North Penn girls set school record with fourth-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay
Now the team looks ahead to the PIAA state meet.
If competitors wanted to beat the heat Friday afternoon at the Penn Relays, perhaps finding a perch nearest the sun was the best bet.
The North Penn girls' 4x800-meter squad did just that, staking a claim at the top of Franklin Field with ample shade and a beautiful view of the Philadelphia skyline.
"It's so cool," said junior Ariana Gardizy. "We found a little shade right under one of the lights at the top of the stadium. We just sat under there and slept for a little bit. . . . You can see everything. The pictures don't do it justice."
Under an ocean-blue, near-cloudless sky with temperatures peaking around 85 degrees in the late afternoon, the shady respite - and a competitive field - helped the Maidens nab fourth place (8 minutes, 55.88 seconds) in the Championship of America and break a school record.
Pushing an up-tempo pace from the beginning were Holmwood Tech (8:48.15) and Edwin Allen (8:55.41), both from Jamaica, which won first and second place, respectively.
The result of the competitive tempo was sub-9-minute finishes from the first four teams. Last season, Shenendehowa (N.Y.) won in 9:00.79.
"Today, we knew we would have to drop time to have a good place," Gardizy said, "so we all had to put in our best effort, and I think we did."
Sophomore Jenna Webb led off and shaved nearly two seconds off her time from Thursday's relay. Webb said her outside starting position afforded her an unencumbered angle to maneuver to the inside.
Uchechi Nwogwugwu and Mikaela Vlasic (anchor) joined Webb and Gardizy on the relay.
Ridge, which held off North Penn in last month's 4x800 race at the New Balance indoor nationals, narrowly took third place in 8:55.82.
If there was disappointment, Vlasic didn't show it as the PIAA championships loom next month.
"I think it sets us up really well," said Vlasic, who will compete at the University of Pittsburgh next season. "Until states, this is the biggest race we have. Going into it with such a great time, we have a target on our back. But it's really good because we can be confident going into it."
Jumper with personality
Germantown Academy junior Kyle Garland might have been a touch disappointed in his seventh-place finish in the boys' high jump championships, but he certainly put on a show for the crowd.
Garland, 16, whose father, Keith, was a sprinter at Temple from 1985 to 1987, studies film of current Olympic high-jumper Erik Kynard Jr., who Garland says walks up to and talks to the bar during his pre-jump routine.
Garland follows suit but adds forceful slaps to his inner thighs and hamstrings.
Then, after he walks back to his mark, Garland, one of the best decathletes in the country at his age, rhythmically claps. On Friday, the crowd joined in.
"It's just a great feeling knowing that everybody's supporting me in this moment," he said.
Not only did the crowd join the clapping, it also "oohed" and "aahed" every time Garland cleared or almost cleared the bar.
Lushane Wilson of Jamaica's St. Jago took first place with a distance of 7 feet, 1 3/4 inches. Garland, who said he cleared 6-10 1/4 earlier this season, finished at 6-7 3/4.
"It was an OK performance," Garland said. "I wanted to jump a little bit better. Clearing 6-7 on a day like today, though, is still a decent day for me. I felt strong, and I knew the competition was really high this year. So I just wanted to do as well as I could."
Around the track
The team of Colin Riley, Eli Schwemler, Jonathan Plass, and Nick Dahl from Germantown Friends took third place in the boys' distance medley Championship of America with a time of 10:11.68. Council Rock North, at 10:15.70, took fourth.
La Salle's Noah Walker finished third in the boys' javelin championship with a distance of 201-6.
Bishop Shanahan's Josh Hoey finished fourth in the boys' mile run championship.
Cheltenham's team of Bria Barnes, Giani Fleming, Alexis Crosby, and Chanel Brissett finished seventh in the girls' 4x100 Championship of America. Jamaica's Edwin Allen took the top spot with a time of 43.96 seconds.
On Thursday . . .
Neumann-Goretti's Janese Lynch (45.55 meters) finished sixth in the girls' discus throw championship. Fiona Richards, from Jamaica's Edwin Allen, took the top spot in 51.66 meters.
Christina Warren, from Perkiomen Valley, finished fourth in the girls' triple- jump championship with a distance of 12.11 meters. Brianna Smith (1.67 meters) from Cheltenham finished 11th in the girls' high-jump championship.
Villa Maria's Erin Zimmerman (45.71 meters). finished fifth in the girls' javelin throw championship.