Central Bucks West girls capture PIAA-3A Title

SHIPPENSBURG >> From 3 a.m. breakfast orders to race plans to the races themselves, everything involving the Central Bucks West girls track and field team was done ahead of schedule on Saturday.

The Bucks were more than ready, and too much for the rest of Class 3A.

The Bucks ran away with the program’s first ever state title at Shippensburg University, producing plenty of sunshine on an otherwise dreary and cold afternoon at Shipp.

“It means the world. We’re doing it for our coaches,” said senior middle distance standout Emmi Simon. “They do everything for us. They put it all on the line for us. You should see all the things they’ve been doing.

“They got up at 3 a.m. to put in a breakfast order for us (for later that morning). They’re all in. We were all joking – we had seafood for dinner last night and we felt like royalty.”

The Bucks performed like it at Shipp, combining their many skills for four gold medals and 53 points total, distancing themselves from their nearest competition (Hempfield, 31 points) by a wide margin.

West was not to be denied, a concept personified by Kate Edenson, who surged past Wilson’s Katie Dallas down the final stretch to win gold in the 800-meter run.

“Our coach (Kiki Bell) always taught us that at (the 150-meter mark), you just gotta relax your body and raise those knees,” Edenson said. “I just trusted my training and I went out there and I did what I knew how to do.

“The first lap, I was really surprised with how fast we went out. I never got out to a 63 before, so it was definitely quick, but then I got to it and I felt like I was in the race and just had to finish it.”

Edenson, a junior, finished with a state-best 2:12.36. Teammates Simon (2:16.12) and Carlin McFadden (2:17.43) raced to sixth and eighth.

Edenson, formerly a 400 specialist, was running the 800 for just the fourth time.

“I wasn’t expecting to take it to states but I’m glad that I did,” she said, smiling. “I have two other girls on the team who were on the podium with me and are really fast so they were able to train me and get me ready.”

The 4×800 relay team was ready in the morning.

The foursome of Claire Dalsass, Julia Flood, Simon and McFadden raced to the gold medal in 9:20.15, holding off J.P. McCaskey (9:26.48).

“It was awesome. It was a little too close for comfort but I’m glad we pulled out the win,” said Simon, who will run at The University of Maryland next year. “We put a lot of trust in each other. We knew we could take care of it.”

Added Simon: “We were really sad about last year being taken away (due to the pandemic), but I think we’re trying to compensate for that this year.”

Chloe Timberg cleared 13 feet to win the pole vault and the Bucks polished things off by racing to another gold in the 4×400 relay. The foursome of Claire Dalsass, Simon, Carlin McFadden and Edenson beat all competition with a 3:55.69.

Other exploits for the Bucks included the 4×1 team of Katie Finnan, Riley Corona, Chloe Timberg and Mimi Duffy medaling in eighth (49.67); and Duffy’s silver-medal performance in the 200 (24.75).

It was a cool, damp afternoon at Shipp, perfect for running and perfect for the State Champs.

“Beautiful weather, beautiful racing,” Simon said.

Solid Gold >> Also from the area, Norristown’s Jaden Brown won the gold in the 100 dash, crossing in 10.65 seconds.

Brown also joined Jamie Miller, Marco Olmedo and Jordan Morse for seventh in the 4×100 relay.

Mount St. Joe’s Annie Lemelin won the gold in the 300 hurdles, with a winning time of 44.25, and Upper Dublin’s Jaden Price-Whitehead was the gold medalist in the long jump, with his leap of 23-11.

Up on the Medal Stand >> State College won the 3A Boys title with 34 points, with Cumberland Valley earning runner-up honors with 25.

Archbishop Wood placed third with 24 points, all scored by distance superman Gary Martin.

Martin broke a six-year-old record in the 3,200, winning gold in 8:54.87. He also won the 1,600 in 4:08.67 and took fifth in the 800 in 1:55.45.

Another familiar name, Hatboro-Horsham’s Devon Comber notched fourth in the 3,200 in 9:00.56, and La Salle’s Zach Brill was seventh in that race in 9:17.36.

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy’s foursome of Molly McCartney, Sabrina Beniquez, Ellie Perry and Kelly Murray grabbed eighth in 9:40.51.

The boys 4×800 race had three area squads earn medals.

CB West’s Conor Gross, Eric Mass, Brennan Wellock and Carter Fitzgerald wore the bronze medals with a 7:59.69; North Penn’s Karl Schafsteller, Gavin Zanck, Jayden Cartwright and Sean Fisher earned fifth in 8:01.71; and Pennridge’s Rich Loughran, Austin Prudish, Andrew Reice and Diego Lera-Lozano raced to seventh in 8:02.62.

Pennridge’s Emma Schlotter was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 15.15, helping the Rams finish in a six-way tie for eighth with 16 points.

North Penn’s Jael Sykes medaled in sixth with a 12.51 in the 100 dash, and Sykes joined Amy Allen, Olivia Renk and Amanda Marquis for third in the 4×1, with a 48.76.

North Penn was also fifth in the 4×400 relay, as a team of Sierra Heisey, Megan Chester, Destiny Lewis-Upchurch and Megan Gambogi combined for a 4:00.74.

Pennridge’s Victoria Angelo grabbed the bronze in the 300 hurdles with a 45.62, and Angelo joined Payton Mann, Lindsey Balmer, and Ava Pultorak for third in the 4×400 relay with a 3:58.79.

Cheltenham’s Eyota Bey earned silver in the girls 400, finishing in 56.99. Bey also notched fourth in the 200 with a 25.15.

Wissahickon’s Isaia Marc raced to sixth in the 400, in 49.04.

Cheltenham’s Malcolm Garbutt medaled in eighth in the 300 hurdles, with a 39.53.

North Penn’s foursome of Zanck, Anthony Ayala Jr., Jeff Wang and Devin Nugent earned the silver with a 3:20.89, and CB West’s Noah Gartenberg, Tekalegn, Keagan Kratzke and Carter Fitzgerald were third in 3:23.15.

In the field, Methacton’s Madi Eastmure earned seventh in the high jump with a leap of 5-2.

Meanwhile, Springfield Montco’s Julia McBride medaled in eighth in the pole vault, clearing 11-6.

Hatboro-Horsham’s Kasey Savage grabbed the silver in the long jump with a leap of 22-3.5 and La Salle’s Tommy Christie earned sixth with a 21-11.5. Christie was also eighth in the pole vault with a 14-6 and Savage was a silver medalist in the triple with a leap of 46-1.75.

Savage’s heroics led Hatboro-Horsham to a three-way tie for sixth with 21 points.

Souderton Area’s Hannah Alderfer notched fourth in the long jump, with a leap of 17-10.5.

Spring-Ford’s Maura Baker earned fourth in the shot put, with a put of 41-10.75.

Also, Souderton Area’s Evan Kutzler was sixth in the high jump, clearing 6-0, and North Penn’s Chris Bonsignore finished in a four-way tie for seventh, getting over at 5-10.