McDermott a triple winner in girls meet

By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call

Kerry McDermott was understandably happy after winning a gold medal in the Class 2A long jump on Wednesday afternoon. Four hours later, she was ecstatic.

''I was hopeful, but I was out a few weeks ago [with a hamstring injury],'' said McDermott, who added she wasn't even sure at one point if she'd be healthy in time for districts. ''To compete for gold medals here is exciting. … I'm actually pretty shocked.''

McDermott, a Bethlehem Catholic junior, put together a day to remember at the District 11 Track and Field Championships at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.

After winning the long jump with a leap of 17-5, she went on to win the 300-meter hurdles in 47.42 seconds and the pole vault (tying her personal best at 11-6). She'll have a chance to add a fourth gold medal when she runs in the 1,600 relay today.

''I'm tired, but I definitely have adrenaline right now,'' McDermott said. ''I'll probably crash when I get home.''

McDermott's efforts highlighted the opening day of the district meet, which will conclude tonight. The top two finishers in each event (and additional athletes who meet the state-qualifying standard) will advance to next week's PIAA Championships at Shippensburg University.

Ten girls, plus two relay teams, earned titles on Wednesday. Other first-day individual champions included Northampton's Laura Rycek (3A javelin), Pocono Mountain West's Anita James (3A long jump), Tamaqua's Alexa Griffiths (2A 3,200), Emmaus' Lindsey Graybill (3A 3,200) and Easton's Tara Bright (3A 300 hurdles).

Though McDermott could qualify for states in four events, she's especially enthusiastic about one:

''Definitely pole vault,'' said McDermott, who earned state bronze in that event as a sophomore. ''I have a chance to win states. That's probably the one I'm going to focus on.''