North Penn turns it on at Trojan Classic
LOWER GWYNEDD >> This was the kind of night, the kind of race they had been waiting for.
“Our 4×1’s been kind of falling apart — we’ve had lots of injuries,” North Penn anchor Jessica Brenfleck said, “so to have a team that can finally come together and pull out a win is nice.”
The Lady Knights’ resurgent 4×1 looked sturdy and strong on Thursday night, contributing to an overwhelming performance by North Penn at the 42nd Annual Trojan Track Classic at chilly Wissahickon High School.
“I’ve had a couple injuries along the way,” Brenfleck said, “so it’s good to start to feel a little bit better.”
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Brenfleck, coming back from a pulled muscle in her back, sprinted to a victory in the 100-meter dash, cranking out a winning time of 12.93 seconds in the third event of the evening.
Shortly after, the junior watched teammates Felicia Mengel-O’Connell, Liz Saldutti and Natalie Kwortnik turn in three solid legs, putting NP in position, and Brenfleck then hammered it home to victory, crossing the line when the clock read 49.60.
The Lady Knights held off Gwynedd-Mercy Academy, which finished second in 50.01.
“It’s near the end of the season, but better late than ever,” Brenfleck said of her return for North Penn.
She topped a field of 17 runners in the 100 dash, overcoming Upper Dublin’s Sabrina Taylor (13.08) for top honors.
“(I felt) pretty good. I prepared for my start so it was nice to get out fast and finish strong,” the sprinter said.
The Lady Knights headed into Thursday night with a perfect 6-0 record in the Suburban One League Continental Conference, adding to their confidence with an impressive performance at one of the invitationals around, with Phoebe Clowser racing to a victory in the 1,600.
“North Penn’s doing awesome. We’ve been training really hard,” Brenfleck said. “It’s been a really good season for us.”
North Penn got things started on the track, sweeping the 4×800 relays. The Lady Knights won by 18 seconds with a time of 9:48.84 and the NP boys followed that up with a winning time of 8:15.70.
The Upper Dublin boys 4×100 relay is peaking at just the right time, a team of Brian Coughlin, Mike Henning, Phil Butler and David Bryant crossing first in 44.04.
The Cardinals love to get up for a trip to their rival.
“I love this meet — it’s my favorite meet actually,” Bryant said. “I wish the weather was a little better but that’s okay.”
Host Wissahickon had its share of moments, including Lotte Black’s come-from-behind victory in the 800 and Yondell Dudley’s throw of 141 feet, 7 inches to earn him first place in the discus.
Dudley went on to win the shot put for the Trojans, adding to a Trojan performance that included a sweep in the 100 and 200 dashes by Darien Williams.
Lady Knight victories grew in number, as Lauren Follis (100 hurdles), Nicole Noel (200), Ariana Gardizy (3,200), Natalie Kwortnik (long jump) and the 4×4 relay all earned first-place finishes.
The North Penn boys captured a win in the 4×4 relay, racing to a first-place time of 3:23.40.
