Plum’s Parker medals in shot put at PIAA championships

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, May 29, 2021 | 7:49 PM

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SHIPPENSBURG — Plum thrower Logan Parker returned Saturday to Seth Grove Stadium and felt right at home.

Soon, it will be his home. A Shippensburg recruit, Parker placed fifth in the boys shot put at the PIAA Class AAA track and field championships.

“I got there, and I was walking around and it just kind of hit me that this is where I’m going to be at in a few months,” Parker said.

The senior, making his second appearance at the state meet, threw 56 feet, 1³⁄₄ inches to earn a spot on the medals podium. In 2019, he placed 12th when he was here as a sophomore with a throw of 51 feet.

“It felt more comfortable,” Parker said, compared to his visit two years ago. “I knew a lot of the guys throwing, and I felt a lot more support.”

Four WPIAL throwers finished in the top 10, with Hempfield senior Dan Norris second (59-5), Penn Hills junior Angelo Allen eighth (52-7) and Knoch senior Josh Rohland ninth (52-2 ¹⁄₂).

Somerset senior Dustin Hyde won with a throw of 59-8.

“I was happy. I’m not satisfied,” Parker said. “I was happy that I was seeded in the top five, and I finished fifth. So I didn’t move down. But at the same time, I definitely felt I could have had a better performance and possibly a new overall PR.”

Don’t expect him to blame the weather. Not even rain and temperatures in the 40s could dampen his day.

“Believe it or not, that’s the weather I perform best in,” Parker said. “I’ve already thrown better in the colder, moist weather.”

Knoch’s Michael Formica also celebrated a fifth-place medal in the boys 1,600 meters. His time was 4 minutes, 19.05 seconds. The senior improved on his No. 8 seed and finished within a half-second of Butler’s Skyler Vavro, the WPIAL champion, who was fourth.

Formica finished 29th in the 800 (2:09.61).

Fox Chapel freshman Laura Carter finished 13th in the girls 3,200, three spots better than her seed, in 11:07.63.

Foxes teammate Domenica Delaney was 10th in the 300 hurdles, bettering her seed by six spots. The senior crossed the line in 46.94 seconds.

The Kiski Area girls 3,200 relay was 14th in 9:56.35.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Kiski Area, Plum