Pennsbury’s Dasia Pressley happy to be headed to Syracuse
FAIRLESS HILLS – A well sought-after athlete on the Division I track & field circuit, Pennsbury senior sprinter Dasia Pressley says she got some good advice from Class of 2015 graduate and former teammate Husniyyah “Nini” Rogers about choosing a college.
Now a freshman sprinter at Prairie View A&M University, Rogers told Pressley to make sure her college choice was a personal decision.
“She just told me to ‘make sure it’s somewhere that you want to go. Don’t choose for anybody else. Don’t go where people want you to go; make sure it’s somewhere you want to go.’”
With offers of a full ride coming from Rutgers, Penn State, Syracuse and the University of Virginia, Pressley had a tough decision to make. In the end, she chose Syracuse.
“I just really liked the school and the atmosphere. And I liked the close vicinity of the campus,” said Pressley. “I just picked the one that made me feel the most at home so I know I made the right choice.”
Dasia officially committed to the Orange three weeks ago and signed her National Letter of Intent on Nov. 11. Looking back, she’s relieved the decision is behind her.
“It’s a stressful process – visiting schools and all that,” she said. “I was so happy the process was done and I finally knew where I was going.”
Pressley gives credit to the Pennsbury coaching staff for bringing her along in her running career these past few years.
“They definitely prepared me a lot with the workouts that we do,” said Dasia. “A lot of the workouts that we do are similar to college workouts.
“If it wasn’t for them, I’d probably be lost.
Last spring, the Lady Falcons finished second in states, runner-up to Cheltenham in both districts and the PIAA championship.
Pressley knows all about finishing second. As a freshman and sophomore, she took a PIAA silver medal in the 200-meter dash. As a sophomore, she was also a runner-up in the 100-meters.
Last year, she finally earned a PIAA gold medal when she was the first to finish in the 200 while grabbing a silver medal in the 100.
Before she graduates from Pennsbury, Pressley wants to beat her own school record in the 200, a blazing pace of 23.52. That’s the time she registered last May at the PIAA Class AAA track & field championships at Shippensburg University. In so doing, Pressley set a new meet record, breaking the old one set by Wissahickon’s Krista Simkins in 2003.
Dasia also wants to earn a state title in the 100 in both indoor and outdoor track. Her best time in the 100 is 11.70. If she can do that time next spring in states, Pressley should be able to bring home another gold. The best time in the event last year in states was 11.91.2, set by Cheltenham’s Chanel Brissett.
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