Tri-State indoor track and field championships set for Saturday

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, February 11, 2018 | 8:06 PM

The winter indoor track and field season in western Pennsylvania will be celebrated Saturday at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championships at Edinboro University.

Competition begins at 10:30 a.m.

“Edinboro is a good home for us,” event coordinator Ed Helbig said. “Everyone is looking forward to an exciting meet on Saturday.”

Helbig said 18 to 24 entries will be accepted for each individual or relay event.

Times and distances were produced at a series of events over the past two months, including three TSTCA meets at Edinboro.

Helbig said performance guidelines were presented to each school based on last year's championships to make individuals and teams aware of what each should produce to be in the running for this year's TSTCA finals.

Athletes from TSTCA member schools — nearly four dozen in all — were able to record times and distances at one of the TSTCA meets or any other meet in the region, including several of the high school meets in Ohio.

Those from schools who are not TSTCA members had to produce results at one of the three TSTCA meets.

Cold temperatures in early January cancelled one of the TSTCA meets — coaches were able to fill that void with other area meets — and snow postponed another.

The third and final TSTCA meet was this past Saturday and served as one of the final opportunities for athletes to post times or distances to be considered for the championships.

Entries were due Sunday evening, and the field was set.

Saturday's meet is no scratch. That means if an athlete is entered in two or more individual events, he or she must compete in all of them.

Coaches are permitted to enter up to six individuals for a four-person relay

“The meet will move a little faster than normal meets, so coaches have to plan and strategize with the schedule for entering athletes,” Helbig said. “The athletes have to know if they will have enough rest between the events they enter.”

The top eight finishers in each relay and individual event will earn a medal, and trophies will be presented to the top two boys and girls teams.

In addition to the goal of winning TSTCA medals and titles, athletes Saturday will have the opportunity to strengthen their standing for the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association meet on Feb. 25 at Penn State University.

Entry to the PTFCA also is performance-based and limited to a certain number in each event.

“There are no classifications in indoor track and field,” Helbig said. “Big schools, small schools and private schools are all in one field. It's the same (for the TSTCA championships). Those from AAA schools will compete against those in AA. It's the best athletes against each other.”

State rankings and standards for the state meet can be found at ptfca.org.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com.