All-Delco Girls Track and Field: Future is bright at Chester thanks to fab freshman pair
In addition to Athlete of the Year Olivia Cieslak of Haverford, the All-Delco team includes:
Saige Forbes, Episcopal Academy: The junior proved she was the class of Delco in the sprints, but her second straight All-Delco nod owes plenty to her versatility in the jumps. Forbes bested the Delco field by going 12.09 in the 100-meter dash and 24.78 in the 200, defeating several PIAA runners who would go onto fabulous postseasons. Forbes also leapt to victory in the long jump with a distance of 19 feet, 4.5 inches, in a 1-2 finish with teammate Avery Elliott. Forbes did the sprint double at the Inter-Ac championships – in 12.09 and 25.29 – to go with silver behind Elliott in the long jump. She finished second in both sprints at the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Championships, going 12.04 and 24.87. She added a silver medal in the long jump.
Alasia Mosley, Chester: The junior was a big part of a special performance from Chester’s young core at states. Mosley anchored Chester’s quartet of All-Delcos in the 4 x 100 relay at the PIAA Class 3A Championships to third place in 47.65 seconds. That’s within eight tenths of the Delco record set in 2003 by Upper Darby. The same foursome returned from the District 1 championships with a silver medal and romped to victory at Delcos by a margin of 1.4 seconds. Mosley finished 12th at states in the 100-meter dash and 14th in the 200. She finaled in both at districts, finishing sixth in the 200 and eighth in the 100. She was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200 at Delcos. Mosley was part of Chester’s 4 x 400 that finished seventh in the Philly area race and the 4 x 100 that took sixth in the Northeast race at Penn Relays.
JaNasia Dearry, Chester: The star sophomore returned from states with three medals in an outstanding performance. Dearry finished sixth in the 400 in 55.85 seconds. She also made the 200 final, taking home seventh in 25.05. Dearry added a bronze medal with the Clippers’ 4 x 100 relay. Dearry was the District 1 Class 3A champion in the 200, breaking the tape in 24.70 seconds. She also finished third in the 200. At Delcos, Dearry pulled an impressive triple by winning the 400 and finishing second to Forbes in the 100 and 200. Dearry was part of two finalist relays at Penn Relays: The 4 x 400 that finished seventh in the Philly area final and the 4 x 100 that was sixth in the Northeast race.
Morgan Elliott, Haverford: The senior was a vital cog in the Fords’ run to a state title, earning her third All-Delco nod is as many non-cancelled high school seasons. Elliott got to states in the 400, finishing 17th in 58.24 seconds. Her ability to run for her team shined. She helped the Fords’ 4 x 400 relay finish third at states, sealing the team title. With fellow All-Delcos Cieslak and Aubrey Leneweaver, Elliott helped the Fords take third in the distance medley relay Championship of America and fifth in the Philadelphia Area 4 x 400 at Penn Relays. Elliott finished fifth in the 400 at districts, then helped the Fords’ 4 x 400 finish third. Elliott was second to Cieslak in the 800 at Centrals and second to Dearry in the 400 at Delcos, the Fords winning team crowns at both meets. Elliott will continue her career at Richmond.
Hannah Prokup, Strath Haven: The junior distance runner was a textbook example of improvement through the postseason. She was third in the 1,600 at Delcos and fifth in the 3,200, but she improved to the point of qualifying for states. Prokup ran 32 seconds faster at the District 1 Class 3A Championships than at Delcos in the 3,200, finishing third in 10:47.60 to book passage to states. There, she finished 20th, quickest of four Delco qualifiers. Prokup also took home the Central League title in the 3,200. A two-time cross country All-Delco, this is her first nod on the track.
Damira Allen, Chester: The freshman made an instant impact for the Clippers. Allen brought two medals back from her first states trip, including a bronze in the 100-meter hurdles. She set the pace in prelims at Shippensburg, then went faster in finals at 14.27 to take third. Allen ran the third leg on the third-place 4 x 100 relay for Chester at states. She was part of the 4 x 400 that placed seventh in the Philadelphia area and the 4 x 100 that was sixth in the Northeast at Penn Relays. Allen was third in the 100 hurdles at districts and eighth in the 300 hurdles. She reigned over her Delco peers in her first county championship outing, winning both hurdles.
