Peace shines for Pennridge at District 1 Championships

CALN >> You could almost hear ‘We’ve only just begun’ by The Carpenters playing off in the distance…

“It’s great. With it being my freshman year, I have three more years of doing this,” Pennridge freshman Kouri Peace said after a phenomenal performance on Saturday. “It was just a great feeling to be able to come out with the win.”

Only 14 years old, Peace sprinted to a big victory in the District One Class AAA 200-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 23.91 seconds.

She wasn’t far off the district record, just two tenths of a second off in fact. That record was set by Wissahickon’s Krista Simkins back in 2003, when Peace was just two years old.

Her performance, which also included a silver medal in the 100 dash, was hardly a surprise — she’s been one of the top sprinters in the area all spring. But the way she shined — on a dreary, drizzly day nonetheless — on such a big stage was something to see.

“It’s really cool,” Peace said, “and I love having all of the girls that are really nice to me, like Chanel (Brissett of Cheltenham) and Dasia (Pressley of Pennsbury). They’re all really friendly and have kind of taken me in. I just love it.”

Peace, also an elite forward on the soccer field, is headed to Shippensburg University next weekend, with big goals in mind.

“With it being rainy, I’m pretty proud of my race,” she said Saturday. “So I know what I need to work on for states, and I’m excited.”

“I can’t wait,” Peace said. “My first year, and hopefully coming out with a gold in the one and the two. So we’ll see how that goes.”