lindsey Palaez tied for 16th (36-0.25) in the 3A triple jump. Northampton’s Anne Beenders (35-10.75) was 18th.
— North Schuylkill’s Maria Puglia (125-11) was fifth in the 2A javelin. Panther Valley’s Mikayla Yurichek (119-7) was ninth.
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com
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