BY CORY ISENBERG
Richland’s Calsie Boyd gave notice that she is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference and throughout the state this track and field season in the high jump competition.
The senior had a jump of
5 feet, 6 inches Saturday at the Bedford Giant Eagle Track and Field Invitational to top the competition and establish a meet record.
For this early in the season, the height is a very solid accomplishment and one of the best in the commonwealth.
Boyd, who also won the triple jump title at Bedford Saturday and was named the meet’s outstanding jumper, leaped against two-time defending state high jump champion Janae Dunchack of Northern Cambria.
The Richland jumper finished second to Dunchack in last season’s PIAA championships in Shippensburg.
Bedford’s Brandi Harris, who was third in last year’s state meet, was unable to go on Saturday after pulling a hamstring on March 28 in Altoona’s Igloo Invitational.
At last year’s PIAA Meet, Dunchack was the lone competitor to clear 5-5. Boyd and Harris each went over at 5-4.
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The Northern Cambria girls are the two-time defending District 6 Class AA champions in track and have already gotten off to a strong start.
The Colts successfully defended their title at Saturday’s Bedford Giant Eagle Invitational with 106 points, ahead of Philipsburg (83 points), Richland (81), Forest Hills (43) and Bedford (30).
Northern Cambria also participated at the Igloo Invitational on March 28 and had a strong showing there as well.
Individually for the Colts, Jess Rocco, who was named the Bedford meet’s outstanding thrower, won the javelin
(124-8) and discus (111-0) competitions while Breanna Kochinsky won the 100 hurdles in 15.7, over a second ahead of the rest of the field and the 300 hurdles in 48.1. Dunchack won the long jump (16-23/4) and 100 race (12.9) at Bedford.
Because Saturday was such a windy day, the Bedford meet did not have a pole vault competition, but Northern Cambria has a strong performer in that event. Senior Hayley Paronish won that event at the Igloo Meet, jumping 10-0.
While the Colts get plenty of points from their top performers, as with most team successes, it’s the additional points that are supplied throughout the events by the other Northern Cambria squad members that make the difference.
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Forest Hills sophomore Leah Anne Wirfel, who was second at the PIAA Cross Country Championships in the fall, won the 3200 run at the Bedford meet with a time of 11:32.4.
Wirfel finished more than a minute ahead of the rest of the competition.
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The Bedford boys finished second behind Tyrone in the team competition at Saturday’s Giant Eagle Invitational, breaking their string of three team wins at the meet.
Tyrone had 108 points, followed by the Bisons (101), Richland (80), Berlin (55) and Penns Manor (38).
Cory Isenberg is a sports writer for The Tribune-Democrat.
