PIAA track and field: Delone Catholic's Grace Riedel picks up another pole vault medal
SHIPPENSBURG >> After missing her final attempt at 11 feet, Grace Riedel sat quietly on the Seth Grove Stadium football turf while her remaining competitors finished the Class AA pole vault.
"I was just trying to remember back on different meets and what to be proud of," she said.
There was plenty to think about. Her performance at Friday's PIAA championships at Shippensburg University added a sixth-place state medal to a career with plenty of other accolades. She earned a fifth-place medal last year and was a district runner-up and YAIAA champion this season. She said this year's league meet, where she set a personal record of 11-6 on the way to the title, stood out the most as she reminisced.
Friday, she cleared 9 feet, 9-6, 10 feet and 10-6 on her first attempts before missing at 11 feet.
Riedel will continue to pole vault for Messiah College next year, and will continue to train with coach Dusty Lehr this summer.
"(I'm looking forward) to a new experience, vaulting at a college, and hopefully more good memories," she said.
MOWREY MAKES MOST OF HER CHANCE >> Kate Mowrey thought her season was over after last week's District 3 championships, so much so that she went to the movies to see "Pitch Perfect 2" and ate "loads of junk food."
She ended up getting a chance, though, in the 1,600-meter run after the district's first-, second- and third-place finishers all declined to go to states for that event. As the fifth-place finisher, she was given the opportunity to run one last race in Shippensburg.
"My coach called my parents at home and told them. I had no idea until I got home (from the movie)," she said. "They wanted it to be a surprise. I got home and were like, 'Kate, we need to talk to you,' really seriously. I was like, 'Oh god, what did I do?' And they said, 'You're going to states.' It was funny."
On Friday, she ran the race in 5 minutes, 27.04 seconds, .04 seconds short of the career personal record she set last season, as she finished seventh in her heat and 17th out of 25 runners.
"I feel honored to be here with all these amazing athletes," she said. "It's just so different than a dual meet or even districts. People from all over the state are here, college coaches are here, so I just tried to do my best to stand out to everyone. I want to have this feeling again, and I just have to remember that and remember how awesome it was. Hopefully next year I'll place first or second at districts and really earn it."
SMITH'S THROWS GO WIDE >> After a District 3 discus title a week ago, Bre Smith's return to Shippensburg didn't go as planned.
The Littlestown junior brought aspirations of medaling and breaking the school of 111-8, but she sent her last two throws wide of the boundary. Her first throw, a 96-8, wasn't enough to earn her a spot in the finals.
"Me and Coach (Scott) Motter's goal when we came up here today was that I would throw in the high teens," Smith said. "Yesterday I kind of had a meltdown and I was like, 'I don't know if I can do that,' and I kind of changed my spin up a little bit. I did probably throw around 117, but it was just out of bounds. But that's all right, now I know that I can do it for next year. I'll be back and striving for the top."
A crowd of more than 10 family members and friends made the trip to support Smith, who went around hugging and thanking each of them for their support after she finished competing.
"It's great to have so many supporters, and I think one of the reasons I got so far was all the supporters from my school, my superintendent, I even had a board meeting that I went to to be recognized," she said. "I think without their support, I wouldn't have gotten this far."
DORSEY'S SEASON CONTINUES >> Tavian Dorsey had to sweat it out a little bit, but he will run at least one more race Saturday. The Delone Catholic junior ran an 11.35 in the 100 dash, and although he didn't place in the top four of his heat to earn automatic qualification into the semifinals, his time earned him one of the wild-card spots. The semifinals of the 100 dash are scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. Saturday.
FRIDAY'S COVERAGE
Friday's complete results from the PIAA track and field championships
Lancaster: Warwick's David Lucas grabs state silver
York-Adams Class AAA: Gettysburg's Ravaughn Dillard triple jumps to state title
York-Adams Class AA: Delone Catholic's Grace Riedel picks up another pole vault medal