By David Block
For MediaNews Group
Ardmore >> Sandy Hoopes launched the Lower Merion High School girls’ track team in 1975 where she took the mantle of head coach. The spring 2024 outdoor track season is her 50th consecutive year of coaching the Aces; an she has no plans of surrendering her head coach’s hat any time soon.
“I have a great support system,” said Hoopes, adding that the school administration and her coaching staff assist her whenever she needs them. “I also love to coach. Why would I want to quit?”
Ironically, Hoopes never had the opportunity to run track in high school (Pennridge) or in college (West Chester University).
“Neither school had a girls’ track team when I was there, because the administrations didn’t think that girls could handle it,” said Hoopes.
During her high school and college days, Title IX did not exist. In Hoopes freshman year at West Chester, she and a group of girls marched into the dean’s office and asked him if he could start a girls’ track team. He told them that it would have to be a club team because the other schools in their league did not have girls’ track.
Hoopes’ freshman year was the only year that West Chester had a girls’ track club. There was no club team for her remaining three years because the dean could not find anyone to coach the squad.
Hoopes did not want the next generation of high school girls to miss out on track like she did, and in 1975, when she told the Lower Merion school administration that she wanted to start a girls’ track team, their response surprised her.
“They said yes, without any opposition,” said Hoopes. “I thought that they were going to say that they did not have the funds or that it would be too difficult, but everyone was on board.”
Hoopes credits their cooperation to Title IX. Another factor was that she was already the Lower Merion field hockey coach, a position that she held for 42 years before stepping down. She was also a gym teacher at LM.
“That first year, 25 girls came out for track; that year I had no assistant coaches,” said Hoopes, who added that people were there to help her such as former LM boys’ track coach Tom Anderson.
Hoopes launched the Lower Merion Invitational track meet in 1987, noting at the time that during the first weekend in May, Central League schools in Delaware County competed in the Delco Championships, while teams like Lower Merion and Conestoga had nothing like that.
Hoopes was on the District 1 track committee at that time, so she knew the area coaches. She invited Central League and non-Central League schools outside of Delaware County to compete in the Lower Merion Invitational.
“The first year, six teams showed up,” said Hoopes. “Now we get 30-35 teams.”
Asked what her proudest moments of coaching the LM girls, Hoopes said that it was when her 4×100 relay teams won the PIAA Class 3A state titles in 2000 and 2001.
In 2000, senior Alison Gibbs, senior Avise Hayes, freshman Dominique Adgar, and junior Lorraine Weldon won the 4×100 meter state championships with a 48.14 clocking. In 2001, the LM girls’ 4×100 relay team of freshman Cassandra Williams, freshman Chelsea Nader, Adgar and Weldon captured the PIAA 3A state title for a second straight year with a 47.96 clocking.
“Lorraine was without doubt the best sprinter that I ever coached,” said Hoopes. “She cared about the relay to make sure that her teams continued to win. She was a tough competitor; she was a great anchor, when she anchored, it didn’t matter if an opponent was ahead of her or not. She wouldn’t let anybody beat her. She’d go get them.”
Another proud moment for Hoopes was in 2012 when LM senior Eliana Yankelev won the PIAA 3A state title in the 100 meter hurdles (14.65).
