Mount Alvernia High School doesn't have a track; in fact, it barely has a girls' track team, with just seven members.

What it it does have, however, is a gold-medal performer and a coach with a solid-gold reputation.

Touri Goode, a junior, is Mount Alvernia's WPIAL Class AA gold medalist. She won the long jump at the championships last week at South Side Beaver High School with a leap of 17 feet, 9³/₄ inches and placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 35-1¹/₂.

She will compete in both at the PIAA championships tomorrow and Saturday at Shippensburg University.

Talise Manuel is in her first season as Mount Alvernia's track coach. Her name should be familiar to area high school track fans.

As an athlete at Oliver High School, Manuel won two PIAA Class AAA gold medals and a silver in the long jump. She graduated from Oliver in 2000 and has been helping Pitt track coach Alonzo Webb guide the River City Elite track club.

"Touri's mom knew the school needed a coach and got me involved," Manuel said. "When I was competing, I always sort of knew I'd get into coaching at some point. When you do something you love, you tend to stay with it."

The match of Goode and Manuel, who won the long jump at the 1999 IAAF world youth championships in Poland, has been perfect.

Going into the PIAA championships, Goode is seeded first in the Class AA long jump and 19th in the triple jump. Her main competition at Shippensburg will probably come from Northern Cambria's Janee Dunchack, who comes in with a jump of 17-8³/₄, and Mountoursville's Tesa McKibben, who has a seeded distance of 17-7¹/₂.

The Class AA girls' long jump is at 9 a.m. tomorrow with the triple jump at the same time Saturday.

Goode has improved tremendously this season. Her speed on the runway is better and her jumping technique is improved.

"Her landing is much better," Manuel said.

"She's extending her legs out into the pit more. Before, she was just going up and coming straight down."

Goode, who has competed for River City Elite and is a Penn Hills resident, said she dedicated herself to improving this season. She also ran the 100- and 200-meter dashes in meets for the Royals.

"I was excited [to win the WPIAL championship]," she said. "To be honest, my goal going into the meet was to make it to states. I thought maybe I would finish in the top three."

Her winning distance came on her second jump of the competition. No other jumper came close to her after that. Brownsville's America Cardine was second with a leap of 17-2¹/₄.

Goode worked in the offseason to improve her speed. Manuel brought in the technical advice.

"She has a lot of ability. How good can she get to be? I think she can get out to 18 feet in the long and maybe 35 or 36 in the triple," Manuel said.

When asked if Goode knew how gifted Manuel was as a high school athlete, Manuel said, "Yeah, she does now."

Since Mount Alvernia doesn't have a track, Goode has worked out a great deal at Oliver's track, Manuel's old stomping grounds. Goode said she will sometimes go to the track at Penn Hills High School on her own.

"I'll go over there and work on some things by myself because it's not too far away," Goode said.

As for the PIAA championships, Goode is hoping to earn a medal.

That's where Manuel should be able to help. She knows how to win at Shippensburg.