Great Valley girls set record at Districts

CALN — For Great Valley track & field coaches Mike Kelly and Paul Hadzor, as well as cross country coach Paul Gring, it represented the finest moment in the Patriots’ storied running program they have masterminded for so many years in East Whiteland Township.

Great Valley’s 4×800 relay team ran a sizzling 8:58.98 to win the event at the annual District 1 Track & Field Championships at Coatesville High School with what is being recorded as the finest time in the event across the entire United States for the 2015 spring season.

The Great Valley team of junior Crosby Spiess, junior Anna Willig, senior Tabitha Wismer and senior Elise Claffey combined for the monumental showing. North Penn was second and Unionville finished third.

The Patriots entered the weekend seeded first in the event at 9:14.81 and proceeded to shatter that mark for what Kelly said was Great Valley’s initial relay district championship in school history.

All four girls are cross country, winter track and spring track competitors. The Patriots also captured the state championship during the winter indoor season as well.

“There were a lot of good teams in the district this year,’ said Willig.

“Our best time last year was 8:56,’ said Claffey.

Elsewhere, Avon Grove’s McKenna Keegan captured the 400 meters in 54.84, just edging Uche Nwogwugwu of North Penn.

Jolesha Boulware of Coatesville finished second in the 100 in 14.49 and Evelyn Berecz of Downingtown East was third in the triple jump.

On the boys side, four champions were crowned. Jaxson Hoey of Downingtown West won the 1600 by almost a full second over Casey Comber of Hatboro-Horsham in 4:15.40. The Whippets captured the 4×100 relay with a team of Nate Alleyne, Matt McCool, Josh McLemore and Mike Riddick in 41.88. Downingtown East was second.

Downingtown East’s Dan Chisena won the 200 after finishing second in the 100. His time in winning the 200 was 21.66. Matt Dever captured the pole vault with a winning effort of 14-0.

In Class AA boys, Nkosi Pile of Church Farm captured the gold in the 100 in 11.03.

District 1 Track and Field Championships

At Coatesville

Class AAA

Girls

Team Champion: Cheltenham

3,200: 1. Olivia Sargent (Pennsbury) 10:36.35; 2. Aislinn Devlin (Downingtown West) 10:39.59; 3. Hannah Molloy (Pennsbury) 10:41.14; 4×800 relay: 1. Great Valley (Elise Claffey, Tabitha Wismer, Anna Willig, Crosby Spiess), 8:58.98; 2. North Penn, 9:02.86; 3. Unionville, 9:09.01; Triple Jump: 1. Allison Williams (NP) 38-5; 2. Uche Nwogwugwu (NP) 38-4; 3. Evelyn Berecz (Downingtown East) 37-10.75; 100 hurdles: 1. Ciara Leonard (Cheltenham) 13.67; 2. Jolesha Boulware (Coatesville) 14.49; 3. Ma Langley-Walker (Cheltenham) 14.61; 100: 1. Chanel Brissett (Cheltenham) 11.85; 2. Dasia Pressley (Pennsbury) 11.92; 3. Taylor Chapman (Pennridge) 12.17; 1,600: 1. Karli Visconto (Nazareth) 5:02.72; 2. Olivia Sargent (Pennsbury) 5:02.89; 3. Marissa Sheva (Pennridge) 5:04.14; 4×100 relay: 1. Cheltenham (Leonard, Janiel Slowly, Alexis Crosby, Chanel Brissett), 46.88 (state record, 46.9, Chester, 1981); 2. Norristown, 47.18; 3. Pennsbury, 47.21; 400: 1. McKenna Keegan (Avon Grove) 54.84; 2. Uche Nwogwugwu (NP) 54.85; 3. Husniyyah Rogers (Pennsbury) 56.58; 300 hurdles: 1. Uchechi Onuoha (Pennsbury) 43.54; 2. Ciara Leonard (Cheltenham) 43.74; 3. Ma Langley-Walker (Cheltenham) 44.07; 800: 1. Maddie Villalba (CBW) 2:09.47; 2. Agnes Mansaray (Penn Wood) 2:13.22; 3. Brianna Stratz (CB South) 2:13.38; 200: 1. Dasia Pressley (Pennsbury) 24.0; 2. Chanel Brissett (Cheltenham) 24.03; 3. Jayana Webb (Norristown) 24.26; 4×400 relay: 1. Cheltenham (Nicole Burke, Arianna Wallace, Dior Alston, Alexis Crosby), 3:51.99; 2. North Penn (Leiana Dean, Allison King, Uche Nwogwugwu, Mikaela Vlasic), 3:52.22; 3. CB South, 3:52.28; Discus: 1. Tejarra Ellis (Methacton) 133-1; 2. Janese Lynch (Academy Park) 130-1; 3. Amelia Ali (Bensalem) 129-1.

