PHILADELPHIA — In one of the most competitive high school heptathlon fields in history, Allegany graduate Avery Miller finished in second at the New Balance Nationals Friday at Franklin Field.
Miller finished with 5,290 points, 292 behind IMG Academy’s Yuliya Maslouskaya, who the Cumberland native defeated at the same meet last year to capture a national championship.
Khari Webb (5,234 points), Hayden Higgins (5,095) and D’Asia Duncan (5,065) rounded out the top five.
It’s believed to be the first time a high school girls heptathlon competition has had five 5,000-point scorers.
Miller’s showing was the second-best by an American high schooler this year, narrowly missing Janie Ford’s 5,311, set at the Alabama High School Athletic Association state meet in the spring. Ford is signed to Vanderbilt University.
The qualifying standard for the NCAA Division 1 heptathlon championship was 5,348 points this year.
Miller, who is signed to Penn State, entered the final day in Philadelphia in third place, behind Maslouskaya and Webb.
Maslouskaya’s showing in the long jump Friday, leaping a distance of 19′ 4″, gave the University of Pennsylvania signee 113 more points than Miller from the event, who jumped 18′ 1″, to all but secure the title.
Miller had the best javelin throw in the field (126′ 4.5″) and was fourth in the 800-meter run (2:16.40).
The future Nittany Lion set season bests in all four disciplines Thursday.
She topped the field in the 200-meter dash (24.79) and shot put (37’ 9”) and had the fifth-best high jump (5’ 3”). Her 100-meter hurdles time of 15.29 was 12th-fastest.
Miller’s high jump would have won the Maryland Class 1A state championship by five inches in the spring, and her shot put would have won it by a foot.