D-3 TRACK: Hamburg's Smith grabs silver in shot put

Leroy Boyer, Republican & Herald, Pottsville, Pa.
·2 min read
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May 20—SHIPPENSBURG — Amanda Smith saved her best for last.

The Hamburg senior thrower placed second in the girls' Class AA shot put Saturday at the District 3 Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

The silver-medal finish qualifies Smith for next weekend's PIAA Track and Field Championships back at Shippensburg University.

Smith took silver with a best throw of 33 feet, 1 inch on the last of her six attempts. Leah Ritzman of Greenwood won gold with a best throw of 34-5, also coming on her final throw.

Smith entered the event as the top seed at 35-8.25. She qualified for the finals with a throw of 32-9 on her third attempt, then had throws of 31-5.5 and 32-5 that put her in second behind Ritzman. Ritzman's best throw came in her final attempt, which was right before Smith.

Smith's final throw allowed her to leap over Sage Sherk of Annville-Cleona, who threw 32-9.25 on her final throw, to capture second and qualify for states. Hamburg teammate Alexia Ewing was sixth at 31-8.

In Friday's opening day of the District 3 meet, Smith was fifth in the javelin at 98-10 and ninth in the discus at 90-9. Lauren Akers of Kutztown won the javelin gold with a top throw of 131-1, while Alexia Green of Dayspring Christian Academy won the discus at 109-8.

Hamburg's Kyla Rogers was fifth in the Friday's high jump, clearing 4-8.

Smith is an honor student at both Hamburg and the Berks Career and Technology Center, where she participates in their SMART (Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Therapy) program. Earlier this season, Smith broke the school indoor shot put record (31-8.5) and the school's outdoor javelin record (108-11) that had been in place for 25 years at the Schuylkill Valley Panther Invitational. She will attend King's College, where she will study physical therapy and compete in winter and spring track.

On the boys' side, Hamburg's Hunter Kline also qualified for states, placing second in the discus (133-7). He was also eighth in the Class AA javelin (139-9).

Eli Blatt was fifth in the pole vault, clearing 11-6, while Mason Semmel was fifth in the shot put (45-8.5) and Jaydon Witman was sixth in the 110-meter hurdles (15.76).

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter