Cedar Crest's Kaddel Howard repeats as PIAA state champ in 400
As expected, the real race in the Class 3A girls 400-meter dash was between Cedar Crest sophomore Kaddel Howard and the clock Saturday at the PIAA State Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
"I was kind of nervous, and coming from the 4x800, I was still pretty tired," said Howard, who showed no signs of being either as she won the event for the second straight year in a personal-record time of 53.25 seconds.
Mimi Duffy, of Central Bucks West, finished a distant second in 54.62.
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The time Howard was chasing was 52.82, the meet record set by Saucon Valley's Talitha Diggs in 2019.
"I wanted to go for that 52, but I still feel proud," Howard said. "I ran and came out with a PR, and I still have two years left. Next year, this will motivate me to go hard."
In the 4x800 relay, the Cedar Crest team of Eliana Schneider, Audrey Fugate, Lizzie Lowe and Howard finished 10th in 9:25.12. They were seeded third at 9:20.29.
Schneider bounced back to earn a medal in the javelin, placing fourth with a throw of 140 feet, 5 inches.
Annville-Cleona girls win relay medals
Annville-Cleona's Miracle Hershey, Jada Morales, Sophia Caporaletti and Kendall Cooper nearly achieved their season-long goal in the Class 2A girls 4x100 relay, placing second in 49.06 seconds, a day after they ran 49.02 in the prelims.
West Catholic won the title in 48.33, while Annville-Cleona was aiming for its first sub-49 of the year.
"We've been working toward that all season, and we didn't quite get it," Cooper said. "We were really close yesterday and pretty close today. We'll have to come back and get it next year. None of us are seniors this year, so we'll be back next year, and we're going to work to achieve that goal."
Hershey, Morales, Caporaletti and Cooper returned to the track for the last event Saturday and left with more medals, placing sixth in the 4x400 in 4:04.60.
It capped a memorable season of performance and friendship.
"I'm really proud of how we did this year," Cooper said. "This is our first year as our relay team, and we've had a spectacular season together. Not only do we work well together on the track, but we've grown so close, the bond between the four of us. And that helps us to do better on the track."
On Friday, Lebanon's Zariyah Whigham earned a medal in the Class 3A girls triple jump, placing sixth in 38-1 3/4.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Cedar Crest's Kaddel Howard wins her second PIAA state title in the 400
