WHITEHALL — Carly Gregas is returning to the form that made her one of the best Class AA high jumpers in Pennsylvania in 2013.
The North Schuylkill senior certainly had it Wednesday, winning her third straight high jump title at the District 11 Track and Field Championships at Whitehall High School’s Zephyr Complex.
Gregas, the No. 2 seed coming in, won the event by clearing 5 feet, 4 inches on her first attempt. She edged out top-seeded Holly Szita of Salisbury, who missed all three of her attempts at 5-4.
Gregas tried to clear 5-5, but missed all three of her attempts at the height.
It will be the fourth trip to the PIAA Track and Field Championships for Gregas, who finished in a four-way tie for fourth as a freshman, earned bronze as a sophomore and didn’t place last year.
“Coming in seeded second, that made me a little nervous,” Gregas said. “I knew I just had to focus on qualifying first, which is 5-2, and then after that, go for the win. I am really excited I pulled it out.”
Three other Schuylkill League girls’ athletes won individual championships Wednesday in convincing fashion. Two were repeats.
In the first event of the day, Pine
Grove sophomore Maddie Frew grabbed her second straight title in the Class AA 100 hurdles, running the event in 15.41 seconds. Later in the evening, Tamaqua’s Monika Shimko ran past the field in the Class AA 800. She finished in 2:24.60, with Marian freshman Tina Capparell (2:26.98) taking second and qualifying for states in the process.
Tamaqua’s Morgan Boyle won first district championship in the Class AA javelin, finishing with a distance of 133 feet, 7 inches.
Three other athletes qualified for next weekend’s PIAA Championships, too.
Pottsville senior Sarah Lombel is headed to Shippensburg for second time in her career after qualifying in both the Class AAA 100 and 200. She was third in the 100 in 12.30 but bested the state qualifying standard of 12.67. In the 200, Lombel used a late push over the final 50 meters to finish second in 25.79.
Marian’s Kaylee Ceci (shot put) and Pine Grove’s McKayla Lally (400) also qualified for states in their respective events with runner-up finishes.
In addition to her victory in the 100 hurdles, Frew is also headed to states in the Class AA triple jump, finishing third in 36-0.5, but beating the state qualifying standard of 35-6.
Gregas won her fourth Schuylkill League title last week, but struggled in the rain at Blue Mountain High School’s Eagles’ Nest. Gregas only reached 4-10 and needed a tie-breaking jump to get past Lombel.
Gregas’ photo was on the front page of The Republican-Herald the day after the league meet. Gregas and Spartans’ jumping coach Tony Chatkiewicz used the photo to figure out what she struggled with during the league meet.
Gregas noticed she was jumping sideways instead of turning her body all the way around and then jumping up and over the bar.
“I’ve been working on that all throughout practice,” Gregas said. “So I guess props to the photographer of The Republican-Herald (Jacqueline Dormer), she helped me out there.”
Gregas entered the competition at 4-8. She cleared the bar on her first attempt at that height, as well as 4-10, 5-0 and 5-2. She then failed on her first attempt at 5-3, while Szita cleared it on her first try. Gregas cleared 5-3 on her second try.
Gregas followed by making good on her first attempt at 5-4, putting the pressure on Szita, who was unable to clear that height.
“I don’t even know, it just felt right,” Gregas said of her attempt at 5-4. “Whenever I get a really good jump, I just want to repeat it so bad. I guess I just wasn’t thinking during it.”
After a rough finish to 2014, Gregas has come back strong this season. She hopes to better her performance at states from 2013, when she cleared 5-5 for the first time in her career.
“Last year I was in a tiny slump and I feel like I am getting into the groove of my 10th-grade year,” Gregas said. “I not am sure what I am doing different, but I am pretty happy with what I’ve been doing.
“I want to get the best that I’ve had over the past four years. I want to get either a higher place than that (sophomore year) or jump a 5-5 or a 5-6. I would be happy with that.”
Frew was happy with her performance Wednesday.
A big focus for her was the start. Frew felt she almost left too soon during her heat in the preliminaries Tuesday, where she ended up running a 15.74.
“When the gun went off, I just thought ‘To the end, to the end, to the end,’ ” Frew said. “It was nerve-racking because the wind was going with us today, so if you get too high off the hurdles it feels like you are floating. You can’t get to a good time doing that.”
Frew took the lead for good around the first hurdle and pulled away for the win.
