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CALN — Souderton’s Destini Smith set a meet record in winning gold in the triple jump while Central Bucks West’s Mimi Duffy defended her 400-meter dash title at the District 1 Track and Field Championships Saturday at Coatesville.
Smith set a new standard in the Girls Class 3A triple jump with an effort of 41 feet, 10.50 inches, besting the 41 feet, 10-inch jump by West Chester Rustin’s Ava Alexander in 2023.
“The key (to triple jump) was just getting my speed and technique right,” Smith said. “And once I got that right, it was perfect.”
Smith was the lone competitor to reach 39 feet with all three of her jumps in the finals eclipsing 40 feet – her second-to last matching Alexander’s record before surpassing it on her final jump.
North Penn’s Madison Gee earned silver at 37 feet, 10.25 inches after placing fourth in the event last season. Upper Moreland’s Brooke Lobban reached the medal stand in the triple jump for a third straight year, taking third at 37 feet, 4.75 inches. Lobban was third in 2023 and seventh in 2022.
Central Bucks South’s Devlyn Faber was fifth (36 feet, 5 inches) with Central Bucks East’s Ava DePrizio eighth (35 feet, 4.25 inches).
Smith also ran on Souderton’s 4×100 relay that took fourth with a time of 49.01, qualifying the junior for four events at the PIAA Championships. Friday, Smith earned second place in both the long jump and high jump.
“It’s going to be a little stressful, but I’m ready for the challenge,” Smith said.
States are Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University.
Duffy repeated as Girls 3A 400 champ with a time of 55.25, the West senior finishing ahead of Chester’s JaNaisa Dearry, who ran a 55.75 for second. Duffy won last year’s 400 with a 55.23.
“I heard from my coach (Erv Hall) when I should kick it in, about 150 (meters) from the finish line – I’ve been working on my endurance, and I’ve been able to kick it in earlier and earlier,” Duffy said. “My block holder and teammate, Reegan Moran, calmed me down as always.”
Earlier in the day, Duffy – a Penn State signee – earned third place in the 100-meter dash in 12.15. Cheltenham’s Amirah Nesmith won the event in 11.84 with Methacton’s Summer Mellow taking second in 11.84.
Nesmith and Mellow came in third and fourth, respectively, in the 200 meters, Nesmith posting a 24.57 with Mellow finishing in 24.62.
Cheltenham also got gold from its 4×100 relay in a time of 47.45 to help it claim the Girls 3A team title, the Panthers posting 44 points while second-place Haverford had 39.
Methacton came in third with 38 points, Victoria James giving the Warriors a boost with her gold medal in the shot put.
James recorded a winning throw of 37 feet, 0.25 inches. Hatboro-Horsham’s Molly Donaldson earned fifth (35 feet, 6.5 inches) and Mount Saint Joseph’s Saanai Jones took eighth (33 feet, 9.5 inches).
Hatboro-Horsham’s Lillian DiCola won the Girls 3A 3,200 meters with a time of 10:51.38. Lower Moreland’s Amelia Ogawa was third in 10:56.94 with Central Bucks East’s Lilly Norcross finishing eighth (11:08.45).
Cheltenham’s Michelle Korsah claimed second in the 100 hurdles in 14:40. Methacton’s Kenslee O’Donnell placed fifth (15:19) and CB East’s Melayna Pettigrew was eighth (15.62).
In the 3A 800 meters, Mount’s Ella Woehlcke finished second with a time of 2:09.13, Upper Dublin’s Mason Kullman placed third in 2:10.92 and CB South’s Riley Rooney was fourth at 2:11.56. Norristown’s Avah Savage earned seventh (2:14:51) and Marlie Klein of Methacton was eighth (2:15.57).
Upper Dublin was third in the Girls 3A 4×400 relay in 3:52.33. CB East (3:56.90), Mount St. Joseph (3:57.15) and CB West (3:57.65) finished fifth through seventh, respectively.
Pennridge’s Ashley Landis posted a 44.98 to take fifth in the 300 hurdles with Pettigrew coming in eighth (46.75).
