Spring Runners Hope For PRs, Strong Finishes at Penn Relays

Members of the girls' and boys' spring track teams are headed to the University of Pennsylvania Thursday for an opportunity to compete in the prestigious Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States.

The best of the best have been traveling to Philadelphia's Franklin Field since 1895. It annually boasts over 15,000 athletes from around the world.

Cranford's chances will be fueled by the multi-talented Kelly Burke, who will be looking for medals in both the pole vault and the triple jump.

"We've got Kelly Burke in the triple jump and she's going to win," said coach John Schiano. "She's one of the very top seeds and we're looking for her to break 40 feet."

Burke, headed to Notre Dame in the fall, broke her Union County record by two inches in pole vault at last Saturday's Blue Devil meet. She currently is the state leader in pole vault, and is also the state leader in the triple jump.

"I have the height to do it, I just get really impatient," said Burke, regarding her pole vault prowess. "I need to get my feet back for pole vault so I can get more vertical height. I just worked on my patience and said 'finally,' because I knew I could do it. I just had to work for it."

Even though she's been there before, the multi-talented senior will still have the pre-event butterflies.

"I'm both excited and very nervous," said Burke. "I've done triple jump before there, but it was my sophomore year, so it's going to be a little weird adjusting to the other side of the runway. But I'm ready, and I get to jump against two really good Jamaican girls, so that will be good competition."

Cranford will also have the girls' 4 x 4 team in action, made up strictly of sophomore runners for the Penn Relays now that star Natalie Englese has been sidelined with a strained calf muscle. Rebecca Shimanoff, Kate Evans, Devon Cacchione and Megan Schetelich will be passing the baton.

"It's a great opportunity because it's one of the best meets in the nation," said Evans. "It has college athletes and Olympic athletes going. It's just really cool to be able to go as a sophomore."

"I'm hoping that we'll get first in our heat so we can get a plaque," said Schetelich, who is filling in for the injured Englese. "I'm running second, so I'm definitely trying just to keep up with everyone and hopefully pass some people."

"We're all really looking forward to this race," said Shimanoff, who will run the anchor leg. "We're just looking to stay with everyone else, try and do the best we can, and we're really looking forward to PR-ing."

The girls' 4 x 4 is set for a 3:10 p.m. start, following Kelly Burke's attempt at triple jump glory.

"We have a really young, up-and-coming team," said Schiano. "All except Kate are running for the first time and they're all excited about it and I think they're going to blast a good time on Thursday."

Evans will be in the leadoff role, which isn't necessarily the easiest of spots as they muscle through the first 100 yards of the race. Who knew running track could be so physical?

"I'm going to be throwing elbows every which way," Evans said, only half-joking. "I just want to get in front and try and break 60 for my time. I'm just visualizing beating up all the other girls getting to the front. That'll be fun."

The girls know they'll miss the presence of Englese, but are confident they can still be a force.

"Natalie's amazing, we're really going to miss her," said Evans. "She's a big benefit to our team. But we'll be okay. We'll be fine. We're just going to try and win our heat and we'll be all good."

Meanwhile, the boys' side will be represented by the 4 x 4 team, who have been steadily improving throughout the spring campaign.

"The boys are really excited," said Schiano. "We've got two graduating seniors, Jeff Sun and Tyler Ainge, who ran last year, and are looking to come back this year and have a big improvement."

Running at the Penn Relays for the first time are sophomore Chris Witwick and junior Dan Cleary, rounding out the talented set of runners.

"We're looking to get a big PR (personal best) from these guys, try to get a time under 3:40 as an automatic qualifier for next year and for the future," Schiano said.

"It's always an exciting thing," said Sun. "There's tons of people there. It's really exciting. The atmosphere is amazing. There are thousands of people there. There are a lot of teams in our race. The adrenaline's running. It's just really fun."

"I'm going to be the third leg," said Ainge. "I'm going to try and pass some people and get in a good position for Jeff in the anchor leg. I'm just going to expect to do well in our heat, try to win it. It's pretty exciting running in there. It's cool to run in a stadium environment and hear tons of fans cheering."

The Cougars are thrilled to be participating, but they want to remain realistic.

"We're not looking to win," said Sun. "It's the world's biggest track meet. But to run a PR or something, that would mean a lot because it's my last year and I'd like to do something special."

Burke is hoping to have a day to remember, as she takes it all in, one more time, during her stellar high school career.

"The atmosphere is just really nice," she said. "You have a whole bunch of people in the stands just cheering you on. You have all these people around you that are just great competition and they know what they're doing. They push you to do your best. Usually everyone PR's at Penn Relays and it's a really fun atmosphere to be in."

Click here to watch the Penn Relays live.