Penn Wood’s Mansaray gives second kick, breaks record
SHIPPENSBURG — Agnes Mansaray’s first PIAA Track & Field Championships was one to remember.
All the junior from Penn Wood did was win an epic duel with Cardinal O’Hara’s Olivia Arizin for second place in the girls’ Class AAA 800, and set the county record in the process.
Yet she wasn’t satisfied with her silver-toned finish.
“My goal next year is to win the 800,’ said Mansaray, who moved to the United States from Sierra Leone last year.
Mansaray and Arizin both broke the mark of 2 minutes, 10.02 seconds set by Chester’s Shaniel Chambers in 2006. Mansaray used a late finish to edge Arizin at the finish line. Mansaray was timed in 2:09.70. Arizin crossed in 2:09.74.
Maddie Villalba of C.B. West took the gold in 2:07.33 in what was a physical race. There was a lot of pushing and shoving as the runners jockeyed for position. Even though she was one of the shorter runners in the field, Mansaray did not shy away from the contact.
One of her goals was to make sure Arizin did not get out to a quick lead as she did in the finals and Mansaray stuck to the game plan. It was good enough to go home with a silver medal.
Arizin didn’t shy away from the physical nature of the race, either. She fought through the field and was poised for a second-place finish until Mansaray put on her final push.
“The start of the race was crazy with all the elbows and stuff,’ Arizin said. “And then we were trying to get our spot, but I’m happy with it. It’s a (personal record) by, like, four seconds.’
The best news for Delco track fans is that both runners are coming back. Arizin is just a sophomore.
“I’m so excited,’ Arizin said. “I have two more years. It should be fun.’
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For Sacred Heart’s Emma Seifried, the question wasn’t if she was going to sprint to the finish in the girls’ Class AA 3,200-meter final, but when.
Does she make her move with a lap to go or hold off until the last possible moment?
She chose somewhere in the middle.
Seifried, the Daily Times cross country Runner of the Year, began her move with 200 meters to go and kicked it into high gear in the final 50 meters to finish second to Vincentian’s Marianne Abdalah.
“I really tried to get second because that’s where I was seeded,’ Seifried said. “I tried to give it my best and I was really shocked that I had that much left at the end.’
Seifried sprinted past Lauren Gronbeck of Eden Christian and Angelina Blondo of Pen Argyl to take home the silver in 11 minutes, 6.75 seconds, a personal best by nearly 17 seconds.
“I didn’t want to go too early,’ Seifried said. “I started to pick it up around the 200 (meter mark) and I felt good going around the curve, so I pushed it to the end.’
It wasn’t enough to catch Abdalah, the same runner who beat Seifried for the PIAA Class AA title in cross country. Abdalah, a sophomore, crossed the finish line in 10:55.93.
“Maybe next year I’ll be able to stick with Marianne better,’ Seifried said. “She’s really good and I want to try to get up to her level because she’s amazing.’
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Sydni Townsend earned membership in a select club. The Collingdale native came home with four gold medals to help Neumann-Goretti take second in the girls’ Class AA team competition.
And Townsend is just a freshman.
She was first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and also was on the Saints’ 4 x 100- and 4 x 400-meter relay teams that claimed gold. Townsend is used to running four events. She does it on a routine basis with the Delco Stallions, which is coached by her father, Lincoln Townsend, who is also the head coach at Neumann-Goretti.
“I just go out and do it,’ Townsend said. “I like running a lot of events.’
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Cardinal O’Hara’s Grace Mancini had to put up a fight to hold off Pennsbury’s Mary Webb for eighth place in the Class AAA 1,600, but she was up to the task. Mancini held on to earn a medal with a personal best time of 4:59.20.
It was the first time Mancini has broken the five-minute mark. The top nine finishers all went under five minutes.
“I knew I could do it,’ Mancini said. “I almost broke five at districts so I knew I was going to do it at states and the competition definitely helped. It made me run faster. The goal was to break five minutes and come home with a medal and I’m happy I was able to do both.’
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The Penncrest girls finished off the season in a good way. The Lions finished sixth in 4 x 100 and seventh in the 4 x 400-meter relays.
Mariah Kozub, Zoe Gable, Briana Artis and Alicia Collier brought the baton home in the 4 x 100 in 48.32 seconds. Katie Arbogast, Megan Kitchin and Tara Higgins finished in 3:57.00.
Ridley’s Valerie McLaughlin was the only other female from a Delco school to earn a state medal. She was eighth in the Class AAA 200.
Garnet Valley’s Nina Gambacorta and Academy Park’s Janese Lynch were 12th and 13th, respectively, in the Class AAA discus.
