Kitchen, McRoberts Qualify For State Track Championships

By: Chris Manning  |  May 18, 2025  /  Photo: Chris Manning

Kendall Kitchen and Alexis McRoberts have been through a lot together between track and field and basketball, and now they'll be able to share one more experience together before Kitchen graduates as they both punched their ticket to the PIAA Championships at the District IV, Class AA Girls' Track and Field Championships Saturday.

Kitchen was second in the pole vault at 11-feet, while McRoberts hit the state standard in the shot put, taking fourth at 36-feet, 10-inches.

"It feels really exciting because I did it last year, so it's a really good feeling to know that I'm going again," explained Kitchen.

Kitchen was seeded second going in, but nothing can be taken for granted in pole vault.

"I was a lot more confident, but I was also a lot more nervous because I know that I could do it," said Kitchen. "It's just a lot of pressure to go to try to do it again."

Kitchen was clean for the first three heights - 9-feet, 6-inches, 10-feet, and 10-feet, 6-inches.

At 11-feet it took until the third try before she got it, then at 11-feet, 6-inches she just came up short.

Being clean is important as they will decide who gets a state medal this coming weekend.

"You really have to be clean all the way through because misses because misses can hurt you even early on," said Kitchen. "So I've been really focused on trying to be clean."

It also helped that they had nice weather, a rarity this spring.

"We have not had good weather at all this year," said Kitchen. "When you have good weather for vault you can get PRs."

The senior came up just short of the podium last year at states, so is focused on ending her high school career there this year.

She comes into the meet seeded seventh.

"I really just need to pull hard, and just be more aggressive at the top to try to get 11-6, because that’s a jump that could get me on the podium."

For McRoberts coming into this weekend it looked like her best chance to make states was going to be the discus, but she came up 1-inch short on Thursday.

She made up for it on Saturday, though, besting the state standard by four inches on her second throw.

"It's definitely an amazing feeling," McRoberts said. "Coming out from Thursday I was pretty disappointed, and coming out today, it’s definitely a great feeling."

It was a tough field, but the group cheered each other on throughout the finals.

"I just came out here relaxed, just trying to do my best to PR,” McRoberts said. “And then I ended up with a great throw. There was great weather today, and I had a lot of practice yesterday. I think just coming out here the weather is definitely a key factor."

As for states, McRoberts is currently seeded 11th out of 28.

"I definitely want to just keep getting my hip coming through, and keep throwing farther," she said.

Kitchen was also 12th in the 200 in 27.06, while Emilia Pepper (30-feet, 6 1/4-inches) was 16th in the shot put.

The 4x100 relay was 15th in 53.59.

It was more heartbreak on the boys’ side as Lawrence Halbfoerster came up just a few seconds short of states in the 1600, taking eighth in 4:33.74.

Manuel Halbfoerster (4:55.45) was 22nd in the mile.

The 4x400 relay took 14th in 3:43.68.