Palmerton’s Walters improving by leaps and bounds
Like many freshmen, Nataly Walters has limited track & field experience. COVID wiped out her seventh grade season and limited last year’s schedule to three meets.
But Walters is making tremendous strides as her first varsity year approaches the postseason. She jumped 17 feet, 8 inches last Friday at Cavalier Invitational at East Stroudsburg South. That equaled Southern Lehigh standout senior Madison Trout for District 11’s best performance this spring.
She also jumped a Colonial League-best 36 feet, 8 inches in Tuesday’s meet against Pen Argyl and Northwestern.
“Every meet, I see what I’m doing wrong,” Walters said. “I go home to practice and the next meet I look to do better.”
Walters’ talents may be in her blood. Her mother, Kristyn, was a 35-foot triple jumper. That bond got her to join the track team. Her passion has carried her since then.
“I loved it when I first started,” Walters said. “I was not a natural, but want to get better.”
Walters pays attention to what other competitors are doing, but she focuses on what she can do to improve her performances and make an impact in her first postseason.
She said work with Palmerton jumping coach Jim Hay has paid off lately.
“My third phase for the triple jump was really low toward the beginning of the season,” Walters said. “Working with Coach Hay, I’ve done a drill to open that last phase. It’s really helped.”
Walters has some work to do to break two long-standing school records in the long jump (18-10.5 in 1976 by Deb Rodrigues) and triple jump (37-2.25 in 2008 by Casey Ord).
Those would be great, but the freshman is focused only on what is front of her. That is the Colonial League championship meet Tuesday and Wednesday at Whitehall’s
Zephyr Sports Complex.
“I want to qualify for states,” she said. “That’s what I’m aiming for.”
Girls records
Nazareth senior Kelly Leszcynski extended her school javelin record by nearly five feet (144-4) at the Cavalier Invitational at East Stroudsburg South.
Parkland freshman Lucy Tobia ran a 59.62 on Tuesday at Emmaus to lower her area best mark in the 400.
Emmaus’ 3,200 relay team of Addison Johnson, Addison Kleinle, Isabella Lees and Hailey Reinhard) took over the District 11’s top time by more than 10 seconds with a 9:41.41 against Parkland.
Parkland’s Madeleine Battista broke the logjam in the high jump by clearing 5-5 at Emmaus. It was two inches better than her previous best this year, which had her tied with two others in the district. She now is one inch shy of the school record.
Trojans teammate Coral Shivok added another inch (12-1) to her school record in the pole vault against Emmaus.
Jim Thorpe’s Laura Clarke added another foot to her school record and district-best throw in the discus (114-5) on Tuesday against North Schuylkill. She also added an inch to her district-best effort in the shot (36-5).
Boys records
Wilson’s foursome of Damon and Damian Simpson, Zack Gillen and Zakai Hendricks set a school record in the 400 relay with a time of 42.02 — which was good enough to win the Northeast Division at last weekend’s Penn Relays. The four friends owned the previous mark (42.34 in 2021).
Parkland’s Dylan Simon had a memorable meet Tuesday against Emmaus. The junior sprinter set a school record in the 100 (10.54), which also is the district’s best time. He added a 22.08 in the 200 and finished off the Trojans’ win in the
400 relay.
Emmaus’ Kyle Moore leapt 44 feet, 9 inches to take over the district’s top mark in the triple jump. That also came in Tuesday’s showdown for the EPC title against Parkland. That effort was 7.5 inches better than the previous top jump by Pocono Mountain West’s Michael Lawrence.
Green Hornets teammate Aiden Hurlburt added eight inches to his school record in the pole vault when he needed only one try to clear 15 feet against Parkland. He previous set the program mark April 14 against Bethlehem Catholic (14-4).
Also Tuesday, Hershey’s Justin Rogers set the state record by clearing 17 feet, 1 inch in a dual meet against Susquehanna Township. The defending PIAA 3A champion and last week’s Penn Relays winner broke the 4-year-old mark by West
Chester Rustin’s Charles Dever.
More school records
Jim Thorpe’s Aiden Clements broke a school record in the pole vault by clearing 13 feet, 3 inches Tuesday against North Schuylkill.
