Rachel Gehret

The Penn Relays are the oldest active Track and Field Meet in the Country, now in their 130th rendition. The High School events have always been a big part of t

Former Kentucky High School and College Athletes at the USA Outdoor National Championships.

DES MOINES, Iowa - Rachel Gehret highlighted the day for the University of Louisville track and field teams on Thursday, day two of competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, with a fifth-place finish in the women's high jump.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Four members of the University of Louisville women's track and field team were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic Team.

 Led by four individual event titles and eight total medalists, the University of Louisville track and field program closed the first day of competition with the outright lead in the men's championship and in a first-place tie in the women's competition Saturday at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships at the University of Akron's Athletics Field House. (Pictured: Big East 5000m Champion Wesley Korir)

Weekend Highlights: It was Miller time in the 1600 as Craig and Brad went 1-2, showing what used to pass for end-of-season form. Craig posted a Meet Record 4:13.51, with Brad 2nd in 4:21.22. Cumberland Valley swept both the boys\' and girls\' titles with two of the 13 meet records. Reading\'s Jazmin Hunt owned two of those in her three wins, while CV\'s Juan Steward also took two wins at the 5th Bruce Dallas Inv. Laurel Highlands\' Breehana Jacobs contributed two individual wins, a 25.47 meet record in the 200, and a 12.38 in the 100... plus helped the Laurel Highlands 4x100 take the TSTCA title in 50.80. Bradford\'s Erin Hannon was busy as usual, and got off a great Long Jump of 18-07.50 as one of her three wins at the TSTCA Champs. The Female Track Athlete at the 1st Tim Cook Tri-State T&F Inv was Chambersburg frosh Anyssa Barbour, who won the 100 in 12.5 and the 200 in 25.8. At the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonial Relays, Simon Gratz liked the track so much last week, they came back for more. The guys liked it even better this week, setting meet records in the 4x100 in 43.30 and the 4x200 at 1:29.94. They also took 2nd in the 4x400, going 3:27.51 to the 3:27.31 meet record by Archbishop Wood. Anchored by Ryann Krais, Methacton set a meet record of 50.65 in winning the 4x100, and Krais teamed with Laura Bomgardner to set a meet record in taking the Long Jump Relay, combining for 35\'10\". Methacton was 2nd to a meet record 1:47.11 by Cardinal O\'Hara in the 4x200. At the John Waggoner Inv at Solanco HS, Sequoia McBall of Coatesville was a triple winner for the girls, winning the Long Jump (15-4), Triple Jump (35-5) and High Jump(5-0), while Alex Trembly of Downingtown East was a triple winner in boys competition, winning the 100 in 11.0, the 200 in 23.0, and taking the Long Jump with a leap of 19-8. This early in the season, a 10:57.1 3200 is noteworthy. It was deliverd by Strath Haven\'s Lisa Vienneau (in photo by Ryan Comstock). The Conestoga girls posted a very quick DMR at 12:24.4 at the Central League Relays. At the Chestnut Hill Academy Inv, Penn Charter set meet records in the 4x100, and another in the 4x200. At the Council Rock Kiwanis Invitational, Council Rock North\'s Keith Capecci must have been saving his energy for an unusual distance double. His times earned him athlete of the meet as he took the 3000 in 9:02.3 and the 5000 in 15:34.1. They went looking for gems and came away with gold at the Diamond State Relays. The girls of West Catholic ran away with three sprint relays, taking the 4x100 in 49.70, the 4x200 in 1:44.12 and the 4x400 in 3:58.56. Iroquois\' Nicole Wilson, General McLane\'s Lindsay Petri and Fort Leboeuf\'s Kari Hedderick were all double champs at the Fairview Kiwanis Inivitational. Springfield Montco won the boys team title by 24 points over Pottstown thanks to three wins by Duri Green and a strong 4x800. If Rachel Gehret\'s first meet is any indication, then she is ready for some special performances. Remember, it was cold and windy in the mountains of Altoona at the aptly named Igloo Invitational. Gehret started her year with a 5-06 High Jump, 18-09.50 Long Jump, and 37-10.25 Triple Jump. AA State XC Champs Carly Seymour of Central Cambria won the distance double. Hollidaysburg\'s Jenn McConnell won the Shot Put and the Discus. In the boys\' competition, Altoona has some wheels this year in the sprints and middle distance. The Kutztown boys got off to a fast start in the 4x100, going 44.41. They also took the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 in AA competition and won the team title at the Oxenreider Relays. Oley Valley won the girls\' AA. In AAA, North Penn (Philly\'s North Penn) swept the team championships. Trinity of the Harrisburg area, swept the Small School competition at the White Rose Invitational, while only a single point kept Milton Hershey from sweeping the Large School competition, as the Red Lion boys proved victorious. Yes, you read right, Milton Hershey agreed to jump up to the Large Schools for this meet. Made little difference, though. There were double events winners at every turn of the track and area of the field at the Harold Phillips Invitational at Carlisle HS. Big Spring\'s Amanda Raudabaugh won the 400 and 800 in 2:26.3. Teammate Sam Wall took the Discus and the Shot Put. Boiling Springs had two double champs, as Mary Dell in the sprints and Anna Bixler owned the hurdles. Carlisle\'s Tyreese Marshall also pulled off a sprint double. And the girls\' 3200 was strong, as well.

