Coatesville seniors prevail as Red Raiders capture Ches-Mont Championships again

Caln >> A youthful Downingtown West squad made a spirited run at unseating perennial champion Coatesville at Ches-Mont Girls’ Track & Field Championships Wednesday, but in the end, the host Red Raiders prevailed.
Coming into the final event, the 4×400 relay, the Whippets trailed Coatesville by only 5.5 points, but the Red Raiders, featuring a crack, seasoned quartet of seniors Sammie Miller and Patrisha Rokins, freshman Lorelei Eberly and senior Porsha Miles, blew away the competition with a first-place clocking of 3:59.27. When the final points were totalled, Coatesville had 112, second-place D-West 99.5.
“Our seniors have gone four years without losing a dual meet, and they’ve capped it off with four [Ches-Mont] championships,” said Coatesville girls head coach Keith Andrew. “I’m very proud of all of our seniors – each and every one of them contributed to that success.”
The most prominent senior Wednesday was the George Mason University-bound Miles, who finished first in both the 100-meter dash (12.24), and the 200-meter run (25.31), along with anchoring the victorious 4×400 relay.
“We kind of nursed Porsha along through some of the season because of tightness [in her muscles],” said Andrew. “And we lost [George Mason University-bound senior] Arianna Eberly [before Ches-Monts] because of hamstring pulls, but the other girls have come through.
“We had a couple of mishaps earlier today – a dropped baton in the 4×100, where we were counting on big points, but other kids came up big and picked up sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place points. Downingtown West has an up-and-coming program, a young team, and it was nip-and-tuck for us in the last few events. I believe we were very strong in the throws today.”
Coatesville senior Morgan Morris finished first in the javelin throw (107-7) and Red Raider senior Darby Morgan was first in the shot put with a PR mark of 39-00. Last year, Morgan finished second at Districts (38-02.25) and placed in the top 15 at States.
“The key today was calming myself down before I got my arm up for the throw,” said Morgan. “I’m [aiming] for over 40 feet at Districts.”
Miller won the 800 meter run with a time of 2:19.16.
“I did OK today, I ran 2:17 earlier this season,” said Miller, who has committed to LaSalle University for track. “I’ll be aiming for 2:15 at Districts. Today, I was mentally strong in the last 300 meters, where I’ve been struggling. I had a good long stride in the final 300, and kicked it in at 150.”
Rokins finished first in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 58.34, edging Unionville senior Makayla Bucci by .05 seconds.
“I felt like I had a good, strong finish today,” said Rokins.
Second-place Downingtown West had several standouts Wednesday, notably junior hurdler Chloe Stanfield and a victorious 4×100 relay team that consisted of two sophomores and two freshmen.
Stanfield finished first in the 300 meter hurdles (46.93), and placed second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.69, which was better than her first-place time of 16.88 last year.
“I kept my speed throughout the 300 hurdles today,” said Stanfield. “I’ve been doing a lot of endurance training, a lot of 400 and 4×400 workouts.
“I’m really proud of our team today [keeping pace with Coatesville in the team point totals]. We have some really great [underclassmen] and our seniors are really posting some great times today.”
The Downingtown West 4×100 quartet of sophomore Lauren Diottavio, sophomore Maya Tucker, freshman Sarah Schreiber and freshman Jada Alston finished first with a time of 49.03.
Diottavio said, “Sarah was the key – we wanted to try a new person in the third spot for Ches-Monts.”
Alston added, “We had a positive mind-set today, we were really connecting with each other on the handoffs.”
Third-place Unionville had the triple jump winner in Lynsey McCarthy (34-08.25), and fourth-place West Chester East had a couple of first-place finishers in junior Allyson Clarke (3200 meter run) and the 4×800 quartet of sophomore Marguerite Greulich, senior Bethany Hutzel, junior Cate Crenny and senior Claire Mobed (10:01.57).
Clarke, who posted a winning time of 11:24.52, noted, “That wasn’t my best time – I ran 10:53 at the Henderson Invitational last Friday, but I was going for the win today to get points for my team.”