The Olympian girls 1,600 relay team (Nicole Carroll, Aubrey Bonner, Ehlauna Penn and Kaila O’Connor) set a program mark of 4:12.95 to win at last Friday’s Cavalier Invitational at East Stroudsburg South.
Olympian Invite
When: Friday
Where: Jim Thorpe Participating teams: Jim Thorpe, Marian Catholic, Panther Valley, Tamaqua, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh, Pocono
Mountain East, Pocono Mountain West, Pleasant Valley, Liberty ( javelin throwers), Lincoln Leadership, Blue Mountain, Pottsville, Nativity BVM, North Schuylkill, Minersville, Hazleton Area (girls only), Schuylkill Haven, Harrisburg
Schedule: 1:30 p.m., girls pole vault, boys long jump, boys javelin; 1:45, 100⁄110 hurdles trials; 100 dash; 2, girls high jump; 3,200 relay; 100⁄110 hurdles finals; 1,600; 400 relay; boys triple jump; girls long jump; girls triple jump; boys pole vault; boys high jump; boys javelin; boys discus; boys shot put; girls shot put; girls javelin; girls discus; 400; 300 hurdles; 800; 200; 3,200; 1,600 relay
District 11 Track & Field bests
(through regular season; FAT times noted when applicable)
BOYS
100: Dylan Simon, Parkland, 10.30
200: Ben Henry, Northampton, 21.66(FAT)
400: Josh Farrell, Liberty, 50.41(FAT)
800: Chase Hensinger, Southern Lehigh, 1:56.53 (FAT)
1,600: Alex Heidemann, Freedom, 4:17.37(FAT) 3,200: Alex Kane, Southern Lehigh, 9:33.55(FAT) 400 relay: Wilson (Zack Gillen, Zakai Hendricks, Damian Simpson, Damon Simpson), 42.02* (FAT) 1,600 relay: Southern Lehigh (Dominik Lisicky, Jack Inglis, Aiden Tobin, Chase Hensinger), 3:26.19(FAT)
3,200 relay: Northwestern (Sam Bower, Matt Santana, Cole Chicusky, Nate Vincent), 8:20.89(FAT) 110 hurdles: Jack Inglis, Southern Lehigh, 14.90 300 hurdles: Shaun Apsley, Northampton, 39.70* High jump: Hunter Bleam, Salisbury, 6-5
Long jump: Logan Henry, Northampton, 22-7.5* Triple jump: Kyle Moore, Emmaus, 44-9
Shot put: Anthony Liguori, Stroudsburg, 52-2 Discus: Max Mueller, Wilson, 163-6
Javelin: Bobby McClosky, East Stroudsburg
South, 183-7
Pole vault: Aiden Hurlburt, Emmaus, 15-0*
GIRLS
100: Madison Trout, Southern Lehigh, 11.70
200: Kayla O’Connor, Jim Thorpe, 25.43(FAT)
400: Lucy Tobia, Parkland, 59.38
800: Hailey Reinhard, Emmaus, 2:18.60
1,600: Olivia Haas, Blue Mountain, 4:55.43(FAT) 3,200: Hailey Reinhart, Emmaus, 11:20.80
400 relay: Southern Lehigh (Gianna Smith, Madison Trout, Taylor Graver, Marley Chase), 49.76(FAT) 1,600 relay: Easton (Sophie Emin, Jayla Reinert, Erin Vincent, Reagan Day), 4:03.62(FAT)
3,200 relay: Emmaus (Addison Johnson, Addison Kleinle, Isabella Lees, Hailey Reinhard) 9:41.17
100 hurdles: Faith Yost, Northwester, 15.10
300 hurdles: Maggie Scalzo, Easton, 46.30
High jump: Madeleine Battista, Parkland, 5-5
Long jump: Madison Trout, Southern Lehigh; Nataly Walters Palmerton, 17-8
Triple jump: Grace Nation, Parkland, 37-10
Shot put: Laura Clarke, Jim Thorpe, 36-5
Discus: Laura Clarke, Jim Thorpe, 114-5*
Javelin: Kelly Leszcynski, Nazareth, 144-4*
Pole vault: Coral Shivok, Parkland, 12-1*
*School record