Aubrey Leneweaver, Haverford: Like her teammate Elliott, Leneweaver ends up a three-time All-Delco, despite not having a freshman season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s Athlete of the Year was sensational this season, and she has the PIAA Class 3A trophy to prove it. Leneweaver was entrusted with the capper on that performance, anchoring the Fords’ 4 x 400 and taking them from fifth to third for another medal and to clinch the program’s first state title. Leneweaver added precious points to the title chase in the hurdles, grabbing the silver medal in the 300 (42.73 seconds) and fourth place in the 100 (14.54). Leneweaver was second in both hurdles events at the District 1 Championships and Delcos. She coasted to Central League titles in both, as did the Fords in the team category. She was part of the Fords’ distance medley relay that finished third in the Championship of America at Penn Relays. Leneweaver will continue her career at the University of Pittsburgh.
Niya Jeffers, Chester: The future is bright at Chester, and the present is bathed in light glinting off states medals thanks to Jeffers, another freshman. She did her classmate Allen two better at states, taking gold in the high jump. Jeffers cleared 5-7 at Shippensburg, edging Haverford’s Sydney Jones by an inch. Jeffers showed her versatility by leading off the Clippers’ bronze-medal 4 x 100. She finished third at districts in the high jump, clearing 5-1. She also showed well in the long jump, finishing 21st. Jeffers got the better of Jones in the high jump at Delcos, where she added second place in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump.
Kiala Bright, Academy Park: The junior’s all-around jumping ability lands her on the squad. Bright qualified for states in two events, finishing 10th in the high jump by clearing 5-2 and 21st in the long jump at 16-3.25. Bright medaled in both at the District 1 Class 3A Championships, fourth in the high and seventh in the long. At Delcos, Bright finished third in the long jump, fourth in the high jump and 29th in the 200-meter dash. She’s the first AP girls track and field All-Delco since Janese Lynch in 2015.
Nora Chen, Strath Haven: The senior had a sensational postseason, finishing eighth in the 300 hurdles at states. She qualified sixth in a time of 44.57 and took home a medal in the final in 46.17. Chen was fourth at districts with a finals time of 44.64. At Delcos, she landed third in 44.36 in the 300 and also took home third in the 400-meter dash. Her time of 57.77 was behind Dearry and Morgan Elliott.
Sophia Hill, Radnor: The country record holder in the pole vault was the class of the vaulting field, earning her third straight All-Delco nod. Hill eased to victory at Centrals by clearing 11-6, a foot above the field. She got over 12 feet at Delcos to take home gold. Her season-best was 12-3.25, just shy of her 12-4 as a sophomore. She posted a best vault of 12-6 during the indoor season.
Alexa Brown, Strath Haven: Brown wrapped up a distinguished career with another state medal and a third All-Delco nod before she heads to the University of Kentucky. Brown returned from Shippensburg with the silver medal in the shot put, tossing 43-2.5 to edge the third-place finisher by a half-inch. Brown won gold at districts in 43-9.25, nearly four feet clear of the field. She also finished 10th in the discus at districts. She won the shot put and was second in the discus to Mollie Carpenter at both Centrals and Delcos, tossing 44 feet in the shot both times. She added a sixth-place finish at Penn Relays.
Mollie Carpenter, Haverford: A relative latecomer to the throws, Carpenter managed to win a district title in her third sport. She’ll play basketball at Catholic University, and she made the All-Delco girls soccer team as a center back. She can add All-Delco track to that list, after her toss of 123-1 in the discus earned gold at districts. She was also the runner-up in the shot put to Brown. At 109-10, Carpenter finished 15th in the discus and added points to the Fords’ state title by tossing the shot 40-6.75 for fifth. Carpenter did the mirror image as Brown at Delcos and Centrals, both times winning the discus and finishing as Brown’s runner-up in the shot put.
Sydney Jones, Haverford: The junior supplied a massive boost to the Fords’ title hopes at states by taking home a silver medal in the high jump. She cleared 5-6, an inch shy of Jeffers. Jones had bested Jeffers and the rest at districts, clearing 5-5 to win gold at Coatesville. The two-time All-Delco likewise handled the field at Centrals (5-4). She cleared the same height but was second to Jeffers at Delcos.
Avery Elliott, Episcopal Academy: Elliott is a two-time All-Delco after a stellar junior season. She showed her versatility at Delcos, finishing second in the long jump (18-10.5), third in a stacked 100 hurdles field and fourth in the 300 hurdles. Her four gold medals from the Inter-Ac Championships were even more impressive. She won the 100 hurdles in 15.24, the 300 hurdles in 45.88, cleared 5-4 in the high jump and then bested Forbes with a leap of 17-8.75 in the long jump. Elliott coasted to the hurdles double at PAISAAs, in 15.10 and 45.77, and added high jump gold. She was also third in the long jump.
