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YAIAA track championships: Six events to watch


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There's rarely a dull moment at a track and field meet.

That's true even at duals, where the quantity of events and combination of male and female athletes makes it impossible to focus on everything at once. But it reaches another level in the postseason, when the best athletes in the region provide constant action event after event.

The 2017 postseason is set to begin Friday with the YAIAA championships at Dallastown High School at 4 p.m. With 36 events — 18 each for boys and girls — happening in one afternoon, there's a lot to go over. With that said, here are a handful of events that should produce plenty of drama.

Boys

400 relay: This event has been the pride of William Penn's squad all season. The Bearcats quartet of Khalid Dorsey, Tyrese Smallwood, Anthony Jamison and Erik Mann competed at the Penn Relays and have a top time this season of 43.4 seconds, which they have reached twice. But the Bearcats haven't faced Gettysburg this season, and the Warriors' relay of Edny Celius, Matt Yingling, Wesley Gayle and Laion Shelton has a top time of 43.3 Still, the Warriors haven't been as consistent as the Bearcats have this season.

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In addition, keep an eye on the teams from South Western and Red Lion, which have both run under 44 seconds this season.

110-meter and 300 hurdles:  In the 110, the top two seed times feature Bermudian senior Trevor Grim at 15.19 seconds and Red Lion senior Dominic Eyler at 15.04.

Grim could be the favorite in the 300 hurdles, where he holds the fastest seed time at 40.44 seconds. He could be tested by South Western senior Dhane Schmelyun (40.57) and New Oxford junior Owen Buhr (40.55).

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Triple jump: The past few seasons, this event featured little to no drama on the boys' side. But with two-time defending state champion Ravaughn Dillard now competing in Maryland for North Hagerstown, the triple jump appears to be wide open.

There are numerous contenders from Adams County, including New Oxford's Liam Hafner (42 feet, eight inches), Biglerville's Fisher Taylor (42-8) and Gettysburg Laion Shelton (42-4) and. But the favorite might be Spring Grove's Noah Hayes, who has a top jump of 43-11 this season.

Girls

100-meter dash: There are few events in track as exhilarating as the 100-meter dash, and the girls' race should be jam-packed with contenders.

For starters, Spring Grove's Mady Miller, York Suburban's Ykendi Hood and Dallastown's Lynethia Shanks have all run times of 12.5 seconds this season. Still, that doesn't mean they're the clear-cut favorites. Fairfield's Cierra Phillips (12.6), Littlestown's Kristin Langrill (12.6), Kennard-Dale's Jess Ollis (12.6), Fairfield's Hannah Logue (12.7) Dallastown's Riyana Owens (12.7), Central York's Haven Evans (12.8) and Northeastern's Lauren Williamson (12.8) have all been around that mark this season.

Evans, Williamson and Owens each finished in the top-five at last season's meet. The reigning winner, New Oxford's Ayanna Johnson, has graduated.

400-meter dash: Last season's league meet was a coming-out party for South Western's Sammy Trone. While the then-sophomore was overshadowed by her star teammate Lynne Mooradian most of the season, she put herself on the map by winning the 400 in 58.3 seconds.

Now, Trone is looking to repeat against some tough competition.

More South Western: Is Sammy Trone the Mustangs' next great runner?

While the junior is still the favorite, she could be challenged by Gettysburg's Genesis Mercedes. Both runners have a top mark of 59.5 this season, so first place could come down to who is able to run a season-best time.

High jump: Here's another event Gettysburg's Mercedes should be right in the thick of.

The senior is the reigning league champion in the high jump, but she might not be the favorite this season. That's because Delone Catholic sophomore Julianna Malesky has emerged as a standout with a high mark of 5-3. Mercedes' best jump so far this spring is 5-2, the same mark that won her first place last season.

The other jumper to watch is Northeastern's Jade Willis, who has reached around five feet this season.