“I could hear them and I just kept pushing to try and widen the gap if there was one,” Frew said. “I couldn’t tell how close they were with the wind. You couldn’t really hear anything so I just kept pushing.
“I am overwhelmed and excited to get to go to states this year. I want to try and give it my all this time and not be so overwhelmed with everything and really experience it this time.”
Frew will compete in three events at states. She was runner-up to Lally in the 300 hurdles Tuesday.
Like Frew, Shimko took the lead early in her event, grabbing it during the first 100 meters and maintaining it the rest of the way to win by over 2 seconds. The only drama came from Capparell, who was able to edge Palisades’ Sophie Doman (2:27.06) and Megan Benner (2:27.44) at the finish line to grab the silver.
“I was nervous about this all week,” said Shimko, who came in as the top seed. “It feels great to repeat.
“I was trying to get out strong just to get a good time. I am used to going out like that.”
Shimko’s victory also allowed her to put a disappointing Schuylkill League meet behind her. She led in both the 800 and 1,600 last Wednesday, but was passed by Blue Mountain’s Emily Leymeister (800) and Caroline Rickard (1,600) late and finished second in each race.
“I pushed me a lot harder,” Shimko said. “If the race came down to the end and I knew it was close, I really didn’t want a repeat again like last week.”
Shimko will also compete at Shippensburg in the 3,200 relay after she teamed with Chelsea Frantz, Victoria Labar and Janette Kabana to win the championship in the event Tuesday.
Last year, Shimko reached the finals of the 800, but just missed out on a state medal, finishing ninth.
Boyle already has two state medals after she was eighth in both the pole vault and javelin in 2014. She qualified for a return trip in the pole vault after finishing second Tuesday. Boyle earned her first district title Wednesday.
“I am excited, but still not satisfied,” she said. “I am ready to go to states and do better.”
Boyle wasted no time in getting out in front Wednesday, launching what turned out to be her championship throw on her first attempt of the day. She never reached that distance again, but Boyle was in the 120s on four of her next five throws. The second best was a 128 on her second attempt of the preliminaries.
“It was just I was relaxed, get a mark so I could go to finals,” Boyle said of her first throw of the day. “I knew I had more throws after that. I think I was just more relaxed at that time.
Boyle is hoping to get in the 140-150 range at states. To accomplish that, Boyle feels she just needs to relax, something she’s been working on all season.
“I have a problem with being very tense,” she said. “I think I just need to stay relaxed and believe in myself. I think myself is my worst enemy.”
At Whitehall High School
Wednesday’s results
