Sprinter Miles steps up game for Coatesville
COLLEGEVILLE >> Nobody won more events at the 2017 Chester County Indoor Track and Field Championship than the Coatesville girls, who took home two individual gold medals and added two more relay triumphs.
The rising star of the Red Raiders program is sprinter Porsha Miles.
Just a sophomore, Miles turned back 26 competitors on Tuesday to win the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.47. Last spring, Miles was the Ches-Mont League champion in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and she was just a freshman. But prior to the District 1 meet, she suffered an odd injury.
“I actually stepped on a toothpick.” Miles said. “I tried to pull it out, but it broke off.
“It is still kind of healing. It gets swollen sometimes.”
It’s unclear if the nagging injury may require offseason surgery, but Miles is still one of the area’s best sprinters, nonetheless.
“My 200 time was OK, but keep in mind that this is no-spikes and it’s a flat track,” Miles pointed out.
She says that the injury affects her more in the shorter sprints. Not coincidentally, Miles was edged by Conestoga’s Grace Lanouette in the 55-meter dash on Tuesday at Ursinus College.
“It doesn’t affect me all of the time,” she explained. “Some meets I feel good, and some I don’t. It didn’t bother me today in the 200, but it hurt a lot in the 55. It affects my first step, especially in the fast sprints because I just can’t take it out with much power.”
When asked if she would have been a two-time winner on Tuesday if she was healthy, Miles said: “I think so.”
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COOPER MAKING MARK ON THE TRACK
A second-team all-area pick in 2016, West Chester East running back Jared Cooper is poised for a monster football season next fall. But the junior is also turning heads in track. On Tuesday, Cooper topped a field of 34 runners to win the 55-meter dash at Ursinus.
“The coaches have us working hard every single day,” Cooper said. “It can be tough keeping up with what they have us do, but it obviously pays off.”
Cooper’s winning time of 6.79 was enough to edge West Chester Henderson’s Kavond Jones, who came in as the number one seed.
“I felt pretty good,” Cooper said, “I think it was my start that got me out in front and I just had to finish the race. The start is everything.”
Cooper’s goal for this season is the secure state qualifying marks in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.
Chester County Indoor Track and Field Championship
Girls
55-meter hurdles – 1. Pirollo (Downingtown East) 9.65; 55-meter dash – 1. Lanoutte (Conestoga); 1600 sprint medley – 1. Kennett (Dawyot, Mentzer, Morgan, Petrillo) 4L38.07; 200-meter – 1. Miles (Coatesville) 26.47; 400-meter – 1. Shronk (Owen J. Roberts) 1:01.63; 800-meter – 1. Rotay (Perkiomen Valley) 2:23.0; Mile run – 1. Edwards (Unionville) 5:31.94; 3000-meter – 1. Banford (Spring Ford) 11:20.95; Distance medley – 1. Coatesville (Moffitt, A. Eberly, Gallagher, Hutton) 13:17.07; 4×800 relay – 1. Coatesville (Miller, Mitchell, Rokins, M. Eberly) 10:01.4; Shot put – 1. Washington (West Chester Rustin) 33-5; High jump – 1. A. Eberly (Coatesville) 5-1; Long jump – 1. Berecz (Downingtown East) 16-6.5; Triple jump – 1. Jennings (Downingtown East) 34-11.25; 4×200 relay – 1. Owen J. Roberts (Myers, Shronk, Taylor, Ferrizzi) 1:50.55; Pole vault – 1. Sachar (Owen J. Roberts) 10-0; 4×400 relay – Downingtown East (Salavitabar, Roumpz, Urbanski, Bickers) 4:18.91.
Boys
55-meter hurdles – 1. Chapman (Spring Ford) 8.16; 55-meter dash – 1. Cooper (West Chester East) 6.79; 1600 sprint relay – 1. Kennett (Brown, Maxwell, Ramagano, Tuley) 3:51.86; 200-meter – 1. Jennings (Downingtown East) 22.88; 400-meter – 1. Gill (Downingtown East) 52.08; 800-meter – 1. Hontz (West Chester Rustin) 1:58.52; Mile run – 1. McKenna (Spring Ford) 4:40.38; 3000-meter – 1. Bullock (Downingtown West) 9:20.17; Distance medley – 1. Coatesville (Leahan, Laird, Olds, Mihalak) 11:06.55; 4×800 relay – 1. Downingtown West (Codd, P. Sewall, Miller, Z. Sewall) 8:40.99; Shot put – 1. Cummings (West Chester Rustin) 50-8.25; High jump – 1. McKee (Coatesville) 6-0; Long jump – 1. Moore (Coatesville) 19-3; Triple jump – 1. Kiefel (Downingtown West) 40-2.25; 4×200 relay – 1. Downingtown East (Quaran, Lavish, Jennings, Gill) 1:34.24; Pole vault – 1. Feliciano (Kennett) 13-0; 4×400 relay – 1. Great Valley (Spiess, Hoffritz, McDonough, Zatlin) 3:40.1.
