Lynch ignores the cold to set two records

HAVERFORD — Academy Park sophomore Janese Lynch had a simple solution for the bitter cold and biting win that had everyone at A.G. Cornog Field shivering Saturday.

“You don’t think about it,’ Lynch said. “Your body knows its cold outside, but you just have to put it out of your mind.’

It worked.

All she did was set a pair of meet records at the third annual Haverford Invitational in conditions that were more conducive to a Friday night football game in November than a Saturday track meet in March.

Lynch, a transfer from Neumann-Goretti, set meet records while winning both the shot put (38 feet, 8½ inches) and discus (124-6) to highlight a meet in which eight meet records were broken, five on the girls side and three in the boys competition.

“The weather bothered me at first, but once I warmed up I was fine,’ Lynch said.

The unseasonable weather did not bother Archbishop Carroll’s Carly Peters, either. She set the meet record in the javelin (124-8). Harriton’s Tasha Greene (11 minutes, 22.95 seconds in 3,200) and Robeson’s Markeeta Thomas (44.00 in 300 hurdles) also rewrote the meet record book.

Junior Alicia Collier highlighted a big day by the Penncrest girls track team. Collier won the 100 and 200 and anchored the 4 x 100-meter relay team of Taylor Danaker, Sammy Lee and Zoe Gable to victory. Katie Arbogast took first in the 400 and Diana Dunn capped a big week with a victory in the 800 in 2:24.10. That was faster than her previous best of 2:26.53 at last year’s Delco Championships.

Dunn took the lead early in the bell lap and never relinquished it.

“My strategy was to stick with the top person and kick,’ Dunn said. “That’s the way I always do it.’

The Haverford girls had a good day, too. Kaila Cannon won the triple jump and was second in the long jump. Maddie Santoro took first in the high jump and Caleigh Connell captured the pole vault. The Fords (Sadie Gold, Laura Madonna, Sara Curran and Marissa Donahue) also were first in the DMR for the second year in a row. In all, the Fords came away with 12 medals.

Ridley’s Val McLaughlin won the long jump and was second in the 100. Upper Darby’s Victoria Robinson was first in the 100 hurdles.

Meanwhile, on the boys side, Marple Newtown All-Delco Gurjeet Rai pulled off and impressive double and set a meet record at the same time. He won the pole vault in the first New Balance Invitational Friday evening at Cardinal O’Hara and came back less than 24 hours later to duplicate that feat at Haverford with a meet-record vault of 13-6.

“I wanted to jump,’ Rai said as he picked up his gold medal Saturday afternoon. “I like to compete. I’d do it again right now if I could.’

Haverford’s Stephen Pierce highlighted a big day by the host Fords with a meet record in the discus (137-5½). Justin Moscoe took first in the 200 and was second in the 400 to help the Fords finish with 14 medals. Teammate D.J. Diakite was fourth in both the long and triple jumps.

Desean Lee of Academy Park showed his versatility with a victory in the 100, a second-place finish in the high jump and sixth-place medals in the long and triple jumps. Springfield’s Liam Galligan captured the 1,600. Christian D’Andrea of Archbishop Carroll won the long jump and was fifth in the high jump. Strath Haven’s Peter Deeb captured the shot put and was sixth in the discus. Radnor’s Peter Cooke, Henry Manning, Andre Kelly and Connor Holm took home gold in the 4 x 800 relay.

Big day for Penn Wood: The Penn Wood boys had a pretty good day at the 30th annual Pennsylvania Track Classic at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School. Charlie Wells won the 400 (51.08) and the Patriots took gold in the 4 x 400 (3:31.24). Penn Wood also was second in the 4 x 100. Ndiaga Seck took third in the 400. Tyreeme Welton was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200. Ahmere Ponzo placed third in the 800. Amani Kuderha finished third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Todd Jackson was fifth in the high jump.

On the girls side, Agnes Mansaray of Penn Wood won the 800, while Radnor’s Olivia Cooper took fourth. Penn Wood also was fourth in the 4 x 400 and fifth in the 4 x 800. Chester girls took fourth in the 4 x 100.

James outlasts Rastatter in 5,000: One of the many highlights of the first New Balance Invitational Friday night at Cardinal O’Hara was Ryan James of O’Hara beating Bonner-Prendergast’s Ryan Rastatter in the 5,000. Teammate Chris Henry O’Hara nipped Jhaunell Burnside of Glen Mills to win the 300 and Thomas Bacchia of O’Hara won the long jump.

Lamar Griffin of Glen Mills took home gold in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Temmate Maleek Hand was first in the discus. The Bulls also took first in the 4 x 400.

Chester’s Kamil Jihad won the 800. His brother Khalaf Jihad captured the shot put and was second in the javelin. The Clippers also won the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.

Connor Holm, who helped Radnor win the DMR at Haverford, edged Bonner-Prendie’s Sean Sullivan to win the mile. Ethan Cooke from Bonner-Prendergast was the winner in the triple jump.

On the girls side, the Mancini sisters, Grace, Elizabeth and Eleanor went 1-2-3 in the 3,200. Grace Mancini also was second in the mile. Also for O’Hara, Jessica Hoey won the 800, Alex Patrick was first in the triple jump, while Katelynn Belfatto, Alexis Cleary, Emily Markley and Elizabeth Logan teamed up for gold in the 4 x 800.

Kaylay Butts had a evening for Bonner-Prendergast. She won the long jump and led off the winning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400-meter relay teams. Alaina Johnson, Nijah Bise and Jewel Ford rounded out the 4 x 100 team. Johnson Celsey Golato and Taylor Barkdoll were on the 4 x 400.

Janiece Murray of Chichester took first in the 400.