Spring Grove's Laila Campbell shines again at PIAA Track and Field Championships


SHIPPENSBURG – There were numerous standout performances from York-Adams athletes at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
Still, it was Spring Grove sophomore Laila Campbell who stole the show.
For the second year in a row, Campbell sprinted away from her competition in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes in Class 3-A.
Please consider subscribing to support local journalism.
The Rocket standout broke the PIAA record in the 100 with a blistering time of 11.55 seconds, besting the previous mark of :11.64 set by Breehana Jacobs of Laurel Highlands back in 2007.
She also came close to a record in the 200, where her time of :23.56 was just .04 off the record set by Dasia Pressley of Pennsbury back in 2015.
Campbell was the only Y-A standout to win gold at Shippensburg, but there were more than a few notable accomplishments by other local athletes, as well.
Perhaps the most improbable came Friday when Central York’s Danny Pham set a personal record in the 3-A shot put.
Not even seeded in the top 10 in the event, Pham’s throw of 52 feet, 5.5 inches was good enough for a sixth-place finish, earning the Panther junior a place on the podium with the top-eight finishers.
Bermudian Springs was the most-decorated of all the Y-A schools this weekend. The Eagles program claimed a trio of individual medalists.
Michael Carlson finished second in the 110 hurdles in 2-A with a time of 14.67 seconds.
Lilyana Carlson, just a freshman, added a third-place finish in the 2-A pole vault with a mark of 11-6.
Alison Watts placed fourth in the triple jump in 2-A with a distance of 37-1 to earn the school’s third medal of the weekend.
Dallastown’s Kristian Phennicie, who won the 200 in 3-A at last year’s event, came up short in his bid to repeat. The Wildcat senior finished with a time of :21.65 to finish fourth.
Other medalists include Madeline Lehker of South Western, who took third in the 3-A girls' high jump at 5-4; Kylyn McIntire of Red Lion, who placed seventh in the discus in 3-A with a throw of 124-4; as well as South Western’s Bernard Bell, who finished seventh in the 300 hurdles in 3-A with a time of 39.75 seconds.
Rounding out the list of Y-A medalists is Susquehannock’s Matthew O’Brien, who finished seventh in the 3,200 run in 3-A with a time of 9 minutes, 14.13 seconds.
Reach Ryan Vandersloot at sports@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @ydsports.