Coatesville athletes shine on first day of track & field Districts

Caln >> For Red Raider senior jumper Naheem Moore, who finished second in the Class AAA boys’ triple jump with a state-qualifying mark of 46-6.5 on the first day of the PIAA District 1 Track and Field Championships at Coatesville High School, Friday was like a home meet.
On May 24, when he competes in the PIAA state track & field championships at Shippensburg University, it will be another “home” meet for Moore, who heads to Shippensburg as a student-athlete in the fall.
“I’ve got to show them [at Shippensburg] next week why I committed there,” said Moore, who has persevered this spring despite suffering a groin injury in the middle of last winter’s indoor track season. “The key for me today was to stay focused, keep my knees up and remember that I’ve been there before.”
Last spring, Moore finished fourth at Districts at Coatesville with a mark of 45-0.5, then placed sixth at States at Shippensburg with a mark of 46-1.5.
Moore was one of a sizable number of Red Raiders who made their mark Friday at the District 1 meet at Coatesville.
At the forefront was Coatesville boys’ 4×100 relay of Dapree Bryant, Eric Kirk, Aaron Young and Dymere Miller, which posted a PR time of 41.54 in the preliminaries, well ahead of the second-best preliminary time of 42.37 recorded by Cheltenham and one-thousandth of a second shy of the Red Raider school record. (The District 1 meet record is 41.67, set in 1996).
Coatesville senior sprinter Wiltricia Snoh, who did not compete at States last spring, had a productive Friday. She ran one of the five fastest times in both the AAA girls 100 meter dash (12.60) and 200-meter run (25.92). She also was the leadoff runner for the Red Raiders 4×100 relay quartet that finished with the fastest time in the preliminaries (47.79).
“I felt my best performance was in the 4×100 today,” said Snoh, who will be running track for Edinboro University next fall. “I was [motivated] having my team with me, knowing that I have to move to get them [a winning finish].”
Coatesville girls coach Keith Andrew said, “Wiltricia has been a pleasant surprise for us this season – she’s one of the reasons we were undefeated this spring. Her performances during the winter track season convinvced us that she had the potential to do very well this spring.”
Snoh teamed with Porsha Miles, Sammie Miller and Kaia Morse to record a PR time of 47.79 in the 4×100. Miller and Miles both were versatile performers Friday, placing high in the preliminaries in several events.
Miller was the leadoff runner for the Red Raiders 4×400 relay, which posted a PR of 3:55.60, one of the five fastest times posted Friday, and posted a mark of 2:16.23 in the 800 meter run preliminaries with one of the five top clockings.
“I’m trying to take it one event at a time today – having tunnel vision works for me,” noted Miller after her 800 meter race Friday with the 4×400 relay still to be run. “I think of the day in chunks instead of the day in its entirety.”
Miles, the anchor of the Red Raiders 4×400, ran 57.30 in the 400 meter run (third-fastest in the preliminaries; her PR is 56.16) and 12.62 in the 100-meter dash.
The middle runners in the Red Raiders’ speedy 4×400 girls relay were Patty Rokins and Lorelei Eberly.
In the boys’ 4×400, the quartet of junior Artie Burgess, senior Camari Stocker, senior CJ Brown and junior Jahmir Carter finished with a PR of 3:21.74, and will advance to Saturday’s finals.
Coatesville had three of the top five finishers in the AAA boys’ high jump, as junior Ousman Kamara finished second (6-7), junior Donovan Hart was third (6-5) and junior Donovan Brickus placed fifth (6-5). All three Red Raiders will advance to States.
Red Raider senior Darby Morgan, who finished first in the shot put at Ches-Monts a week ago with a heave of 39 feet, finished fifth in the girls’ AAA shot put with a PR throw of 39-7.25, and wil advance to States. Last year, she finished second at Districts, and 13th at States.
“The key for me today was going along with the competition, and not being intimidated by it,” Morgan said with a smile.
Chester County had two of the top three clockings in the boys’ AAA 200-meter dash preliminaries – Downingtown East senior Zach DeLone posted the fastest time (21.98) and Coatesville’s Dymere Miller had the third-fastest mark (22.24). DeLone also posted one of the top times in the 100 meter dash preminiaries (11.22) and will advance to Saturday in that event as well.
Another Downingtown East senior, Victoria Rudolph, set a school record in the girls shot put with a PR throw of 40-1 and finished third in the girls’ AAA shot put. Rudolph, who will be throwing for Cornell University next fall, is advancing to States.
Bishop Shanahan junior Jonah Hoey had the fastest time in the 1,600 meter AAA preliminaries (4:27.10). Last year, he finished second at States with a clocking of 4:17.70, and earlier this season at the Penn Relays he posted a PR under 4:17.
Church Farm School senior James Cromartie finished first in the AA boys triple jump with a mark of 40-6.25.
“The guy just ahead of me went to 40-6, and that really motivated me,” said Cromartie. “In my last District 1 meet as a Church Farm athlete, I wanted to go out as a champion.”
Here are a few more highlights from Friday’s District 1 track & field action at Coatesville High School:
– Two Downingtown West underclassmen, freshman Jada Alston and sophomore Maya Tucker, posted a time of 12.75 in the AAA girls 100 meter dash, among the top 10 best preliminary clockings, and will advance to Saturday’s compeititon.
– West Chester Rustin senior Zhayria Washington, who won the discus throw at the Ches-Mont Championships a week ago with a PR mark of 126-8, finished sixth in the AAA girls shot put (39-6.25) and will advance to States in that event. The Class AAA girls discus preliminaries and final is being held today .
– Six of the 12 runners in the Class AAA boys’ 1600 meter run who advanced to Saturday were from Chester County – Hoey, Downingtown West senior Isaac Valderrabano (4:27.96), West Chester East junior Joshua Lewin, Downingtown West senior Joseph Chamoun, Kennett sophomore Gavin Maxwell and Unionville sophomore Ethan McIntyre.
– Two Downingtown West athletes advanced to Saturday’s competition in the boys AAA 300 meter hurdles – junior Ethan Robinson (39.05) and senior Tawo Ayambem (39.67). West Chester East senior Charlie Webb posted the second fastest time in the preliminaries (39.22) and will advance to Saturday.
– In additon to Coatesville’s Wiltricia Snoh, three Chesco runners posted top 10 preliminary times in the girls AAA 200 meter dash and will advance to Saturday – Conestoga junior Katherine Billman (26.01), Downingtown West sophomore Maya Tucker (26.06) and Avon Grove sophomore Molly O’Connor (26.26).
– Two Chesco athletes finished in the top six in the girls Class AAA high jump with state-qualifying leaps of 5-3 – Avon Grove sophomore Alana Boiardi (who happens to be the great-granddaughter of Ettore Boiardi of Chef Boy-Ar-Dee fame) and Bishop Shanahan senior Anna Ebersole.
– Kennett athletes finished fifth and sixth in the AAA girls’ pole vault, with senior Meredith Krieger (11-0) and junior Mary Tuley (11-0); and two Chesco seniors finished fifth/sixth in the AAA girls javelin throw – Villa Maria’s Kara Schiek (121-4) and West Chester Henderson senior Cameron Trotter (120-0).

– West Chester Henderson junior Karis Demi finished seventh in the Class AAA girls long jump with a leap of 17-03.25.