Leader of the Pack
BUTLER TWP — Ahead of schedule and leading the pack.
That's where Emma Lehman is midway through her junior season.
Butler's hurdler finished the 300-meter event in 45.09 seconds to place first at Saturday's Butler Girls Track and Field Invitational.
Hickory senior Aniyah Anderson was a distant second at 46.81.
Lehman's time is ranked second in the state. Neshaminy's Sanaa Hebron has run the event in 44.46.
“I wanted to break 45 at some point this season, but didn't think I'd do it this early. I'm a little surprised it came today,” said Lehman, whose previous best time was 46.46, which had her seeded first entering Saturday.
Her modesty belies Lehman's efforts so far this season, according to Butler hurdles coach Jeff Renwick.
“Every meet, she's been dropping time,” he said. “To drop a second and a half in one meet is almost unheard of. She's only a junior and hasn't scratched the surface of her potential.”
Lehman also placed second in the 100 hurdles, anchored the winning 4x100 relay team (50.14) and opened the Golden Tornado's winning effort in the 4x400 relay (4:09.41).
Those performances earned for Lehman Track MVP honors and spurred Butler to the Invite's team championship.
Butler scored 100 points, forty more than runner-up Norwin. It is the fifth straight time and eighth instance in the 19-year history of the Invite that the Golden Tornado have claimed the team championship.
“You win the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, that puts you in the right direction to win as a team,” said Butler coach John Williams. “Our team is really shaping up great for the rest of the season.”
Teaming with Lehman to win the 400 relay title were Alli Morrow, Justine Forbes and Taylor Timmons.Forbes, Timmons and Samantha Penrod helped bring home victory in the 1,600 relay.Slippery Rock earned titles in a pair of events. Gianna Bedel won the high jump with a personal-best height of five feet, five inches while Maryann Ackerman topped the field in the javelin with a distance of 140-1.Bedel wasted no time making a name for herself as a freshman two years ago, winning the District 10 championship and placing fourth in the state.“I'm extremely happy with how I did,” Bedel said of Saturday's effort. “I've been working on having good approaches and hope to go even higher by the end of the season.”“Gianna recently went 5-3 and had a lot of 5-2s earlier in the season,” said Slippery Rock jumping coach Robin Springirth. “For her to go 5-5, that's big for us. She is getting really consistent with her approach and is in a good spot right now.”Finishing runner-up to Bedel was Butler's Alexia Mechling and her teammate, Katie Ban, placed fourth.Ackerman owns Slippery Rock's record in the javelin at 147-5. The senior said she hopes to break 150 by the time her scholastic career is over. She will compete in college at Oregon State.“I do better on track surfaces than I do on grass,” she explained. “The bigger meets coming up — Hermitage Invite, District 10 and state championships, they all have a track surface.“I will keep working on my technique and work myself into those bigger meets.”Penrod finished second in the pole vault for Butler with a height of 11-1. Only McDowell's Kalli Knott had a better effort — a meet record of 12-5.
