Mifflin’s Annika Ermold has strong shot at capturing more gold

Track & Field coverage presented by ATT Sports, Inc.

By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

There are times when Annika Ermold doesn’t even want to know the distance. She’ll tap her heel on the circle to create a foul because hearing the measurement will cause more harm than good.

“I just feel like I don’t want to get that number in my head and be down on myself,” Ermold said. “There’s no point in keeping it.”

Ermold won the shot put and discus at the Schuylkill Valley Invitational Saturday. The Gov. Mifflin senior also tapped on that circle a couple of times to dismiss throws some of her rivals might envy.

The defending District 3 Class 3A gold medalist in the shot put has set a high standard for herself. Another gold and another PIAA medal are requirements to make this season complete.

“She always wants to improve upon what she has done previously,” Mifflin coach Peter Clark said. “She has no ceiling for herself. She just wants to get better and better.”

This final season, the one Ermold mentally circled long ago, has presented some unexpected obstacles. There was a moment when she worried her goals might be lost.

On a rainy day at the Black Knight Invitational at Hempfield three weeks ago, Ermold twisted her right ankle and crumpled to the ground in pain. She wasn’t sure what it meant at the time. Even a short-term absence could derail her progress.

“I was there in tears,” Ermold said. “I just crashed down. I couldn’t put any pressure on it. It was really scary. I was like, ‘Crap, what just happened?’”

Ermold had to wear a boot to school. She felt fortunate when she was able to compete in the next invitational two weeks later. The senior won the shot put and took second in the discus at the Stephan Meet last week. 

The Schuylkill Valley Invitational brought Ermold a little closer to being full strength. She feels like she was able to spin faster, particularly in the discus.

“This was mentally draining on me,” Ermold said. “I’ve been able to push through more and I produced a season’s best today. I was really happy with that.”

Ermold hit 38-11 in the shot put and 121-0 in the discus. The latter is her top result of the season.

The injury momentarily slowed down her marks. The Penn State recruit is hoping to surpass her PRs from last season in the coming weeks. Her shot put best is 41-11.75 and her discus record is 130-2.

Only five other Berks throwers have reached 40 in the shot put since 2005.

Only six others have topped 130 in the discus during that time. Ermold’s career is comparable to some of the county’s greats.

Ermold dedicates herself to throwing year-round. Track is her only sport.

“You don’t have to worry about her pulling in different directions for different activities,” Clark said. “In today’s day and age, it’s a unique thing to see someone so supremely focused on her discipline. She wants every inch out of throwing a shot put or throwing a discus.”

Ermold entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the shot put in District 3 Class 3A. She has a chance to go back-to-back in her favorite event.

Following the SV Invitational, Ermold planned on breaking down the video with her dad later that night. Eric Ermold was Annika’s coach in middle school. They study every part of her technique and try to find every possible edge.

Then Annika takes that information into her training.

“She’s very analytical as far as thinking about what she’s doing,” Clark said. “Meticulous in wanting to be precise to continue to improve. It’s neat to see an athlete that wants to continuously get better even when they’re at the level she is.”

Ermold is the favorite to win the shot and discus at the Firing Meet in two weeks. She has never won county gold. Her sophomore season was erased by COVID and she was stuck behind Schuylkill Valley’s Ashlyn Giles, the county record holder in both events, last season.

There’s so much left to achieve despite so much already being on her resume. The next few weeks will be spent bolstering her Mifflin legacy.

“We’re getting into championship season,” Ermold said. “That’s what I really want to focus on. The dual meets are nice for practice. This is where I really want to perform.”