In the 400, Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Ella Catania was eighth in 1:00.12.
Wissahickon’s Dominic Harvey-Sheppard won the 300-meter hurdles in Boys 3A, which had host Coatesville top the team standings with 65 points. North Penn secured second with 46.5 points.
The Knights got a pair of top-four relays finishes – NP third in the 4×400 (3:19.72) and fourth in the 4×100 (42.89) – while Marc Cobbs claimed bronze in the 100-meter dash (10.84), Jalen Gaymon was fourth in the discus (151 feet, 7 inches), Justin Landis placed sixth in the 3,200 (9:14.83) and Zach Duld was sixth in the javelin (162 feet).
Harvey-Sheppard, who was fourth in the 300 hurdles in 2023, won the event Saturday with a time of 38.56, edging second-place Roman Messina of Central Bucks East, who finished in 38.65. Upper Dublin’s Owen Smith was fifth (39.75).
In the Boys 3A 3,200 meters, Souderton’s Aidan Maue claimed second in 9:09.90 as Perkiomen Valley’s Ian Johnson won in 9:09.43.
Souderton, which was sixth in the team standings at 32.5 points, also earned a silver in the 4×100 relay in 41.94.
Central Bucks West’s Nate Fehrman finished second to Joseph Garzio of Radnor in the 3A 800 meters – Garzio posting a 1:53.22 while Fehrman had a 1:53.53. Wissahickon’s Grayson Ruffner was sixth in 1:54.48.
In the 400 meters, Abington’s Luke Coleman claimed bronze in 48.34, CB East’s Lorenz Forsmann took fourth (48.91) and Springfield-Montco’s Carlo Johnson earned sixth (49.07).
Souderton’s Felix Suliveres was sixth in the 200 meters in 22.39 while Methacton’s West Conover came in seventh at 22.40. Conover also placed eighth in the 100 (11.05).
CB East had a pair reach the medal stand in the Boys 3A discus – Jacob Tannenbaum was second at 159 feet, 10 inches while Nathaniel Karpinski came in eighth at 137 feet, 8 inches. The Patriots also had Benjamin Minacci placed eighth in the javelin at 146 feet, 11 inches.
Cheltenham’s Jordan Sowell secured silver in the triple jump for the second straight season with his effort Saturday of 47 feet, 5.75 inches.
In the 3A pole vault, Central Bucks South’s Lucas Knappenberger earned bronze, clearing 13 feet on his first try. Souderton’s Will Stover tied Avon Grove’s Zane Frantz for fourth as they cleared 13 feet on their second attempts with the Indians’ Clinton Radcliff taking sixth at 12 feet, 6 inches.
The Dock Mennonite girls finished second in the Class 2A standings, the Pioneers posting 107 points while first-place Delco Christian had 167 points. Calvary Christian was first in Boys 2A with 155 points.
Phil-Mont Christian’s Elaina Rainwater earned gold in the Girls 2A 3,200 meters with a time of 11:38.43 after winning the 1,600 meters the previous day.
The Falcons also got silvers from Laura Chapman in the 100-meter dash (13.52), Kate Tipton in the high jump (4 feet, 4 inches) and Ava Ruff in the discus (90 feet, 3 inches). Ruff won the shot put Friday.
Dock’s Sophia Veltre took second in the triple jump with an effort of 31 feet, 7.75 inches while Sophia Mercure placed second in the javelin with a throw of 80 feet, 1 inch. Gretchen German was third in the 800 in 2:31.07 and Olivia Moyer earned third in the 800 (12:21.51).
Faith Christian’s Sophia Dennis was second in the 300 hurdles in 51.55.
In Boys 2A, Faith’s Robert Ulsh won gold in the 110 hurdles with a time of 16:65 while Dock’s Jayden Waters was second in 16.77. Ulsh took second in the 300 hurdles (42.81) with Waters third (44.94).
Phil-Mont’s Kendall Bratten took first in the high jump by clearing 5 feet, 8 inches on his first attempt.
Jenkintown’s John Byler was second in the 3,200 in a time of 9:43.63.
