Special Day
BROOKVILLE — Rebecca Pennington had already had a decorated career running cross country and track at Karns City.
However, a medal from the District 9 Track and Field Championships had eluded her.
She took care of that and then some Friday at Brookville's Raider Stadium.
Pennington not only won a pair of medals, she added two championships by placing first in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
She ran the events in 5:23.98 and 11:29.84, respectively, taking nearly two seconds off her previous school-record times.
Pennington did not compete in the 3,200 run here last year due to an asthma attack.
“This has been a really special day for me, especially since I had never even medaled here,” Pennington said. “I probably ran the 3,200 at the same pace as I ran the mile, which probably shouldn't happen. But it worked out.”
Pennington will close her high school running career at the PIAA Track and Field Championships next weekend at Shippensburg University.
“I started running tack in ninth grade,” she said. “I was already running cross country, so the distance events were a natural fit for me.
“Cross country is still my favorite. It's more exciting, but I like the racing aspect of track.”
Other highlights from the girls meet Friday:
It turned out to be one eventful day for Kendall Grossman, but not without some tense moments.
Moniteau's sophomore, the defending District 9 Class AA champion in the pole vault, struggled early in Friday's competition.
“You only get three shots per height,” she said, “and I missed my first two chances at 9-6. That third attempt, it was do-or-die. My dad, Matt, and my cousin, Collette, calmed me down.”
Grossman collected herself in time to nail 9-6, then went on to reach a district meet and facility record of 11-4 in winning the event.
“Getting the records, that was nice,” she said. “It was reassuring to know that I did that after the start I had.”
Grossman, whose school record is 11-6 from earlier this season, placed second in the state last year as a freshman.
“This time of the year, we're doing a lot of running to build up our endurance,” she said. “It was a rough spring with the weather, but everybody was dealing with that. So much of the pole vault is mental, especially at this point in the season.”
Emma Fox bid a fitting farewell to the district championship meet, walking away from it with two gold medals around her neck.
A-C Valley's star won both hurdle events, including a personal-best time of 48.05 seconds in the 300.
Earlier in the day, she defended her 100 hurdle title from last year by edging top-seeded Brooke Quairiere of Brookville by .19 seconds.
“It was important for me to win again in the 100,” she said. “I've competed in a lot of events, but it all started for me with the 100 hurdles.
“It's a love/hate relationship with me and track,” Fox added. “Practices are not fun, but I love winning at meets and invites.”
Moniteau's Cambrie Campbell also made the state meet, placing second in the javelin.
