All-Delco Girls Track & Field: Versatility made Upper Darby’s Brown-Jones, others stand out
In addition to Athlete of the Year Olivia Arizin of Cardinal O’Hara, the All-Delco team includes:
Michelle Brown-Jones, Upper Darby >> A common theme on the All-Delco team is versatility and Brown-Jones certainly fits that description. The senior was the Delco champ in the 200 and long jump and also a valuable member of the relay teams. She took second in District 1 Class 3A with a personal-best leap of 18 feet, 3¼ inches, and teamed with Wilbetrice Bodou, Victoria Robinson and Tishum Graham to set the school record in a third-place finish in the 4 x 400-meter relay at the PIAA Championships.
Kyra Carroll, Penn Wood >> Although relays were her specialty, Carroll also was one of the top 800 runners in the county. She took third at the Delco Championships, fifth at the District 1 meet and just missed a medal with a ninth-place finish at the PIAA Championship. The junior also was part of the Penn Wood 4 x 800-meter relay team that won the Delco title and finished fifth in the Championship of America final with a time of 9 minutes, 1.40 seconds, and took second in the Philadelphia area 4 x 400. Terri Turner, Janae Pitt and Elicia Moore also were on those relay teams.
Schola Eburuoh, Cardinal O’Hara >> Few athletes made greater strides than Eburuoh. She didn’t start competing in the triple jump until later in the season and wound up with a sixth-place medal at the PIAA Championships with a county-best leap of 38-4 ½. The senior also qualified for the state meet in the long jump. She finished the season ranked first in the county in both the long and triple jumps and tied for first in the high jump with fellow All-Delco Maddie Santoro of Haverford.
Grace Forbes, Strath Haven >> Don’t let her slight stature fool you. Forbes, who is just a sophomore, is a fierce competitor. She won the Delco Championship in the 1,600 with a personal-best time of 5:01.23, the best in the county. However, it was on Strath Haven’s 4 x 400- and 4 x 800-meter relay teams where she really shined. Forbes anchored the 4 x 800 to a silver medal at the PIAA Championships and the 4 x 400 to sixth at the state meet. Her older sister, Maddie, Isabel Cardi and Grace Haase were also on those relay teams.
Sugar Henry, Upper Darby >> Yes, Sugar is her real first name and this is the second straight year she has earned first-team All-Delco honors. She, Eburuoh and Ridley’s Meghan Lynch were the only county athletes to top 36 feet in the triple jump this season. Henry was second in the event at the Delco Championships and fifth at the District 1 Championships to earn a second straight trip to Shippensburg for the PIAA Championships.
Tara Higgins, Penncrest >> Higgins showed off her versatility last weekend by winning the high school heptathlon at the Vertical Adventures Meet in New Jersey. She ranked first in the county in the javelin (132-8), second in the 300 hurdles (45.54 converted) and fourth in the 400 (58.34 converted). Higgins, a junior took third in the Class 3A javelin at the District 1 Championships despite being ill and was ninth at the PIAA Championships in the event.
Cecilia Katcavage, Haverford >> This was a breakout year for the junior thrower. Katcavage won the Delco championship in the javelin for the second straight year and added the county title in the shot put to her resume. She doubled in both events a week later at the Central League championships and finished second in the shot put at the District 1 championships with a personal best heave of 39-1 to qualify for the PIAA Championships. Katcavage also placed seventh at the district meet in the javelin.
Rachel Kent, Strath Haven >> Kent is another versatile athlete with a unique set of skills. The senior was one of the top discus throwers and shot putters in the county as well as one of the best in the 100-meter hurdles, a rare combination. She was ranked first in the county in the discus, third in the 100 hurdles and seventh in the shot put. She took second at Delcos and first at the Central League championships in the short hurdles, and was second in the discus at the county and league championships.
Tatiyana Laylor, Penn Wood >> The junior began her season with a bang when she teamed with Elicia Moore, Janae Pitt and Terri Turner to set the county record in the 4 x 200 (1:41.57) at the Delco Relay Carnival. Individually, she finished the season ranked third in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and was second in both events at the county championship. Laylor placed eighth in the 100 at the District 1 Championships to earn a trip to Shippensburg for the PIAA Championships.
Christine Mancini, Cardinal O’Hara >> Her older sisters may specialize in the distance races, but the youngest of the Mancini clan prefers the 400 and 800. She was the District 12 runnerup in both events, and advanced to the final in the 800 at the PIAA Championships, where she finished 11th. The sophomore also was a key member of O’Hara’s 4 x 400-meter relay team that qualified for the state championships.
Elizabeth Mancini, Cardinal O’Hara >> She and her twin sister, Eleanor, presented quite a 1-2 punch in the 1,600 and 3,200 for the Lions. A junior and two-time All-Delco, Mancini was second in the 1,600 at the Delco Championships with a personal best time of 5:06.08 and recorded the top time in the county in the 3,200 (11:03.06) when she won the event at the Diamond State Relays. Mancini won the District 12 Class 3A 3,200-meter title to earn a trip to the PIAA Championships, where she finished 19th.
Elicia Moore, Penn Wood >> Moore burst onto the scene as one of the top 200-400 runners in the county as a freshman and carried that into her sophomore season. Moore won the Delco championships in the 400 and was third in the 200. She went on to finish fourth in the 400 at the District 1 Championships to punch her ticket to Shippensburg. Moore also was part of Penn Wood’s record-setting 4 x 200-meter relay team as well as the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 squads.
Janae Pitt, Penn Wood >> Pitt was the premier hurdler in the county for the past two seasons. A two-time All-Delco selection, the senior won back-to-back county titles in both hurdles events, and was fourth in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300 hurdles at the District 1 championships. Pitt was part of the record-setting 4 x 200-meter relay team and the 4 x 800 squad that had the third fastest time by an American team at the Penn Relays. She was part of three county-record relay teams in her career (4 x 200, 4 x 400 and sprint medley).
Maddie Santoro, Haverford High >> Santoro was the top high jumper in the county over the last three seasons. She captured her second Delco title with a personal best jump of 5-3. Santoro also won the county championship as a sophomore. She followed that up a week later with her third straight Central League championship in the event. Santoro equaled her personal best to finish seventh at the District 1 Championships.
Terri Turner, Penn Wood >> Columbia Univeristy is getting a good one in Turner. She was having one of the best seasons in recent county history when she severely sprained her right ankle at the Delco Championships. Despite the injury, Turner still managed to finish seventh in the Class 3A 800 at the District 1 Championships, and finished the season ranked first in the 400 and second in both the 200 and 800, which came after setting the county record in the 800 at the indoor state championships. She also was a key cog in Penn Wood’s record-setting 4 x 200 relay team as well at its 4 x 400- and 4 x 800-meter relay squads.
Top photo: Penn Wood teammates Janae Pitt, left, and Kyra Carroll helped the Patriots finish fifth in the Championship of America 4 x 800 at the Penn Relays in April. (Pete Bannan – Digital First Media)
