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Records could fall in these 10 events at the YAIAA track and field meet

shelly stallsmith, york daily record
·3 min read

They say records are made to be broken.

It's always possible for an athlete to have a mind-blowing day, coming from far down the seeds to pull off a record-breaking upset. But it's more likely records are broken by athletes who have been inching toward the mark all season.

There are 10 events in Wednesday's YAIAA track and field championships that fall into the latter category. The events range from sprints to relays to a couple of field events.

Wednesday's championships begin at 3 p.m. at Dallastown. Gates for spectators open at 2:30 p.m. and admission is $6 for all spectators.

Records are from the YAIAA website, and times are based on the meet's performance lists.

Here are the 10 events where records have the best chance of falling:

Red Lion's LaDainian Strausbaugh, right, finished second in last year's YAIAA 100-meter race, but holds the fastest time coming into Wednesday's meet.
Red Lion's LaDainian Strausbaugh, right, finished second in last year's YAIAA 100-meter race, but holds the fastest time coming into Wednesday's meet.

Boys' 100 and 200 meters: Central York's Russ Ziegler set the 100 mark of 10.6 in 1995. York High's Knowledge Timmons set the 200 mark of 21.4 in 2004. Red Lion senior LaDainian Strausbaugh has the best shot to break either or both. He is the only entrant to break the 11-second mark in the 100, coming in as the top seed at 10.73. Strausbaugh is a full second off Timmons' mark with a league-best 22.14.

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Boys' 4x100: Dallastown knows exactly what it takes to break this mark because Michael Scott was part of the 2022 team that set the mark of 42.23. The junior will team with Gabe Annan, Christian Rodriguez and Christopher Cromartie to try and break that record. They hold the top time of 42.83 this season.

Girls' 100 and 200 meters: Track and field fans know Spring Grove senior Laila Campbell can go fast. She hasn't lost a league, district or state race at these distances and holds the league records for both. She set the 100-meter mark of 11.24 and the 200-meter mark of 23.58 two years ago on the Dallastown track. She comes in as the top seed in both races at 12.04 and 24.39 seconds.

Spring Grove's Ella Bahn won last year's 800-meter title and already broke the league record this year.
Spring Grove's Ella Bahn won last year's 800-meter title and already broke the league record this year.

Girls' 800 meters: Spring Grove's Ella Bahn already cut more than 2 seconds off the 2001 league mark of 2:16.4 set by Red Lion's Ruth Loyer. Bahn's time came in a league quad meet, so it's good for the league mark, but not Loyer's championship record.

Girls' 100 hurdles: Ryleigh Marks' record isn't likely to last very long. The Susquehannock grad set the record of 14.38 in last year's championship. Bahn's top-seeded time is just .02 off the league and championship record.

Girls' 4x100 relay: South Western set the record of 48.00 in the 2004 league meet. York High's team of Jontai Bailey, A'shyia Smith, Nikole Rodriguez and A'zyah Kirkland is less than a second off that, coming in at 48.82.

Girls' high jump: Will this be the year the oldest girls' track and field record falls? York Suburban's Yvonne Heinrich set the mark of 5-9.75 at the 1980 league meet. Bahn, a sophomore at Spring Grove, brings in a top jump of 5-9, which is 6 inches better than the 5-3 hit by second-seeded Emma Chataginer of Central York, and the best Class 3A jump in the state this year.

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Bermudian Springs junior Lily Carlson, the defending PIAA Class 2A champion, has vaulted a foot higher than the record she set last year.
Bermudian Springs junior Lily Carlson, the defending PIAA Class 2A champion, has vaulted a foot higher than the record she set last year.

Girls' pole vault: Bermudian Springs junior Lily Carlson, the defending PIAA Class 2A champion, already owns the league and championship records at 12-1. And she topped that by a foot at the Arctic Blast Invitational, for the best Class 2A vault in Pennsylvania this season. Because that was not a YAIAA-sanctioned event, it doesn't count toward the league record. But she could change that with one vault on Wednesday.

Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter @ShelStallsmith. 

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: YAIAA track and field records could fall at 2024 championships