Defending Firing champs Alexis Hardy, Chanel Hercules could duel this week
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Just two girls defending champs return Thursday for the start of the 80th William H. Firing Victory Meet; they could end up competing head-to-head for gold medals.
Wyomissing’s Alexis Hardy was a league champion last year in the 100, the freshman breaking out with a 12.58 in the 100.
Fleetwood’s Chanel Hercules was a surprise winner in the 300 hurdles, an event she had run just a few times prior. She specializes in the sprints and jumps.
Hercules, a senior, figures to run into Hardy on the track, in possibly both the 100 and 200. Hercules owns the Berks best in each event, with a 12.10 in the 100 and a 25.60 in the 200.
Hardy, a sophomore, is third-best in the 100 after running a 12.43 to finish second at the Stephan Meet to McCaskey’s Kamyah Wright. Hardy is fourth in the 200 after running a 26.42 at the Stephan Meet.
Hercules’ best times in each event came in early April; she didn’t compete at the Stephan or last week’s Shaner Meet but is expected to take part in the Firing Meet, where BCIAA championships will be awarded and Berks’ top athletes prep for the upcoming District 3 Championships just a week later.
Hercules and Schuylkill Valley’s Annie Gao could battle in the long jump. Gao won the Shaner at 17-6.5 and owns the Berks Best at 18-1; Hercules’ best is 17-10.
Some of the best girls’ competitions could come in distance races where Wyomissing’s Addie Cohen – who swept the 1600 and 3200 on her home track last week – faces her stiffest local competition of the season.
Cohen, a junior, set a PR in the Shaner 3200 with a 11:01.11, just off the Berks Best of Exeter’s Gabby Keith, who recorded an 11:00.30 at the Hershey Meet of Champions a month ago. Gov. Mifflin’s Kaitlyn Highduch, who ran an 11:06.59 last week, figures to push them.
Cohen set the Berks Best in the 1600 in winning at the Stephan Meet in 5:04.79, a personal best. Exeter’s Gabby Keith was running at Shippensburg’s Roddick Invitational that day, recording a 5:08.44. Highduch’s best is a 5:11.22.
Cohen pulled away for huge wins in both races last week. Keith should help get her primed for the District 3 Class 2A championships, where Cohen has a shot to win each race. She has the season’s best time in the 1600 by nearly 13 seconds and in the 3200 by more than 47 seconds.
One of the best races of the meet could come in the 100 hurdles between Conrad Weiser’s Katelyn Murphy and Wilson’s Violet Houck. Murphy was just off her PR of 15.65 last week in winning the event at the Shaner Meet; Houck ran a 15.68 last week at the Henderson Invitational.
Houck, a freshman, has the league’s best time in the 300 hurdles by three seconds.
Twin Valley’s Sarah Ann Miller could challenge the meet record in the 800 where she ran a 2:14.85 at the Unionville Invitational two weeks ago. The record of 2:14.89 was set by Wilson’s Amina Chtourou in 2015.
Miller shaved nearly two seconds off her season’s best time in the 400 last week, recording a personal best 57.85 at the Henderson Invitational. That’s more than two seconds faster than anyone in Berks this season.
Miller and Hercules are the only girls holding Berks Bests in two events.
Kutztown’s Lauren Akers is in her own league in the javelin where her Berks Best of 139-7 is nearly 20 feet ahead of the field, in both the BCIAA and District 3. She won a district 2A gold last year and hasn’t been beaten this season. Her biggest challenge could be in chasing for the meet record 144-8, set by Kutztown’s Jocelyn Ruth in 2015.
The only meet record set last year came in the girls’ 4×400 relay where Wilson won in 4:01.26. The Bulldogs bettered that last week in winning at the Henderson Invitational in 4:00.49.
Gov. Mifflin’s Sierra Hess won the Firing 200 and 400 last year but has not competed this season due to injury.
Thursday’s schedule includes sprint trials, finals in the girls and boys 3200, and final in six field events: The girls pole vault, shot put and triple jump and the boys high jump, long jump and discus. The field events begin at 4:30, the track events at 5:30.
The competition resumes Saturday at 10 with finals in the remaining events.
