SHIPPENSBURG — Perhaps nobody is tougher on Tamaqua’s Morgan Boyle than she is on herself.
Saturday was no different, even after she turned in her best career performance at states.
Boyle grabbed her fourth career state medal in two years by coming in sixth in the Class AA girls’ javelin at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
Boyle, who came in seeded eighth, finished with a final distance of 133 feet, 11 inches, a mark she hit during her third and final throw of the preliminaries. Boyle was sixth after the prelims. She wasn’t able to better her distance or her place standing during her three attempts of the finals, but nobody passed Boyle, either.
The medal was Boyle’s second this weekend after she finished in a three-way tie for eighth in the pole vault Friday at 10-0. Boyle also medaled twice at states in 2014, finishing eighth in the both the pole vault and javelin.
Boyle wasn’t pleased with her performance in the pole vault Friday and wasn’t particularly satisfied with her showing Saturday.
“No,” Boyle said, and then laughed when asked if she was in a better mood Saturday than Friday. “I came in wanting to PR (personal record) and it didn’t happen.”
Boyle’s career best in the event is 135-1, a distance she got this spring.
The feeling was the opposite for Lehighton’s Tyler Crum.
In his final state meet, Crum went home with hardware, finishing eighth in the Class AAA boys’ long jump at 21-8.25. It was Crum’s first state medal in his second appearance at states.
Crum competed at states in the long jump in 2014, coming in 22nd to end an injury-filled season. The ending to Crum’s high school career Saturday was exactly what he wanted.
“I just wanted to go out with a bang,” Crum said. “I am coming home with a medal so I am pretty happy.”
Boyle and Crum were the only area athletes to earn medals Saturday, in what was a very quiet weekend. The only other medal earned over the two-day championships was by Jim Thorpe’s Rayan Green, who was seventh in Class AAA boys’ triple jump Friday.
There were four opportunities for medals on the track Saturday. Even though those athletes didn’t come home with hardware, there were positives.
Pine Grove’s Maddie Frew (Class AA girls’ 100 hurdles) and Shenandoah Valley’s Kyle Guers (Class AA boys’ 110 hurdles) reached the semifinals of their respective events for the first time in their careers in the morning. However, but both were unable to advance to the finals in the afternoon.
Frew ran 15.83 seconds and was sixth in her heat. Guers was also sixth in his heat with a 15.92.
The Tamaqua girls and Minersville boys competed in the finals of the 3,200 relay after their performances during Friday’s preliminaries.
The Raiders’ Chelsea Frantz, Monika Shimko, Victoria LaBar and Janette Kabana finished 12th in the finals in 9:59.29. The time was a season best for the four and beat the 10:01.04 they had in preliminaries. The Raiders were seeded 14th for the event with their District 11 Championship time of 10:02.31.
The Miners’ Wesley Yutko, Colton Fox, Clement Rushanan and Ben Hinkel finished a place short of a medal, finishing ninth in 8:11.07. Still, the time was more than 10 seconds better than their 8:21.44 preliminary performance. The four also broke a school record Saturday, shattering the 8:17.6 from 2013.
Boyle got off to a good start, hitting a 126-8 with her first throw. She followed that with a 119-5 on her second attempt before hitting her best of 133-11 on the third.
“I tried really hard,” Boyle said of her third throw. “I tried really hard with my arms. I didn’t work my legs enough and I just tried to make it work.”
Technique is the big item Boyle knows she has to work on in order to improve. Tamaqua throwing coach John Kotchmar feels the same way and for him, it starts by getting more of Boyle’s legs and lower body into her throws.
“She goes through her upper body instead of letting her lower body do the work,” he said. “It is a very unnatural thing to get the lower body involved.”
Still, Boyle was able to keep Tamaqua’s female state javelin medal streak alive for another year. Saturday was the 10th consecutive year a Raiders javelin thrower earned a state medal. It started with Casey Wagner, who finished fifth in 2006.
“I pretty much just came in with the mentality that I am just going to do it,” Boyle said. “I just kind of had more confidence than I usually do today.
“I am just hard on myself,” she added. “I know I can do better than what I’ve been putting out. I am ready for next year and I am ready to come back and win gold.”
Redbank Valley junior Brooke Hinderliter won Saturday’s championship with a 158-9. Mount Carmel’s Maura Fiamoncini (139-11) was second and South Park’s Sarah Stanley (135-7) third.
Crum came into Saturday seeded 12th, and all he wanted to do was get on the medal stand somehow.
Like Boyle, Crum’s best jump also came in the preliminaries, with his on the second attempt. Technique-wise, Crum was focusing on jumping out higher and bringing his hands to his feet in the landing. It happened on that jump as Crum was also able to put a bad first jump behind him.
“The adrenaline was definitely kicking in,” Crum said. “My first jump wasn’t too good and the fans kind of cheered me up and just went out and jumped it.”
Last season, Crum pulled his hamstring during Lehighton’s first meet. He missed the entire year before he returned at districts and qualified for states.
This season, Lehighton’s first in the Schuylkill League, Crum has been healthy throughout. He won his first Schuylkill League title at Blue Mountain High School on May 6 with a 21-7. At the District 11 Championships last week at Whitehall High, Crum (22-1) took second to Whitehall’s Saquon Barkley (22-2.5).
Crum’s distance wasn’t his best Saturday, but he was more than satisfied with his finish.
“I could have jumped better,” Crum said. “It is just good to come out here against the athletes at states and just come home with a medal.”
Cheltenham’s Saahir Bethea (25-5.75) won the title, with Woodland Hills’ Issiah Brooks (24-1.50) finishing second.
In Class AA girls’ field events involving area athletes Saturday, Frew (34-3.5) finished 18th in the triple jump, while Marian’s Kaylee Ceci (32-0.5) was 26th in the shot put.
Green ended up in a 5-way tie for 16th in the Class AAA boys’ high jump at 6-0.