District 1 Track and Field: Top-seeded Delco entrants poised for big day at district championships

Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak, Strath Haven’s Alexa Brown, Sacred Heart’s Maya Walker and Delco Christian’s Evezi Omuyeh and Hallie Keys are looking to become two-time champions when the District 1 Track & Field Championships kick off Thursday at Coatesville Area High School.

Cieslak is the defending champion in the girls Class 3A 800-meter run. She’s the top seed in that event as well as the 1,600 and is seeded third in the 3,200. She’s not the only Ford seeded first. Sydney Jones is the top seed in the girls 3A high jump. She was second in the event last year. Teammate Mollie Carpenter is seeded first in the girls 3A discus. Carpenter also is seeded second in the shot put.

Brown is looking to retain her title in the Class 3A shot put. The other top seeds from Delco are Penncrest’s Ruby Schwelm (3,200), Chester’s JaNaisa Dearry (400) and Damira Allen (300 hurdles). Allen, Haverford’s Aubrey Leneweaver and Strath Haven’s Nora Chen are the top three seeds in the 300 hurdles. Allen and Leneweaver are seeded second and third, respectively, in the 100 hurdles.

Walker won the girls 2A 800 last year and is seeded second in the event this season. Omuyeh is the defending champion in the Class 2A shot put and discus and is the top seed in both events. She’s also seeded fourth in the javelin. Keys won the javelin last year and is the No. 1 seed in the event this season. Delco Christian’s Makiyah Keys is the top seed in the long jump. The Knights are also seeded first in the 4 x 400 and are the defending champion in the event.

Angel White, Marian Koita and Armani Madded of Chester Charter Scholars Academy are the top seeds in the 100, 200 and 400, respectively. The Sabers are also the top seed in the 4 x 100.

Aly Albanese of Sacred Heart is seeded first in the high jump. She was second last year.

There are no returning champions from Delco in boys Class 3A, but there are a number of top seeds. Haverford’s Patrick Lawson is seeded first in the 800 and 3,200 and second in the 1,600. He was second in the 1,600 a year ago. Chester’s Walton Garnett is the top seed in the 400. He was fifth in the event last season. Springfield’s Tyler Klambara is seeded first in the shot put. He was fourth last year. Upper Darby is the top seed in the 4 x 100.

In boys Class 2A, Delco Christian’s C.J. Simbiri will try to pull off an interesting field triple. He’s the top seed in the triple jump and No. 2 in the long jump and javelin. Zachary Howard of Chester Charter Scholars Academy is the top seed in the 110 hurdles and the Sabers are seeded first in the 4 x 400 and second in the 4 x 100.

The top five finishers in Class 3A automatically qualify for the PIAA Championships. The next three finishers in the final move on if they need the state qualifying standard. Only the district champion automatically qualifies in Class 2A. Any other finalist has to meet the qualifying standard to earn a trip to Shippensburg.