May 7, 2013 4 min read

HOOKSTOWN – Next week’s to-do list for Jen Lucas includes school work, track practice and a trip to the hospital.

No, everything is fine with Lucas, a junior at Fort Cherry High School and one of the most prolific javelin throwers in the WPIAL this season.

Lucas is going to visit her close friend and former classmate Jesse Merckle, who suffered a hernia that required surgery and ended her successful freshman season at Wake Forest.

“I feel terrible for her,” said Lucas Tuesday at the WPIAL Class AA Track & Field Southern Qualifier at South Side Beaver High School. “But she had a great year: Rookie of the Year and winning the ACC title.”

When Lucas gets to the hospital, she can tell Merckle about her exploits in the qualifier, where she hit 150-8 on her second throw to set a personal record and then flung the discus 100-3 to finish second behind California’s Kailyn Clancy (106-7). The javelin distance was the best in the WPIAL this season, bettering her previous mark by 4-7.

The top eight finishers in each event advanced to the WPIAL Class AA Championships at Baldwin May 16.

Washington, which will compete in the WPIAL Class AA Team Tournament at Baldwin Thursday, had another strong day. DeQuay Isbell had a 51.18 in the 400, Quorteze Levy 39.95 in the 300 hurdles and Darius Spinks won the long jump at 22-0.

Alyssa Wise had the best time in each of the sprints: 12:47 in the 100 and 25.67 in the 200. Wise did not run in the 400.

The Wash High boys 3,200-relay team (8:24.61) and 1,600 relay team (3:26.21) each finished first and the 400 relay was second (43.75).

Chase Caldwell won the javelin with his first, and only, throw, and the girls 400 relay took first in 50.44.

The only glitch? Mijerean Witcher, who won the WPIAL title in the triple jump last season, did not participate yesterday because he was academically ineligible. Witcher could still be a part of the Prexies relay teams as an alternate.

Lucas’ throws went 148-0, which set a PR, 150-8, which reset it, then finished with a 140 and 139.

“I was happy to get to 150,” said Lucas. “I finally did it. I knew what to do. It’s all about putting it together.”

The key was getting more of a whip action on the release. There is little time for preparation now, because Lucas is going on a class trip to New York City, where she and her classmates will take in a play, visit Ground Zero and go to Times Square.

“Maybe I can throw the javelin in the hotel lobby,” she joked.

Caldwell had a sore elbow, the result from one of his throws in the javelin in last week’s WPIAL Team Tournament semifinal. But it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t throw in the qualifier. He only needed one, reaching 160-4 to win the event.

“I did something to my elbow, but it’s not serious,” said Caldwell, a junior. “I’m just going to ice it down.”

Caldwell’s throw came in his first attempt, and he scratched from the remaining three. No need to aggravate the injury, right?

“I was the last one in my flight,” he said. “I knew I had 160 and no one hit that in their first tries so I just waited and scratched.”

Caldwell has been throwing since his freshman season, and his personal best is 171. He hit that during the Section 6 Championships at California High School last month.

Caldwell finished his freshman season throwing 140 and his sophomore season at 166. He wants to continue to climb to the school record of 201, set by Brian Milligan in the mid-1990s.

Clancy was a double winner, taking the discus in 106-7 and the shot put in 40-0.

Her 106-7 was about eight feet shy of her personal-best of 114-0, set a couple weeks ago in a dual meet. She also is coming off a PR of 42-1 in the shot put at last week’s Baldwin Invitational.

“I like throwing here,” Clancy said. “I didn’t do as good as I did in the discus. I just want to keep getting better. I want to get to 45-0 for the shot put and 120 in the discus.”

Fort Cherry’s Zach Dysert won the discus (140-10), South Fayette’s Natalie Hilton was first in the 3,200 run (11:36.55) and the Lions’ 3,200 relay team won in 10:12.27. Chartiers-Houston’s Amanda Balzer had the best times in the 100 hurdles (16.17) and 300 hurdles (48.82).