Waynesboro Area Senior High School sophomore True Benshoff will represent her school at this weekend’s PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
Benshoff placed second in the 300-meter hurdles in the District 3-3A Championships to qualify for states. She is the final WASHS student-athlete to compete in the postseason.
The Waynesboro Indians varsity baseball team kept it close against fourth-seed Ephrata and lost by a score of 5-2 in the first round of the District 3-5A playoffs in Ephrata.
Waynesboro finished the season with a record of 12-7.
The Waynesboro Maidens varsity softball team squared off against top-seed Exeter Township and took it on the chin by the score of 16-1 on Monday in the first round of the District 3-5A playoffs at Exeter Township.
Waynesboro completed the season with a 12-8 record.
Benshoff finished the hurdles event in 46.46 seconds, edging Carlisle’s Eva Leatherman, who completed the 300 meters in 46.61 seconds. In first place was Maddy Brooks of Bishop McDevitt. Brooks sprinted and jumped her way to the championship with a time of 45.40 seconds.
Benshoff’s time was an improvement of her time on the pre-meet performance list. Benshoff’s performance time was 46.67, placing her as a fifth seed. It was also under the qualifying standard of 47.34 seconds.
“It’s very impressive,” said WASHS track and field coach Jim Rickett. “There are several underclassmen for this weekend but only six of them ahead of her. That should automatically put her in the top ten for next season.”
Benshoff has been trending upward of late. Rickett said that Benshoff has improved her personal best times in each of the last three competitions – the Last Chance Meet in Greencastle, the Mid-Penn Conference Championships and the District 3 Championships.
“We don’t know what to expect, because she keeps dropping times. She’s going to have to run really well. There’s a girl in her heat that’s three seconds ahead of her. For her to advance, she’s probably going to have to break a school record. She can PR, she’s got that kind of time in her,” Rickett said.
Benshoff’s performance list time of 46.46 is 16th out of 28 hurdlers. At the top of the list is Sanaa Hebron of Neshaminy with a time of 42.63 seconds.
Not only has Benshoff bettered herself this season, but her times from last season have leapfrogged.
“She’s going from running low 50s last year to be one of the top in the state,” Rickett said. “I think soccer has helped her. But she has worked really hard in her event. She understands how fast these girls are to what she has to do to make finals on Saturday.”
The WASHS record in the 300 hurdles is 45.15 seconds by Hollister Rolls.
Preliminaries are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday at Shippensburg University.