Boys

Team Champion: Cheltenham

3,200: 1. Paul Power (Spring-Ford) 9:15.51; 2. Jake Brophy (CB East) 9:17.30; 3. Andrew Marston (Conestoga) 9:19.09; 4×800 relay: 1. Pennsbury (Eric Kersten, Alek Sauer, Sam Webb, Matt Mulvaney), 7:43.50; 2. CB West, 7:45.72; 3. Agington, 7:49.17; Shot Put: 1. Milton Jones (Glen Mills) 57-3.5; 2. Kieran Moore (Upper Dublin) 54-7.25; 3. Eric Kasperowicz (Holy Ghost) 49-8.5; 110 hurdles: 1. Mason Weh (Upper Darby) 14.34; 2. Akeim Thomas (Upper Darby) 14.37; 3. Kornelius Klah (Pennsbury) 14.49; 100: 1. Christian Brissett (Cheltenham) 10.91; 2. Dan Chisena (Downingtown East) 10.92; 3. Darien Williams (Wissahickon) 11.06; 1,600: 1. Jaxson Hoey (Downingtown West) 4:15.40; 2. Casey Comber (Hatboro-Horsham) 4:16.34; 3. Sam Webb (Pennsbury) 4:16.69; 4×100 relay: 1. Downingtown West (Nate Alleyne, Matt McCool, Josh McLemore, Mike Riddick), 41.88; 2. Downingtown East, 41.94; 3. Upper Darby, 42.16; 400: 1. Donovan St. Louis (Upper Darby) 48.38; 2. Isiah Smith (Abington) 49.28; 3. Josh McLemore (Downingtown West) 49.63; 300 hurdles: 1. David Marrington (Neshaminy) 37.36; 2. Andrew Dillon (Norristown) 38.34; 3. Akeim Thomas (Upper Darby) 38.42; 800: 1. John Lewis (Cheltenham) 1:49.15 (district record, previous, 1:50.92, Hong Cho, Wissahickon, 2011); 2. Alek Sauer (Pby) 1:53.08; 3. Dylan Eddinger (Boyertown) 1:53.59; 200: 1. Dan Chisena (Downingtown East) 21.66; 2. Brissett (Cheltenham) 21.75; 3. David Gumino (CR North) 22.01; 4×400 relay: 1. Cheltenham (Saahir Bethea, Kyle Davis, John Lewis, Cordell Richardson), 3:16.11; 2. Abington, 3:18.46; 3. Penn Wood, 3:20.75; Pole Vault: 1. Matt Dever (WC Rustin) 14-0; 2. Chad Ziegler (Souderton) 13-6; 3. Jason Douple (CB West) 13-6; Long Jump: 1. Saahir Bethea (Cheltenham) 24-3; 2. Richard Austin (Abington) 21-11.5; 3. Joe Adighibe (Perkiomen Valley) 21-11.25; Javelin: 1. Evan Sing (Penncrest) 194-8; 2. Bryan Leacraft (Spring-Ford) 181-1; 3. Brandon Leacraft (Spring-Ford) 180-0.