Class of 2006 College Signings. Please email your college selection to don@penntrackxc.com, and if available, a signing photo.

Early college commitments by Craig and Brad Miller, Curtis Bixler, Liz Costello, Latavia Thomas, Rachel Gehret and Kyle Jones.

It\'ll be quite a show by vets Krista Simkins, Nicole Smith, Rachel Gehret, Erin Hannon...plus super freshmen Chanelle Price, Ryann Krais and Karen Shump.

Altoona wins both boys and girls titles as Rachel Gehret contributes 40 points and three district records.

There are some feature events at every meet. At this one, that event was actually multiplied by three, as Junior talents Rachel Gehret, on her home track, and Bradford\'s Erin Hannon, faced off in the three jumps that don\'t involve a pole. And there\'s a hot new sprinter on the line in Altoona, and he\'s just a freshman.

Nicole Leach set a meet record (breaking her own mark) in the 400 Hurdles, going 57.44. Rachel Gehret, Altoona, won the High Jump, clearing 5-08.50, and Eisenhower\'s Elisha Jones took the Javelin on the final throw of the finals over Northern\'s Amy Backel, 143-10 to 140-07. West Catholic qualifies for the Championship of America in the 4x400 with a time of 3:46.28. Five girls teams qualify for the 4x800 Championship of America, wtih Gwynedd Mercy posting the fastest time of the day in 9:08.76. (PA RESULTS AND QUOTES INCLUDED IN ARTICLE).

Unbelievable! Amy Backel has not only joined the 40-foot club in the Shot Put, she has destroyed it. And she didn\'t stop there. Plus, fellow multi stud Rachel Gehret was taking all her events.

Big guns in the throws don\'t hold back... but the distance athletes have their eyes on May\'s big prize. It was forecast to be sunny and calm. But the wind kicked in early and didn\'t stop the entire day, affecting performances and keeping it cooler than perfect conditions. But that didn\'t hold back many of the performances as much as the fact that most athletes were training through the meet - aiming for bigger days in five and six weeks at season\'s end.

To excel in one event is special. To excel in two remarkable. But to excel in the legal limit an athlete is permitted to enter in a meet, is rare. That kind of rare athlete was witnessed by a large crowd of fans on a sun-drenched day, not once, but three times. Virtually every time you turned around, you saw Rachel Gehret, Amy Backel (pictured taking 2nd in the Shot Put) or Shawn Smith jumping, throwing or sprinting for wins...

Some late-season battles took on greater intrigue after Brad Kanuch and Rachel Gehret showed the state they are ready to compete this season at their bests.

The Harrisburg's boys are tuning up their relays, and Saturday took over one state-leading spot and tied another. More...

Altoona SOPHOMORE Rachel Gehret (in Lock Haven University photo) won the 200 in 25.71, the High Jump at 5-06, the Long Jump with a 18.3.75 leap, and anchored her team to a win in the 4x400 with a 56-point split. Oh, and she has already Triple-Jumped 36-06. And Penn Relays champs Ruby Radocaj and Chris Spooner were there, too.

Cedar Crest tops the state in the 4x100, Timmons doubles again, quick 400\'s by the boys, and Penn Relays tuneups from Cumberland Valley, Holsberger, Radocaj and Flagg.

Jefferson junior Shardal Twyman is a one-person scoring machine. Her 12.64 100, 26.22 200 and 17-08.50 Long Jump were good enough for wins. Ruby Radocaj, the Williamsport senior, unleased a 135\' Jav for an easy win; while in the boys Jav, Mike Holsberger cranked one 196-10. David Mock, the AA XC champ from Westmont Hilltop, showed little rust with a 3200 statement of 9:15.17. He was pushed by Harbor Creek senior Brian Soder, 2nd in 9:20.97. Soder had won the 1600 in 4:23.37. Showing the Westmont Hilltop isn\'t just a distance school, sophomore sprinter Brad Kanuch made an early season statement with wins in the 100 in 10.95, the 200 in 22.75 and the Triple Jump, with a leap of 42-04.25.