May 27, 2017 5 min read

SHIPPENSBURG – It all seemed surreal to Brenna Cavanaugh.

The Bentworth junior could feel the final hurdle catch her trailing right leg and she was falling to the all-weather track inside Seth Grove Stadium at Shippensburg University.

The prohibitive favorite to win a gold medal in the Class AA 100-meter hurdles at the PIAA Track & Field Championships was rolling toward the finish line, almost certain to be eliminated in this semifinal race.

But two things saved Cavanaugh:

A large lead and gymnastics.

Because Cavanaugh rolled to her feet, she crossed the finish line with just .05 seconds to spare for the final qualifying spot.

That’s when she did the incredible in the finals, bursting down Lane 8 and winning the event with a scorching time of 14.44.

Cavanaugh’s win avenged a second-place finish in this event last year and capped a good day for area athletes.

Waynesburg’s Ben Bumgarner won the Class AA 3,200 run with a time of 9:10.58 and Isaiah Robinson of Washington took second place in the Class AA triple jump with a leap of 46-0 ½.

Ashley McIntosh won two medals: sixth in the 300 hurdles (45.75) and seventh in the 100 hurdles (15.57).

South Fayette’s Rachel Helbling was seventh in the Class AAA 400 (56.29) and Canon-McMillan’s Chyna Beck was sixth in the Class AAA 100 hurdles (14.79).

Cavanaugh was third in the long jump (18-03 1/2) and didn’t medal in the triple jump. She competed in the latter event with a nasty road rash bruise on her left leg from the fall.

“My dad taped the race, but he wouldn’t let me see it,” she said.

It is believed that Cavanaugh is the first runner to win a sprint state title from Lane 8, which is reserved for the slowest qualifying time of the semifinal heats.

“The semifinal was absolutely crazy,” she said. “I did not expect that to happen at all. The 10th hurdle just destroyed me. I was over it and I was being lazy with my trail leg because I was slowing down.”

When she fell, it brought a collective gasp from the packed stadium crowd. Her lead allowed her to continue rolling to the finish line. Her training as a gymnast allowed her to quickly get up.

“I rolled a couple times and heard them announce who won,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh, my god, I have to get up and do something. This is what I came here for, the hurdles.

“In gymnastics, they tell you if you fall to tuck in a ball and roll so you don’t hurt yourself. That allowed me to get up.”

Cavanaugh had never raced in Lane 8 in her varsity career and had the thought of falling in the back of her mind as she headed to the finals.

“I was really nervous. The crowd was right there and it’s really a bad (lane) to be in,” she said. “It was a nerve-wracking day but it turned out for the better. I can’t imagine it turning out any better, except for me falling. I couldn’t be happier.”

Robinson’s 46-0 ½ was seven inches shorter than his qualifying jump and a little more than a foot and a half behind New Brighton’s Anthony Milliner, who hit 47-07 ½ to win gold.

“My longest was 47-03 and I wanted to improve on that here,” said Robinson. “I like this (jumping area). It’s one of the best, actually. My legs weren’t there like they usually are on a warmer day, but hey, no excuses.”

McIntosh ran a clean race in the 300 hurdles and left satisfied that she gave her best effort.

“I’m extremely happy,” she said. “I didn’t make a mistake in the 300, no stutter like the semifinals. So I couldn’t be happier.

“My whole goal was to just make it here. I can’t believe I medaled. My goal was accomplished and then some.”

Beck was pleased she improved two positions, to sixth place, from where she was originally seeded.

“I’m proud of where I placed,” said Beck. “I’ll take that.”

Helbling slipped two spots from her fifth-place finish in the 400 here last year. Helbling might have had the most challenging final with the defending Class AAA champion in Uche Nwogwugwu of North Penn and the defending Class AA champion Hunter Robinson of Avonworth in the final.

“That made it a little interesting,” said Helbling.

In other selected finishes, Cavanaugh was 20th in the Class AA triple jump; Trinity’s Julia Chakos was 20th in the Class AAA long jump; Savannah Wheeler of Chartiers-Houston was 20th in the Class AA shot put; Will Behm of Waynesburg was ninth in the Class AA pole vault; Marko Olivarez of McGuffey was 15th in the Class AA shot put and Devon Brown of Fort Cherry was 16th in the Class AA javelin.