WC Henderson’s Jenna Mulhern sets pace at girls track Districts

Caln >> Chester County produced several individual champions at the PIAA District 1 girls’ track and field championships Friday at Coatesville High School, led by West Chester Henderson junior Jenna Mulhern.

Mulhern earned two gold medals, for the Class 3A girls 1600 meter run (4:57.51) and the 3200 meter race (10:44.48), and helped the Warriors place fourth in the 4×800 relay.

The Henderson junior took special pleasure in helping the 4×800 relay squad of senior Gabriella Caronia, senior Lauren Franco, Mulhern and senior Liesl Scherrer earn a District 1 medal and qualify for States with a PR time of 9:35.46.

“Our [4×800] relay team did great today,” said Mulhern. “From where we were seeded, we weren’t sure if we were going to make it [States], but my team ran so hard, it was awesome to watch them, we’re very excited with our fourth-place finish and I’m looking forward to running with them next week at States.”

Mulhern’s final run of the day was the 1600 meter race.

“I had run the 3200 and the 4×800 earlier today, so I started [in the 1600] kind of conservatively, and worked on my kick on the last lap,” said Mulhern. “Same thing for the 3200 – I went out with the pack, and then slowly dropped it down. I was happy to come away with the times I did, I feel good and am ready for next week.”

Mulhern liked this year’s one-day format for the girls’ District 1 championship meet, compared to earlier years when the girls’ event was spread over two days.

“I actually like the one-day format, because normally [in the two-day format] I would just stick to the two-mile because I don’t want to worry about running prelims the day before,” said Mulhern. “But since there’s no prelims, everything’s a timed final, with the 3200 run being first, it gives me a chance to run more events.”

Mulhern was not the only Chester County standout in the Class 3A 3200 meter run. Five of the top runners were from Ches-Mont schools – Mulhern; West Chester Rustin sophomore Ellie Keefer (second place, 10:52.47); West Chester East junior Sonia Piombino (third, 10:52.50); Downingtown West sophomore Carolyn Tarpley (fifth, 11:09.95); and West Chester Henderson senior Liesl Scherrer (sixth, 11:10.40). The top five runners in this race qualified for States.

Other individual first-place finishers Friday were Downingtown West junior Jada Alston in the girls 3A 100 meter dash (12.30) and West Chester Rustin sophomore Ava Alexander in the triple jump (38-11.25).

The top four runners in the girls Class 3A 100 meter dash were from Ches-Mont schools. The first-place finisher, Alston, was followed by D-West senior Maya Tucker (12.39), Avon Grove senior Molly O’Connor (12.43) and West Chester East junior Chinonye Moneme (12.47). All four will advance to States.

Alston, who nine days ago anchored the Whippets’ first-place 4×100 girls relay team at the Ches-Mont Championships, smiled and said, “I was [pleasantly] surprised by my finish today. I had been having trouble with my start early this season, but I got a good start today, and that’s what made me finish strong.”

Later in the afternoon, O’Connor and Tucker finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 200 meter run.

O’Connor, who finished first in both the 100 and 200 meter runs at the Ches-Mont Championships, will be running three events at States – the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay. She thought her best race Friday was the 200 meter race (25.23).

“I got a good start, and my re-acceleration was a lot better than in my prelims,” said O’Connor.

Tucker, who qualified for States in the 200 meter run with a PR of 25.37, said, “My start was the key today. I got out on the curve good, and I just tried to hold on at the straightaways as long as I could.”

Several Chester County girls also won medals in the longer races at Districts Friday. In the Class 3A 800 meter run, Villa Maria senior Dylan Miller finished eighth (2:19.19). In the 1600 meter run, West Chester Rustin senior Sofia Piccone placed fourth with a PIAA state meet-qualifying time of 5:08.80 and teammate Ellie Keefer was eighth (5:15.53).

A number of Chester County girls won medals in the relays Friday. In the 4×100, West Chester Rustin was fourth (48.97), with a quartet of sophomore Ava Alexander, freshman Amelia Foore, sophomore Sidney Sagullo and sophomore Kalya Stephney. Avon was sixth (49.56) with a foursome of junior Payton Smith, Molly O’Connor, senior Kaylin Cousin and freshman Eden Veenema. Both quartets posted state-qualifying times.

In the girls 3A 4×400 relay, Great Valley earned a seventh-place medal (4:02.04) with a quartet of junior Julia Dill, sophomore Stephanie Cristinzio, freshman Briella Gorman and junior Gillian Yonce.

