Storm delay doesn’t dampen Chester County athletes at District 1 3A Track & Field Championships

By Bruce Adams

badams@21st-centurymedia.com

CALN >> On a storm-delayed first day of the PIAA Districts 1 Class AAA Track & Field Championships Friday at Coatesville High School, Chester County athletes adapted to the sudden changes in the day’s event schedule as best as they could, and came away with a solid share of medals.

During the storm Friday morning, the competitors were moved into the high school building. Kennett senior Xavier McGreal, who finished second in the boys high jump Friday (6 feet, 9 inches), reflected on how he handled the two hour delay.

“During the delay, I just had to remember to stay loose, and keep my mind in the right spot, because it was easy to get distracted with everything going on,” said McGreal. “So I was walking laps – there were a lot of people in the gym — and I was stretching out to make sure I wasn’t getting too tight.”

McGreal is headed to the PIAA 3A state meet for the fourth year in a row.

“I feel like I did pretty well today, because I was (competing) on a hurt left ankle, so I was trying to compensate for it,” said McGreal, who committed for track and field at Norfolk State University a few weeks ago. “I hurt it four weeks ago, and I hurt it again last week, so I had to sit out for a little bit (before Friday).”

Kennett sophomore Aydriane Bowden, a medal winner in both the 100 meter hurdles and 300 hurdles at last year’s PIAA 3A state meet, was scheduled to run three trials Friday, for the 100 and 300 hurdles and the 200 meter run.

But, due to the delay caused by Friday morning’s storms, the trials for both the 300 hurdles and the 200 will be run Saturday as the finals, so the only event Bowden ran Friday was the 100 hurdles trials. She placed second (14.28 seconds) to Chester’s Damira Allen (13.91).

“I just tried to get first in my heat, which I did,” said Bowden.

Friday was a good day for Downingtown West. Whippet senior Andrew Ernst finished first in the boys long jump with a leap of 24-1.75, a PR for him, and he’ll be headed to states.

“(The key) was keeping my speed throughout the runway, being explosive, and landing well,” said Ernst.

Ernst also anchored the Whippets boys 4×100 relay team of Gavin Seavey, Ryan Witherspoon, Jaden Midgett and Ernst to a first-place finish in Friday’s trials with a time of 41.46. Downingtown West also finished first in the girls 4×100 trials with a clocking of 47.81.

In the boys 4×800, the Downingtown West quartet of senior Finn Pook, junior Josiah Wade, senior Sam Leisenring and junior Evan Reidinger finished third (7:48.41) and will be heading to states.

Leisenring said, “Finn started off with a really strong leg and worked hard to get us there; Josiah opened it up with a PR; I just kind of stayed with the pack and made my move toward the end; then handed it off to Evan, and he brought it home. Like I’ve been telling the guys all week, this is our moment. I’m really happy for the guys.”

Asked how he dealt with the storm delay, Wade responded, “We tried to stay calm and do what we came here to do, and not let the delay stop us.”

West Chester Rustin senior Ana Dakes finished second in the girls discus with a throw of 126-7, and is headed to states.

In the girls 1600 meter run, Rustin senior Sophia Hnetinka finished fifth (4:56.21) and Downingtown West freshman Julia Kelly finished sixth (4:56.63). Both posted state qualifying times, so they are both headed for states.

“Originally I wasn’t sure if I was going to be in the first heat or the second heat; depending on that, I had different strategies,” said Hnetinka, who competed at the PIAA 3A state meet last year. “Since I was in the first heat, I tried to go out fast, hold on, and then kick it, and I think I did that.”

Kelly said, “I just gave it everything I had. During the (storm) delay, I tried to stay calm, stay with my friends.”

In the girls high jump, Avon Grove junior Lexi Boiardi finished second (5-5) and West Chester Rustin sophomore Aoife Speer-Gibson placed fifth (5-3), and both are headed to states in this event. Boiardi also placed fifth in the girls’ long jump (17-6) and qualifies for states.

West Chester East senior Jacob Joslin finished third in the boys shot put (53-6.25) and is headed to states.

In the girls’ pole vault, Conestoga senior Iyesha Jaward finished fifth (11-0), automatically qualifying for states, and Kennett senior Elyssa Henry placed sixth (10-6).

In the girls 4×800, the Unionville quartet of Courtney Carlson, Cara Rapin, Clara Stancik and Erin Rapin placed seventh (9:26.44) and Downingtown West was eighth (9:28.13), and both quartets met the state standard, so they will be heading to states.

In the boys 4×800, Great Valley quartet of Trip Gomez, Jack Thomas, Chase Pepperman and Ryan Pepperman finished eighth (7:54.10), and they met the state standard, so they will be heading to states.

In the boys’ high jump, Oxford junior Caleb Houston finished seventh (6-3) and Great Valley freshman Jensen Ng placed eighth (6-3).

Coatesville senior Takiyah Lynch finished seventh in the boys shot put (51-5.75).

Unionville senior James McGlynn finished eighth in the boys 1600 meter run with a PR 4:19.30.

Avon Grove junior Sarah Rossman placed eighth in the girls discus (114-3).

Oxford senior Kaelyn Phouthavongsa finished tied for sixth in the girls’ high jump (5-1).

In the girls 400 trials Friday, Downingtown West junior Molly Weitzman finished second (56.40), and Bishop Shanahan sophomore Payton Nolan placed sixth (57.58).

In the boys 400 trials, West Chester Rustin senior Yashil Shah finished seventh (49.13).

In the girls 4×100 trials, Coatesville placed third (48.02). In the boys 4×100 trials, West Chester Rustin placed fifth (42.01) and Great Valley finished seventh (41.74).

In the boys 100 meter run trials, West Chester Henderson senior Jayden Barksdale finished eighth (10.90).

In the girls 100 hurdles trials, Coatesville sophomore Bryzhae Alston placed sixth (15.24).

NOTES: In the District 1 AA meet at Coatesville Friday, Regina Luminis Academy (a Berwyn school) led the scoring for the boys’ teams at the end of the day with 34 points. In the boys 1600 meter run, Regina Lumnis finished 1-2-3, with sophomore Gabe Simkiss (4:29.68), senior Martin O’Rourke (4:39.20) and junior Sean O’Keefe (4:43.63). In the boys 4×800, Regina Luminis finished first with a time of 8:23.35. Church Farm School’s highest finish Friday was junior David Ibiefo in the boys’ long jump (19-7.75).

Boys’ AAA event winners (Day 1):

4×800 relay – North Penn (7:45.08); 1600 meter run – Joseph Garzio, Radnor (4:13.58); Long jump – Andrew Ernst, Downingtown West (24-1.75); High jump – Trip Campbell, North Penn (6-11); Shot put – Colin Sturges, Perkiomen Valley (57-3.75).

Girls’ AAA event winners (Day 1):

4×800 relay – Central Bucks East (8:57.12); 1600 meter run – Olivia Cieslak, Haverford (4:50.60); Long jump – Destini Smith, Souderton (19-7.25); High jump – Destini Smith, Souderton (5-9.5); Pole vault – Veronica Vacca, Mount Saint Joseph (13-8); Discus – Zianna Dobson, North Penn (132-4); Javelin – Ava Flicker, Perkiomen Valley (158-9); Shot put – Zianna Dobson, North Penn (132-4).