South Park's Maura Huwalt wins the Class AA girls discus throw Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny's Ayden Owens competes in the Class AAA boys 110 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Gateway's Courtney Jackson lunges toward the finish line next to Mt. Lebanon's Parker Reed during their Class AAA boys 100 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, at the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny's Jono Pelusi competes in the Class AAA boys pole vault Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Hopewell's Dantae Ranieri clears the bar at 6 feet, 6 inches in the Class AA boys high jump Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Baldwin's Laurel Bristow competes in the Class AAA girls shot put Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Mt. Lebanon's Flyn Begor competes in a Class AAA girls 100 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Oakland Catholic's Jayla Ellis competes in the Class AAA girls 100 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Aliquippa's MJ Devonshire smiles as he wins his Class AA boys 100 meter dash preliminary race Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Avonworth-Northgate's Hayden Robinson competes in a Class AA girls 100 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Mt. Lebanon's Patrick Anderson competes in a Class AAA boys 1600 meter preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Hopewell's Noah Drudy competes in the Class AA boys javelin Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
The Beaver girls 4x400 relay team celebrates after winning their Class AA preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Avonworth-Northgate's Hunter Robinson wins her Class AAA girls 400 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
South Park's Maura Huwalt wins the Class AA girls discus throw Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny's Ayden Owens competes in the Class AAA boys 110 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Gateway's Courtney Jackson lunges toward the finish line next to Mt. Lebanon's Parker Reed during their Class AAA boys 100 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, at the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny's Jono Pelusi competes in the Class AAA boys pole vault Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Hopewell's Dantae Ranieri clears the bar at 6 feet, 6 inches in the Class AA boys high jump Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Baldwin's Laurel Bristow competes in the Class AAA girls shot put Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Mt. Lebanon's Flyn Begor competes in a Class AAA girls 100 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Oakland Catholic's Jayla Ellis competes in the Class AAA girls 100 meter high hurdles preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Aliquippa's MJ Devonshire smiles as he wins his Class AA boys 100 meter dash preliminary race Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Avonworth-Northgate's Hayden Robinson competes in a Class AA girls 100 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Mt. Lebanon's Patrick Anderson competes in a Class AAA boys 1600 meter preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Hopewell's Noah Drudy competes in the Class AA boys javelin Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
The Beaver girls 4x400 relay team celebrates after winning their Class AA preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Avonworth-Northgate's Hunter Robinson wins her Class AAA girls 400 meter dash preliminary Friday, May 25, 2018, during the PIAA track and field state championships at Shippensburg University.
SHIPPENSBURG – For the second year in a row, South Park thrower Maura Huwalt arrived at the PIAA track and field championships with three chances to win her first state title.
This year, the junior struck gold on her first try.
Huwalt won the Class AA girls discus Friday morning with a throw of 139 feet, 1 inch, a distance that was 17 inches better than her WPIAL-winning mark. As a sophomore, she placed sixth (discus), 10th (shot put) and 15th (javelin) at Shippensburg.
“Last year I didn’t have my best meet here, I’d say,” Huwalt said. “I still medaled, but this year I had that drive. I wanted to win this year.”
Her winning throw came on her first attempt in the finals.
Punxsutawney’s Sam Dyson placed second (136-4) and top-seed Mallory Kauffman of Greenwood took third (136-3). Huwalt was seeded second in the 31-person discus field.
“Going in I knew it was going to be difficult to win,” Huwalt said. “I’m honestly kind of surprised I pulled out the win. But I’m really excited, and I was very confident going in, so I’m surprised but I’m not.”
Huwalt swept all three throwing events at the WPIAL championship last week. With those wins as confidence, she arrived at the state meet with a different mindset than last year.
“I just wanted to more,” Huwalt said. “I trained a little differently this year. I went more at it. I went for the technique, went for the little details. I think that helped out a lot.”
Huwalt earned a second PIAA medal later Friday when she placed seventh in the javelin with a 130-foot, 1-inch throw. She has another solid shot at gold Saturday in the shot put where she’s seeded first.
Kauffman could be her top competition once again. Huwalt’s 43-foot, 5-inch qualifying distance is three-quarters of an inch better than Kauffman’s shot put effort.
The Class AA girls shot put starts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Three WPIAL athletes earned silver medals Friday including two from Hopewell. Javelin thrower Noah Drudy finished second in Class AA boys with a 215-foot throw, and Hopewell high jumper Dantae Raniere cleared 6-foot-6 to place second behind Johnson.
Bentworth senior Brenna Cavanaugh took second in the Class AA girls long jump (17-10) but is a contender for gold Saturday. Cavanaugh is the defending state champion in the 100 hurdles.
The high hurdles should be a chance for the WPIAL to celebrate multiple time Saturday.
WPIAL athletes posted the fastest preliminary times Friday in the boys 110 hurdles for both Class AAA (North Allegheny’s Ayden Owens in 14.27 seconds) and Class AA (Waynesburg’s Daniel Layton in 14.91).
In Class AAA girls, Oakland Catholic’s Jayla Ellis had the quickest preliminary time Friday in the 100 hurdles at 14.31 seconds. Cavanaugh ran the fifth-fastest time (15.22) in Class AA girls.
Owens also ran the top time in the 300 hurdles at 38.03 seconds.
Avonworth/Northgate sisters Hunter and Hayden Robinson sprinted closer to winning multiple state titles. Hunter Robinson ran the fastest 200 time (24.89) in the Class AAA preliminaries, and also easily advanced in the 400 (56.61). Hayden Robinson advanced to the 100-meter semifinals, while the school’s 400- and 1,600-meter girls relay teams both moved forward.
Two PIAA championship records fell Friday.
Berwick thrower Payden Montana broke the Class AAA girls shot put record set by Trinity’s Elaine Sobansky in 1980. Montana threw exactly 51 feet, breaking Sobansky’s record by nearly a foot.
The Class AAA girls pole vault record also was broken Friday when Manheim Township’s Mackenzie Horn cleared 13 feet, 3 inches. The previous record of 13 feet and one-half inch was set by Easton’s Abby Schaffer in 2008.
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.
