Delco Girls Championships: Title No. 9 just fine with Strath Haven

UPPER DARBY >> If you ask Strath Haven girls track coach Bill Coren about his team’s success, you get one answer.

If you ask some of his athletes, their response might be a little different.

Regardless of the difference of opinions, the fact remains that when it is time for the Delaware County Girls Track and Field Championships, the Panthers are at their best.

For the ninth consecutive year, Strath Haven is county champion. Haven piled up 154 points to outdistance Penn Wood (80), host Upper Darby (79) and Garnet Valley (64) in the race to be the best team in the meet Saturday.

Penn Wood placed second in the team standings for the third year in a row.

“We have a saying: ‘We are Strath Haven; act like it,’” Coren said. “Tonight we really acted like it.”

The Panthers added six first-place finishes Saturday to the one they claimed when the meet began Thursday. They also came up with a pair of runner-up placings and were shut out in only two of the 13 championship events contested on the second day of competition.

“Sometimes he says it’s 95 percent coaching and five percent talent,” Haven senior Taylor Barkdoll said with a smile.
Barkdoll had reason to smile. She helped the 4 x 800-meter relay team that included Ava Crawford, Abby Loiselle and freshman anchor Maddie

Forbes win the first event contested Saturday, then came back toward the end of the meet to capture gold in the 3,200-meter run. Barkdoll held off Loiselle in the 3,200.

“I was sixth last year,” she said. “I did a lot more training this year and doubled my mileage. I had a different attitude and made up my mind to work harder.”

Junior Grace Forbes turned in an impressive double for the Panthers, capturing the 1,600-meter run in 4:54.81, then surviving an exciting duel in the stretch with Radnor sophomore Keara Seasholtz to win the 800 in 2:13.54.

“That was a tough double,” Coren said.

Forbes, who lowered her personal-best time in the 1,600 by seven seconds, didn’t seem to mind being asked to do what she had done.

“I wasn’t sure I wanted to go out early,” she said. “But then things changed once the races began. No one was going out in the (1,600), so I did and just tried to maintain my pace. I went all out the last 400.

“In the 800, I went after it in the last 300 and tried to make sure I had something left. This has always been the meet for us. It’s great the way everyone gets excited about it.”

Junior Jordan Brown, who took down a 30-year-old Strath Haven record in winning the shot put Thursday, added a second gold medal to her collection with a throw of 100 feet, 3 inches in the discus.

“I’m still amazed that I broke a record that lasted that long,” Brown said. “I’ve put in the work, and I’m glad I could bring (the record) down.
“I’m qualified for districts in the shot, but not the discus. I know I’ve got to work on my spin and my speed. This summer I’ll be doing a lot of lifting and working with my throwing.”

Panthers junior Dana Hubbell won the 100-meter hurdles (15.38 seconds) and earned sixth place in the 300 hurdles.

“I’m really excited because I wanted to go under 15.5 (in the 100 hurdles),” she said. “I knew if I could do that, I could have a chance to make it to states. I was focused on going as fast as I could.”

Hubbell survived a challenge from Ridley junior Meghan Lynch in the 100 hurdles. Lynch, who won the triple jump Thursday, added a gold medal in the long jump as well as her silver medal in the hurdles.

“This is my first year running the hurdles,” Lynch said. “The coach said we needed hurdlers, and I tried it in the winter and liked it. My form is still a little crazy. I have to work on using my arms.

“I know it’s a lot with jumping and running the hurdles, but I’m always warmed up and don’t seem to get tired. I just try to keep going.”

Ridley freshman Brianna Foster had a spectacular Delcos debut, winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes and anchoring the Green Raiders to second place in the 4 x 100-meter relay.

“I know everybody is fast, especially all those seniors,” Foster said. “I think running against them makes me more excited than nervous.
“I know I can get out fast. I just have to work on keeping my speed.”

Garnet Valley senior Maura Tease held off Chester freshman Jiya Clayton to win the 300-meter hurdles. Clayton was second behind Penn Wood’s Elicia Moore in the 400-meter dash.

“I’ve had problems with allergies for the first time this year,” Tease said. “I had to go to Urgent Care yesterday, but that’s what I needed to do to get cleared to run today.”

Shaniyah Toodles, Fanta Konde, who took third place in both hurdles races, and Moore gave Penn Wood a commanding lead in the 4 x 400-meter relay, and Kyra Carroll brought the Patriots home in 3:55.91 as they repeated as champions in the event.

“All of us have to have faster splits,” Carroll said. “We know we’re going to need to go under 3:50 for states.”

Upper Darby’s Jerenita Sokan, who was second to Foster in the 200, Dominique Timmons, who placed third in the 100, Lina Salami and Siani Barnes claimed first place in the 4 x 100-meter relay.

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