This week’s notebook features several SOL athletes who qualified for this weekend’s district meet at last weekend's SOL Championships. (Photo provided courtesy of Souderton track)
By DENNY DYROFF
Last weekend’s conference championship meets in the Suburban One League offered a preview of what to expect from the top teams and athletes at this weekend’s District 1 Class AAA Championships and the PIAA Class AAA Championships on Memorial Day weekend.
All season long, the elite athletes have been pointing toward the state championship meet at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. For the rest of the talented athletes in the SOL, the main focus has been on qualifying for the District 1 meet, which will be held May 20 and 21 at Coatesville High’s stadium.
To qualify for districts, an athlete must meet or exceed a pre-determined standard. It can be done by meeting the grade at two dual meets or one invitational meet.
While many of the competitors around the SOL made their district cuts during the regular season, a number of them had to accomplish the feat at the final meet prior to districts -- at one of last weekend’s conference championship meets.
Souderton coach Mike Feliciani said, “I had two kids who qualified for districts in their last opportunity at the conference meet. I had two senior girls who had met the standard at dual meets earlier in the year and unfortunately did not have their best day when time had run out on their season. While it breaks my heart to see that happen, I’m thrilled for the two girls who had the performance they needed this weekend.”
Randi Hess, daughter of assistant coach Rick Hess, was one of those athletes.
“She was hoping to just make the freshman qualifying mark for outdoor nationals of 32-09,” Feliciani said. “Her previous best for the season was 32-07. After several competitions, she had not improved that mark.
“Her very first jump -- 35-01.5 -- was not only enough to get her to outdoor nationals in the freshman division, but also extended her season to the District 1 championship.”
Junior Cara Romaniello’s season also took a positive turn.
“(She) is an athlete who I ask to hurdle, throw and I even asked her to run the 4x400 at the conference meet,” Feliciani said. “Cara is quiet, hardworking and one of the most selfless athletes on my team.
“We got to this part in the season and I gave her permission to skip the 300 hurdles, which is contested at the same time as the shot to focus on her throwing. She threw the District 1 standard in our last dual meet of the season against Hatboro, but needed the second performance to earn a trip. Foregoing the hurdles paid off, she threw 33-07.75 -- not a p.r. (personal record) but good enough to throw at Coatesville.”
Romaniello is a versatile athlete who plays basketball for Souderton and for a club team, soccer for Souderton and for a club team, and does a variety of events for the high school track team.
“In dual meets, I do shot put and the hurdles -- both 300 and 100,” said Romaniello. “Shot put is the one I’m best at. This is my first year doing hurdles. I also have run on the 4x100 relay.
“In shot put, my best last season was 32-10.5. I was the first sophomore in school history to break 30-0. This year, I had off-season practices that I went to during the fall season and a little in the winter. I couldn’t do more in the winter or take part in winter track because I also played basketball.
“With training for shot put, I worked on my quickness with my power position. I still need to get up in the air a little more when I’m gliding. I was lifting all year but had to build up my shot put for the outdoor spring season.
“My spring season has been good. In our first meet, I threw in the 29 range. It was a little disappointing because I wanted to be closer to my personal best -- 32-10.5. By the third or fourth meet, I got back into it. My first good throw was when I broke 30-0. My first really good throw was when I threw for 31 in a dual meet.”
Romaniello’s distance steadily improved as the season progressed.
“This year, my best was 33-2 until our last dual meet against Hatboro-Horsham when I threw a 34-3,” said Romaniello. “District-qualifying distance is 33-6 but you have to do it at more than just one dual meet. It was frustrating when I hit 34 in a dual meet because I knew I had only one more meet to make districts.”
Last Saturday at the Continental Conference Championships at Central Bucks South, Romaniello threw 33-7.75 to place fifth behind Quakertown’s Olivia Morano (37-6.75) and Barbara Grossov (36-3), North Penn’s Kelly McNamara (35-7) and Central Bucks East’s Elizabeth Roehm (35-5.25).
A top five finish was nice but even nicer was the fact that Romaniello’s top throw added her to the roster of 2006 district qualifiers in shot put.
“I felt a lot of pressure at the conference meet,” said Romaniello. “Coach (Bradley) Kull told me how to get through it mentally. I just tried to stay positive.