Clarke also finished second in the 1600 meter run with a clocking of 5:05.83, which was six seconds faster than her first-place time at last year’s Ches-Mont Championships (5:11.70). The girl Clarke finished second to Wednesday was West Chester Henderson freshman Jenna Mulhern, who finished first in the PIAA Class AAA cross-country state championships last fall.
Mulhern won the 1600 meter race with a PR time of 5:00.70.
“The key for me today was pacing – I’ve been working on not going too fast at the start,” said Mulhern, who will also be competing in the 3200 meter run at Districts. “I had a good finish today.”
Avon Grove finished fifth in the team standings Wednesday, buoyed by first-place finishers Ellie Jacquet in the 100 meter hurdles and Alana Boiardi in the high jump.
Jacquet, a junior, was clocked at a personal-best 15.64, competing in the hurdles for the first year. Last year, she ran the 100 meter run, 200 meter run, and 4×100. Wednesday, Jacquet also helped her Red Devil 4×100 relay team finish fifth.
“My coaches, Brody Honeycutt and Tara Honeycutt, encouraged me to try the hurdles this year,” said Jacquet. “My best time in the 100 hurdles before today was 16.03 two weeks ago, then I did 15.90 in the prelims today. It was exciting to win Ches-Monts in my first year in the hurdles. I was really focused warming up today, really had my mind in the race.”
Boiardi finished first in the high jump with a mark of 5-2, edging second-place finisher Anna Ebersole of Bishop Shanahan. Boiardi’s personal best mark is 5-6, and she is aiming for 5-7 at Districts. The Avon Grove sophomore also happens to be the great-granddaughter of Ettore Boiardi (of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee fame), and has been accumulating some fine finishes lately on both the indoor and outdoor tracks.
For sixth-place West Chester Henderson, first-place finishers included Mulhern and junior Karis Demi, who won the long jump with a mark of 17-7.
For seventh-place Kennett, senior Meredith Krieger finished first in the pole vault, with a mark of 10-6, edging out Unionville sophomore Meghan Hart and West Chester Rustin junior Izzy Okcuoglu. The Blue Demons featured depth in the pole vault event, capturing all four of the spots from fourth to seventh place.
West Chester Rustin featured the top two discus throwers, seniors Zhayria Washington (126-8) and Ashley Muliawan (118-11).
“Ashley and I have been pushing each other in practice,” said Washington. “I was focusing on technique today and not on distance, moving through my rotation and making sure my feet were in the right place. After I threw it, I had no clue that it was a personal best. When I heard it was over 126 feet, I was very happy.”
Washington, who finished fifth in the discus and fourth in the shot put at Districts last year, will throw the discus and shot put for West Chester University next fall.

Ches-Mont Track and Field Championships
Girls Team Scores – 1. Coatesville 112; 2. Downingtown West 99.5; 3. Unionville 90; 4. West Chester East 70.50; 5. Avon Grove 58; 6. West Chester Henderson 56; 7. Kennett 50; 8. Bishop Shanahan 47; 9. West Chester Rustin 43; 10. Downingtown East 34; 11. Great Valley 28; 12. Sun Valley 9; 13. Oxford 5.
Individual Winners – High jump – Boiardi (AG) 5-2; Discus – Washington (WCR) 126-08; 4×800 relay – West Chester East (Greulich, Hutzel, Crenny, Mobed) 10:01.57; Long jump – Demi (WCH) 17-7; 1,600 meter run – Mulhern (WCH) 5:00.70; 100 meter run – Miles (CO) 12.24; 100 hurdles – Jacquet (AG) 15.64; 4×100 relay – Downingtown West (Diottavio, Tucker, Schreiber, Alston) 49.03; 400 meter run – Rokins (CO) 58.34; pole vault – Krieger (KE) 10-6; Shot put – Morgan (CO) 39-0; 300 hurdles – Stanfield (DW) 46.93; triple jump – McCarthy (UN) 34-08.25; 800 meter run – Miller (CO) 2:19.16; 200 meter run – Miles (CO) 25.31; 3,200 meter run – Clarke (WCE) 11:24.52; Javelin – Morris (CO) 107-07; 4×400 relay – Coatesville (Miller, Rokins, L. Eberly, Miles) 3:59.27.