Lakeview's Miller tops in the state in javelin; Hickory's Ryan Zippie pulls huge upset over the weekend

May 05, 2008 06:23 pm

— Thinking back to last May, I can remember talking to my co-worker Ed Farrell on the phone after he had covered the PIAA Track & Field Championships in Shippensburg. I asked him which locals medaled and he was naming them off and all of their names rang a bell. Until he said, “and Fawn Miller from Lakeview placed 8th (129-4) in the javelin.” I said, “Who?”
She was just a freshman last year and everyone knows who she is now. Her best throw this season was 152-10 at the City of Hermitage Invitational, a Lakeview school and meet record. She is also competing in the 100-meter dash and 300 hurdles this year.
According to Track and Field News, that throw is the best in the state among girls, regardless of classification and 5th-best in the nation. Tops in the nation is 167 feet, 11 inches by Hannah Carson, a freshman in Mesa, Ariz. The national high school record is 176-5.
ä I did some research and tracked down some other track info from the weekend, since the coaches didn’t call us with the results.
On Friday, 3 girls from Mercer High medaled at the Pine-Richland Invitational. Melissa Smith took 6th in the 3200 (12:03), Jordyn Pipenhagen was 5th in the discus (89-1) and 5th in the javelin (97-4) and Savannah Schaa took 6th in the discus (88-7).
ä In the Baldwin Invitational this past weekend Mercer’s Weston Schaa was 4th in the high jump (6-4) and Ethan Isoldi took 7th in the 1600 (4:24.01), and Hickory’s Matt Durisko placed 8th in the javelin (170-1). Mustangs coach Judd Allen called in the results Monday and reported that Isoldi’s time broke a 20-year-old school record.
ä The Greenville boys and girls track teams had a large number of athletes place on Saturday at the North East Invitational. On the boys side, Josiah Rupert was 1st in the javelin (166-10) and Kody McInturf took 1st in the shot put (44-7 1/2). Aaron Webber was 2nd in the pole vault (11-6), the 1600 relay team placed 3rd (3:42.76), Justin McCrillis was 3rd in the 400 (53.93), Eddie Summerlin took 3rd in the 1600 (4:46.21), Dylan Zuschlag was 4th in the long jump (19-9 1/2), the 400 relay team took 4th (46.96), Dane Park placed 5th in the discus (117-5), Summerlin was 7th in the 800 (2:12.07) and the 3200 relay team was 7th (9:12.74).
For the girls, Megan Montalvo was 1st in the 100 (13.07) and 200 (27.31), the 400 relay team took 2nd (53.48), Kara Doddo was 3rd in the 100 hurdles (17.33), Megan Webber placed 3rd in the 200 (28.19), Allison Pfaff took 3rd in the 3200 (12:40.87), Alysha Giddings was 4th in the discus (86-2 1/2), Nikki Landfried placed 5th in the 200 (28.36), Webber took 6th in the 100 (13.30), Megan Eckard finished 6th in the pole vault (7-6), Pfaff was 7th in the high jump (4-5), Ashley Weaver took 7th in the 100 (13.35), Hannah Horne was 7th in the 800 (2:38.14), Giddings was 7th in the shot put (28-6) and Doddo was 8th in the 300 hurdles (55.32).
ä One big disappointment on Saturday was that nobody reported the tennis results from the District 10 Class AA Championships at Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie. Not one coach called in or faxed results.
The title match on Monday was a between a pair of Fairview players (No. 8 seed Johnathan Knoll vs. unseeded Jake Batchelor), with the winner headed to Hershey.
Hickory’s Ryan Zippie pulled off the biggest upset in the tourney as he notched an 8-5 win over the top seed, Fairview’s Thomas Shuttleworth, in the 2nd round.
Grove City's Matt Kiser (No. 5 seed) and Greenville’s Brian Goda (unseeded) made it to the semifinals. Kiser suffered a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Batchelor while Knoll beat Goda, 6-3, 6-0.
Hickory’s Zippie and Corey Runyan (No. 2 seed) and Grove City’s Josiah Welker were all ousted in the quarterfinals. Zippie lost to Kiser, 8-1, Welker suffered an 8-5 defeat to Batchelor and Runyan lost to Knoll, 8-3.
Monday's Class AAA title match was between the top 2 seeds - McDowell’s Landon Williams and Chris Galvin.
Hickory’s Zippie brothers (the other is Sean) and Runyan and a yet to be announced partner will take part in Wednesday’s D-10 Doubles Tournament in Erie. The team championship is Hickory vs. Fairview on Thursday.
ä Some football fans might remember Hickory’s final game last season against Freedom in Beaver County when Freedom’s John Challis entered the game despite having cancer. The Hornets agreed to have him play, then after the game the kids wished him well and gave him encouragement.
Mike White wrote a nice article in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about Challis. Unfortunately, he is losing his 2-year battle with cancer. Challis, who is now 18 years old, 5-foot-5 and only 93 pounds, has been told by doctors that the best-case scenario is 2 months. The disease started in his liver, spread to his pelvis and has now spread to his lungs. The article was about a Freedom vs. Aliquippa baseball game that took place 2 weeks ago and Challis came in as a pinch-hitter and ripped an RBI-single. He made it down the base line to 1st base despite having a hard time running due to the disease in his pelvis.
Years down the road I won’t remember that the Hickory football team went 2-8 in 2007; the story I’ll remember about the Hornets is the class they showed by letting Challis play in the game.

Rob Malsom is a sports writer for The Herald

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