Team key: Allentown Central Catholic (ACC), Bangor (Ban), Bethlehem Catholic (BC), Blue Mountain (BM), Catasauqua (Cat), Dieruff (D), East Stroudsburg North (ESN), East Stroudsburg South (ESS), Easton (E), Emmaus (Em), Freedom (F), Jim Thorpe (JT), Lehighton (Leh), Lehigh Valley Christian (LVC), Liberty (Lib), Mahanoy Area (Mah), Marian (Mar), Minersville (Min), Moravian Academy (MA), Nativity (Nat), Nazareth (Naz), Northern Lehigh (NL), Northampton (Nor), North Schuylkill (NS), Northwestern Lehigh (NWL), Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (NDES), Notre Dame-Green Pond (NDGP), Palisades (Pal), Palmerton (Palm), Panther Valley (PV), Parkland (Park), Pen Argyl (PA), Pine Grove (PG), Pleasant Valley (Pl), Pocono Mountain East (PME), Pocono Mountain West (PMW), Pottsville (Pot), Salisbury (Sal), Saucon Valley (Sau), Schuylkill Haven (SH), Shenandoah Valley (SV), Southern Lehigh (SL), Stroudsburg (S), Tamaqua (Tam), Whitehall (Wh), William Allen (WA), Wilson (Wil)
CLASS AA
BOYS
Finals
(Winner advances to states)
110 hurdles — 1. Guers (SV) 15.38, 2. Troxell (NL) 15.68, 3. Rossi (Pal) 15.93, 4. Tritt (PG) 16.93, 5. Pristash (NL) 17.45, 6. Kolbush (Mar) 17.77
100 — 1. Bruno (Mar) 11.16, 2. Creighton (Pal) 11.25, 3. Roper (Tam) 11.35, 4. Marfisi (PA) 11.42, 5. Appelbaum (Palm) 11.62, 6. Colletti (Pal) 11.7
1,600 — 1. Gonoude (Sal) 4:33.63, 2. S. Brennan (SH) 4:39, 3. Smith (NS) 4:44.94, 4. Fox (Min) 4:45.45, 5. Snedden (PG) 4:48.48, 6. Kemery (NL) 4:49.06
400 relay — 1. Palmerton 44.86, 2. Palisades 44.87, 3. Marian (Karnish, Nause, Sully, Bruno) 45.57, 4. Northern Lehigh 47.06, 5. Pen Argyl 47.95, 6. Pine Grove (Wolfe, Brown, Lapp, Tritt) 48.84
800 — 1. Sheptuk (NDES) 2:02.88, 2. Yutko (Min) 2:04.14, 3. Hinkel (Min) 2:04.39, 4. Orecchio (Pal) 2:05.33, 5. Pothering (SH) 2:07.94, 6. Stith (LVC) 2:08.69
400 — 1. Lodwig (Pal) 51.59, 2. Rubio (NL) 52.18, 3. Agosti (Mar) 52.32, 4. Mussoline (Mar) 52.76, 5. Dooley (NL) 53.11, 6. Moran (Min) 54.52
200 — 1. Creighton (Pal) 22.8, 2. Marfisi (PA) 23.01, 3. Pereira (Palm) 23.54, 4. Appelbaum (Palm) 23.58, 5. Kober (Cat) 23.6, 6. Stasko (Palm) 23.69
1,600 relay — 1. Palisades 3:32.85, 2. Marian (Karnish, Agosti, Witczak, Mussoline) 3:33.0, 3. Northern Lehigh 3:37.28, 4. Palmerton 3:38.95, 5. Minersville (Hinkel, Schatz, Hoptak, Yutko) 3:40.01, 6. Panther Valley (Rivera, Capobianco, Gilberry, Davidyock) 3:45.06
Long jump — 1. Houser (Cat) 21-0¾, 2. Snyder (NL) 20-6¾, 3. Mazeika (NS) 19-11¾, 4. Donaldson (Sal) 19-11, 5. Hicks (Cat) 19-9¾, 6. Keiser (NL) 19-09½
Discus — 1. Anthony (Palm) 140-4, 2. Anczarski (NS) 134-3, 3. Debski (Palm) 132-10, 4. Danko (Pal) 132-5, 5. Skripko (Tam) 129-10, 6. Cunningham (Tam) 125-7
GIRLS
Finals
(Top 2 advance to states)
100 hurdles — 1. Frew (PG) 15.41, 2. Young (BC) 16.19, 3. Lord (Nat) 16.87, 4. Cooper (Pal) 17.22, 5. Wood (Palm) 17.54, 6. Mitchell (Pal) 18.16
100 — 1. Ramsden (Pal) 12.42%, 2. Robinson (Pal) 12.51, 3. Reed (Pal) 12.86, 4. Kissell (NDES) 13.15, 5. Malave (PG) 13.17, 6. Pulaski (Mar) 13.18
1,600 — 1. Gonoude (Sal) 5:20.31, 2. Biondo (PA) 5:21.27, 3. Bunke (BC) 5:28.49, 4. Yocco (BC) 5:33.38, 5. Doman (Pal) 5:35.48, 6. Rowan (BC) 5:46.37
400 relay — 1. Palisades 49.85, 2. Bethlehem Catholic 51.0, 3. Marian (Wheeler, Pulaski, Karnish, Kloap) 52.75, 4. Tamaqua (Pradel, Baddick, Brinkworth, Boyle) 52.82, 5. Pine Grove (Readinger, Lally, Edge, Malave) 53.05, 6. Salisbury 53.52
