Franklin grad wins triple jump at U.S. Nationals
Add Shakeema (Walker) Welsch to the list of local track athletes who have won a national championship.
A 1994 graduate of Ben Franklin High and Penn State in 1999, Welsch won the triple jump at the U.S. National Championship meet in Eugene, Ore., last weekend, nailing a personal best of 46 feet, 11 inches. That makes her a double national champion - she won the triple jump at the indoor nationals last winter with a mark of 45-2 1/4.
"It's been a really good year for me," Welsch told the US Track and Field Web site. "I can't complain."
The runner-up in the triple jump at the last two Olympic Trials, Welsch's winning mark translates to 14.30 meters, which surpasses the qualifying standard for the World Championship meet in Berlin in August, where Welsch will represent the United States . . . and the Public League. *