“I was supposed to run in the hurdles but had to scratch because the events were at the same time. My first throw in the trials was 31 and then I did a 32. My last throw in the prelims was 33-3 and that got me to the finals.
“I threw a 31 and a 32 in my first two attempts in the finals. So, it (qualifying for districts) came down to that last throw. It was all-or-nothing. I thought to myself -- it’s my last throw…it’s going to make or break me.
“I tried to get as much energy as I could and just threw. It felt like a good one when I released it but I was still kind of nervous about the measurement. The feelings I had when I heard 33-7 were joy -- and overwhelming excitement.”
With that throw, Romaniello earned the right to compete in The District 1 Class AAA Championships.
“I’ve always wanted to go to districts for shot put,” said Romaniello. “I went to districts before but that was on a relay team. It’s more exciting this way because it’s an individual event. My goals for districts are to make it to finals and definitely to p.r. -- to get better than 34-3.”
*****
Council Rock South’s Nolan Gaudet was another SOL athlete who waited until the last minute to book a trip to Coatesville to compete in the District 1 Class AAA meet.
“You need 13-0 to qualify for districts in pole vault,” said South coach Len Spearing. “Last year, Nolan didn’t make the district height.
“This season, Nolan cleared 13-0 -- but only in a dual meet not an invitational. He did 13-0 in a dual meet against Pennsbury near the end of the season. His best vault at an invitational meet was 12-6.
“Earlier this season, the weather was nice -- but not later. So, that made it harder for the athletes. Nolan had struggled a bit indoors during winter track but then had a good meet outdoors in March.
“Then, he got stuck on a plateau for awhile. And, he got hurt vaulting. He crashed into a standard and bruised his leg and heel. It wasn’t until the last two weeks that he really got back.”
Gaudet, a junior, arrived at the Suburban One League National Conference Championships well aware that his season was on the line. A jump of 13-0 or better would send him to the district meet. Anything less would send him home…his season having crashed to the ground.
“Nolan cleared 13-0 on his first attempt,” said Spearing. “He was going to come in at 12-6 but he was also running on our 4x100. He had to check in for the 4x100 and, when he got back to pole vault, he had no time to warm up if he wanted to try at 12-6.
“So, Nolan decided to pass at 12-6. He warmed up and started competition at 13-0. It was all-or-nothing and he made it on his first attempt. After that, he had a few near-misses at 13-6.”
Gaudet also had a gold medal. William Tennent’s William Lee went over at 13-0 also but Gaudet had fewer misses. As a result, Lee was silver medalist and his teammate Randy Showmaker nabbed the bronze medal with a height of 12-6.
At districts, Gaudet is tied with five other competitors at 13-0, which is the fifth-best seed height.
******
At the SOL National meet, another talented athlete got through the door just before it slammed shut.
Bensalem’s Caleb Appiah-Owusu was in a similar situation as Romaniello and Gaudet in that he had met the district standard during the regular season but only in a dual meet.
“Caleb qualified in triple jump on the last day -- but it was expected,” said Bensalem coach Mary Ellen Malloy. “In the winter, he medaled in triple jump at indoor states.
“Then, he had some issues in the outdoor season. We knew that, if he were healthy by the final part of the season, he’d be fine. He did compete in some dual meets outdoors -- but not as many as I would have liked.
“Caleb hurt his back at the beginning of the spring season. Then, in his first meet back, he got injured again. At the William Tennent meet, he had to use eight-inch spikes and he couldn’t get traction. He slipped and hyper-extended his knee.”
Now, Appiah-Owusu has healed and is ready for the rest of the post-season.
“He’s healthier than he was before,” said Malloy. “Last year, he was in the top six in triple jump at districts and qualified for states.
“This year, he jumped district-qualifying distance at a dual meet but not at an invitational. The district distance is 42-8 and his season best was 43-2 in a dual meet -- in our first meet of the season.”
At the National Conference meet last weekend, Appiah-Owusu jumped 42-10.25 to finish second between Truman’s Javeer Peterson at 42-10.75 and Council Rock North’s Nolan Gromlich at 42-3.25.
“We have several kids going to districts this year,” said Malloy. “They are Tony Oliver in high jump, Ryan Tiffany in discus, Rob Corso in pole vault, Hamzah Massaquoi in 110 and 300 hurdles, Caleb and our 4x800. It’s a strange year -- not many in track and a lot in field. For us, it’s usually the other way around.”
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