800 — 1. Shimko (Tam) 2:24.6, 2. Capparell (Mar) 2:26.98, 3. Doman (Pal) 2:27.06, 4. Benner (Pal) 2:27.14, 5. Yocco (BC) 2:33.33, 6. Bunke (BC) 2:33.99
400 — 1. Robinson (Pal) 59.74, 2. Lally (PG) 1:01.04, 3. Wood (Palm) 1:03.21, 4. Strouse (PA) 1:03.25, 5. Roach (BC) 1:03.34, 6. Frantz (Tam) 1:03.94
200 — 1. Ramsden (Pal) 25.92, 2. Bauer (Sal) 26.41, 3. Malave (PG) 27.27, 4. Sisko (SH) 27.35, 5. Kissell (NDES) 27.62, 6. Brinkworth (Tam) 27.94
1,600 relay — 1. Palisades 4:02.87, 2. Bethlehem Catholic 4:07.82, 3. Pine Grove (Malave, Edge, Frew, Lally) 4:15.79, 4. Tamaqua (Frantz, LaBar, Kabana, Shimko) 4:18.56, 5. Marian (Kloap, Pulaski, Capparell, Koniter) 4:23.49, 6. Minersville (Berdanier, Lowe, Purcell, Suprock) 4:37.9
Javelin — 1. Boyle (Tam) 133-7, 2. Brader (Pal) 122-11, 3. Marone (NS) 119-9, 4. Zamolyi (BC) 111-3, 5. Tennis (PG) 105-7, 6. Baranko (Mar) 103-5
High jump — 1. Gregas (NS) 5-4, 2. Szita (Sal) 5-3, 3. Parks (Pal) 5-2#, 4. Keet (Sal) 4-10, 5. Buechel (Nat) 4-10, 6. Bowers (Min) 4-8
Triple jump — 1. Bauer (Sal) 36-5½, 2. Olewine (NL) 36-4, 3. Frew (PG) 36-0½#, 4. Karnish (Mar) 34-6½, 5. Wood (Palm) 33-11½, 6. Bachman (Cat) 33-10¾
Shot put — 1. Henderson (Cat) 38-5½, 2. Ceci (Mar) 33-11½, 3. Eripret (Sal) 33-3, 4. Bubenko (Sal) 32-6½, 5. Hummel (NS) 31-4¼, 6. Green (Palm) 30-8¾
CLASS AAA
(Top 2, plus Blue Mountain, Jim Thorpe and Pottsville in Top 6)
BOYS
Finals
(Top 2 advance to states)
110 hurdles — 1. Cruz (ESN) 14.8, 2. Morris (Ban) 14.82
100 — 1. Liaci (Naz) 10.79, 2. Barkley (Wh) 10.9
1,600 — 1. Espinal (Wil) 4:25.6, 2. Paradise (Em) 4:26.62
400 relay — 1. Easton 43.41, 2. Pleasant Valley 43.45
800 — 1. Samuels (PV) 1:56.13, 2. Espinal (Wil) 1:58.97
400 — 1. Fogle (PME) 50.39, 2. Liaci (Naz) 50.94 … 5. Greenawalt (BM) 51.65
200 — 1. Hodge (ESS) 22.22, 2. Richardson (NWL) 22.29
1,600 relay — 1. Pleasant Valley 3:28.65, 2. Bethlehem Catholic 3:29.19 … 4. Pottsville (Hampford, Dunkel, Witman, Varano) 3:33.75
Long jump — 1. Barkley (Wh) 22-2½, 2. Crum (Leh) 22-1
Pole vault — 1. Miller (Naz) 13-9, 2. Abdelnaby (S) 13-3
Shot put — 1. Czaszar (Lib) 48-10½, 2. Strohe (Ban) 47-3¾ … 6. Reber (BM) 46-6½
Javelin — 1. Hess (Wil) 206-9, 2. Marsack (S) 201-11
GIRLS
Finals
(Top 2 advance to states)
110 hurdles — 1. McWhite (D) 14.4%, 2. Tompkins (Lib) 15.03
100 — 1. Aminu (Lib) 11.77%, 2. Crooks (Wh) 12.18, 3. Lombel (Pot) 12.3#
1,600 — 1. Hammerstone (E) 5:05.84%, 2. Bacher (Em) 5:07.74
400 relay — 1. Liberty 49.17%, 2. Dieruff 49.63
800 — 1. Mickens (PV) 2:21.21, 2. Anderson (Park) 2:22.33 … 5. Leymeister (BM) 2:25.44
400 — 1. Caldwell-Adams (PME) 59.29, 2. McDonald (E) 59.4
200 — 1. Aminu (Lib) 25.0%, 2. Lombel (Pot) 25.79
1,600 relay — 1. Northwestern Lehigh 4:06.15, 2. Easton 4:09.69
Discus — 1. Runo (ESN) 104-11, 2. Petre (Em) 101-11 … 5. Sanders (BM) 97-10
Pole vault — 1. Finn (Lib) 11-6, 2. Gumbrecht (E) 11-0 … 4. Hoffman (JT) 9-6
High jump — 1. Gomes (NWL) 5-3, 2. Jones (Wh) 5-3
Triple jump — 1. West (Lib) 36-11, 2. Williams (S) 36-8
% Meet record
# Qualified for states by meeting qualifying standard