In the girls 3A 4×800 relay, Conestoga placed fifth (9:37.38) with a quartet of junior Molly Ryle, junior Karis Blagden, senior Carly Hynd and junior Abigail Klebe. Downingtown West was seventh (9:38.87) with a sophomore foursome of Bridget Kiey, Paige Oskison, Aubrey Hufnagel and Carolyn Tarpley.

In the field events, the top Chester County standout was Rustin’s Ava Alexander in the girls 3A triple jump, with a PR mark of 38-11.25 – her third PR in a row. She won this event at the Ches-Mont Championships earlier this month with a mark of 38-07.50.

“I just wanted to make sure my second phase was long, and I stayed in the air, and I wanted to keep my eyes up, and make sure I was flat-footed the whole way, and just go for it, I really just went for it,” said a smiling Alexander.

In the girls 3A pole vault, Chesco girls took the top three spots behind champion Chloe Timberg of Central Bucks West (13-06). Timberg was followed by Kennett sophomore Kirstin Hoffman and Unionville senior Meghan Hart (both at 12-06) and Villa Maria Academy freshman Maddy Kelley (11-00). Hoffman and Hart have qualified for States.

In the girls 3A discus, Chester County girls took five of the top eight spots. Villa Maria Academy senior Emma Woodcock was second (132-03), followed by Villa Maria senior Norah Bice (third, 117-09), Great Valley senior Siena Vestri (fifth, 113-05), Avon Grove senior Kate Nolan (sixth, 111-03) and Unionville junior Alex Pancoast (eighth, 108-03). Woodcock, in her first year of competing in track & field, has qualified for States in this event.

“I did a lot of practicing this week, I wanted to go in with a positive mindset,” said a smiling Woodcock, who will continue her throwing career at Elon University. “I liked the one-day format today, it was just one event after the other, you didn’t have a long time to wait around.”

Woodcock’s teammate, Norah Bice, placed second in the Class AAA javelin throw, with a state-qualifying mark of 124-07. Bice has now posted three PRs in a row, on Friday set it by seven feet. She will throw the javelin for Tulane University next year.

“I like the [one-day format],” said Bice. “It’s nice to have one day instead of two, to just focus on throwing.”

Unionville junior Alex Pancoast placed fourth (38-11) in the 3A girls shot put, and has qualified for States in that event.

In the 3A long jump, Villa Maria Academy senior Allyson Metzger placed fourth (17.05.75), while Rustin’s Ava Alexander and Coatesville junior Lorelei Eberly tied for fifth at 17.04.25.

In the girls 3A high jump, Great Valley sophomore Kelli McKeown tied for sixth with a leap of 5-1.

In the girls 3A 300 meter hurdles, Oxford’s Rose Rowe placed eighth with a time of 46.80.

 

Individual Girls – District 1 3A winners

100 meter dash – 1. Jada Alston (DW) 12.30; 200 meter dash – 1. Sanaa Hebron (NE) 24.85; 400 meter dash – 1. Sanaa Hebron (NE) 55.83; 800 meter run – 1. Carlin McFadden (CBW) 2:13.78; 1600 meter run – 1. Jenna Mulhern (WCH) 4:57.51; 3200 meter run – 1. Jenna Mulhern (WCH) 10:44.48; 100 hurdles – 1. Kayli Williams (PE) 14.49; 300 hurdles – 1. Annie Lemelin (MSJ) 44.12; 4×100 – 1. North Penn (Maya Adams, Sierra Heisey, Megan Chester, Jael Sykes) 48.22; 4×400 – 1. Central Bucks West (Claire Dalsass, Kate Edenson, Justine Maraska, Carlin McFadden) 3:54.27; 4×800 – 1. Central Bucks West (Claire Dalsass, Kate Edenson, Emmi Simon, Carlin McFadden) 9:15.90; High jump – 1. Amira Green (NE) 5-05; Long jump – 1. Kasi Brown (WI) 18-01.50; Triple jump – 1. Ava Alexander (WCR) 38-11.25; Pole vault – 1. Chloe Timberg (CBW) 13-6; Discus – 1. Siniru Iheoma (CRS) 155-10; Javelin – 1. Olivia Dumont (SH) 127-10; Shot put – 1. Siniru Iheoma (CRS) 47-07.75.