Trojan Track Classic: All aces for Abington Friends School

Ace Bibbs had just zipped through the 100-meter dash, breaking another school record for Abington Friends.
“I feel real good. I think I just got my P.R. here so I feel real good,” the senior said on what was a hot, breezy night on the track at Wissahickon’s 44th Annual Trojan Track Classic on Thursday. “It’s a really nice setup here, well-represented.”
The Kangaroos are in the midst of a landmark season.
A total of 26 school records have been established over the past two years, and on Thursday Bibbs raced to the school record in the 100 (11.21) as well as leaping to a first-place finish in the high jump, clearing 6-feet-4.
That mark is the second-highest jump by an Independent School athlete within the state this year. Only Kyle Garland of Germantown Academy has jumped higher (6-5).
Bibbs, also a basketball standout for the Kangaroos, headed to Gwynedd Mercy University next year, is enjoying his first season on the track team.
“My friends and the community,” the senior said of what made him come out to run and jump this spring. “Abington Friends has a nice community so I was like ‘you know what? Lemme just go out for the guys. And see what I can do.’”
The AFS teams have doubled in size since coach Kyle Rankin took over the squad in 2016. After going more than 100 meets without a win in the Friends School League, both squads have earned multiple wins this year. In fact, the boys team has a solid chance to compete for the FSL title on May 12.
Senior co-captain Madison Tillmann, a key piece for the girls squad, will be continuing her running career at Ursinus College next year.
4×8’s coming on >> Upper Dublin’s 4×800 relay raced to a win Thursday night at Wiss, a team of Elaina O’Toole, Madeline Spaulding, Abbey Broderick and Caitlin Bermester outracing 11 other foursomes.
“We really wanted it. We’ve been trying to qualify for districts for a while,” said a happy Broderick. “The first part of the season, we were off and on, trying to figure out the right relay, and we finally got it together.”
Cheltenham came through in the boys 4×8, a foursome of Germaine Stringer, Wesley Paik, freshman Malcolm Garbutt and Kylan Willis striding closer to a district cut.
“We definitely think we can be doing better. It’s not exactly where we wanna be right now,” said Paik. “But we’re making progress. We wanna try to get to a district time so we’re gonna keep pushing for that.”
Classic performances >> It was also a good night at Wiss for Cheltenham’s Ni Asia Williams, who motored home to victories in the 100 and 200 dashes.
Madison Langley-Walker was a triple winner for Upper Dublin.
The Cardinal senior took the long jump (18-9.5), broke a three-year-old record in the triple jump (39-1.5, replacing the 37-7.5 by North Penn’s Allison Williams) and then got on the track to break a seven-year-old record in the 100 hurdles (14.05, replacing the 14.95 by North Penn’s Kayla Charles in 2011).
Lansdale Catholic’s Corinne Archbold had a nice win in the shot put, throwing 31 feet.
Upper Dublin’s Michael Henning, meanwhile, was a double winner in the 100 and 200 dashes while Cheltenham’s Cameron Carty threw furthest in the shot put and discus.