NTL TRACK & FIELD: WYALUSING'S ELY, HALEY JUST SHORT OF THE MEDALS AT STATES (2023-05-26)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
SHIPPENSBURG — Up until Wednesday Wyalusing’s Hannah Ely wasn’t going to be jumping at the PIAA Track and Field Championships Friday. That didn’t stop her, though, from putting on one of her best performances of the season as she finished just one spot shy of the podium.

Ely took ninth in 16-feet, 8 1/4-inches, making the finals out of the second flight. Her best jump came in her second try of the day after hitting 16-feet, 7-inches on her first effort.

In the finals, though, she scratched on her first jump, and could only get to 16-feet over her next two jumps.

The final medal spot was 16-feet, 10-inches.

Still, it’s quite a performance for somebody who thought their season was done after last weekend.

“It’s just crazy,” Ely said. “I’m just grateful to be here. I just want to be here for Charley (Schlauch), nobody wants to end their senior season like that, so I’m just here to kind of live up to her performance, honestly.”

Schlauch couldn’t compete due to an injury at districts and Ely was the alternate, and she definitely brought the enthusiasm to compete.

“I just felt really good,” she said about her first two strong jumps. “I think it has a lot to do with the weather, and just being excited to be here.”

Her teammate Olivia Haley just missed the finals in the 400. She took 10th in the preliminaries at 59.54, just .3 seconds from the final spot in the finals.

Haley was third in the first heat of the quarter-mile.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Wyalusing’s Hannah Ely competes in the long jump…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING