Haven’s Sydnor, Chester’s Clayton flash fast form in Delcos hurdle battles

UPPER DARBY >> The hurdles aren’t for everyone. It takes a special person to willingly run over an obstacle as fast as possible.

Strath Haven’s Teghan Sydnor is one of those special track athletes. She likes any event that involves a hurdle and her statewide rankings prove it. Sydnor is ranked No. 1 in the state in the 100 hurdles and No. 7 in the 300 hurdles.

Of the two, she does have a favorite.

“I like the 300 hurdles a little bit more because you can mess up on a hurdle and it doesn’t determine your entire race,” Sydnor said. “In the 100 hurdles, if you mess up on one hurdle your entire time is different.”

The junior showed why she is among the best in the state in both events Saturday, leading the Panthers to their 11th straight team title in the Delco Girls Track & Field Championships at Upper Darby High School.

Sydnor won the 100 hurdles in 14.86 seconds and was second to Chester’s Jiya Clayton in the 300 hurdles. The setback in the intermediate hurdles motivated Sydnor to win the shorter race.

“I tried to push myself, especially since the wind was at my back,” Sydnor said. I always tell myself to push and make sure I’m on top of every hurdle to get to the finish line as fast as possible.”

Sydnor was one of three gold medal winners on the day for the Panthers, who finished with 122.5 points. Geena Seflin won the discus a day after taking second in the shot put to teammate Alexa Brown. Gwyneth Stach was first in the 3,200. But it was depth that carried the Panthers to the team title. Strath Haven earned 10 medals on the second day of competition.

Haverford had a big day, too, to finish second in the team competition with 97.5 points. Sophomore Aubrey Leneweaver earned three more medals, including a pair of golds to go with her victory in the high jump Friday.

Leneweaver teamed with Alyssa Bloxton, Morgan Elliott and Erin Olsavsky for victory in the 4 x 100 and was on the winning 4 x 400 relay team that included Bloxton, Olsavsky and Camille Sealy. Leneweaver also took fourth in the 300 hurdles. Elliott turned in a personal best time of 57.72 to win her favorite event, the 400-meter dash.

“I didn’t freak out when people were passing me and then I picked it up at the 200-meter mark because of the wind,” Elliott said. “I thought that was a good strategy to run.”

Chester’s Clayton claimed her first county title when she held off Sydnor in the 300 hurdles. The victory was a long time coming for the senior who will attend Jackson State University.

“It feels overwhelming considering how hard I worked for it over the last four years,” said Clayton, who also finished second in the 400. “To be able to do it after not having an outdoor season last year really means a lot.”

Ridley’s Brianna Foster was the only athlete to win a pair of individual gold medals. The senior got her day off to a good start when she won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 2 inches. Foster also was the only returning champion from the 2019 meet, the last year the event was held and the senior successfully defended her title in the 100-meter dash with a winning time of 12.38 seconds. Foster also was fifth in the 200 and helped Ridley’s 4 x 400-meter relay team to second place.

“I gave it everything because I haven’t hit my fastest time yet,” Foster said. “That was my fastest for this season but my PR is 12.21. I should be able to PR at districts.

Taylor Johnson was disappointed with her fourth-place finish in the 100 and was determined to make up for it in the 200 and did. The junior from Bonner-Prendergast ran a personal best time of 25.48 seconds to hold off Penn Wood’s Nevaeh Davis for the title. It was the first time Johnson broke 26 seconds in the 200.

It was hard to tell who was happier for Johnson’s victory, her or her coach, Kevin Kee, who jumped up and down and pumped his fist after Johnson crossed the finish line.

“It was probably him,” Johnson said. “He was probably more excited than me because he knows that I can do it, I just had to believe in myself.”

Johnson did have some doubt about her chances of winning the 200, especially after her performance in the 100.

“I didn’t feel I did as well as I could have in the 100 and I just put that toward the 200 and trusted my training,” Johnson said.

Therese Trainer of Notre Dame won the 1,600. The Irish also took first in the 4 x 800. Lucy Henkel of Radnor was the winner in the 800.