Scott Huff highlights some of the SOL’s top performances. Check back early next week to view photos of the PIAA meet.
By Scott Huff
Bensalem experienced the thrill of victory as the Blue & White won the 2013 boys PIAA Class AAA team championship with 48 points.
The Owls literally flew to the title on the wings of its 4 x 400 relay team in the day’s last event. Bensalem entered the event with 38 points – eight points behind meet leading Gateway. A first place would give the Owls the title – a second place finish for Bensalem would generate a deadlock for the team total – and a third place finish would give the Blue & White a spot out of the team championship standings.
Bensalem (3:19.73) burst through the finish line first in a blink of an eye victory over second place Pennridge (3:19.80) and third place Wilson (3:20.62) – and the glory of an outright PIAA title was to be there for head coach Mary Ellen Malloy and her nest of male Owls.
“Did I expect us to win – no, did I think we had a good chance – yes,” said Malloy. “We have been pointing to this moment all season, and the focus and performance was there both on Friday and Saturday for us to accomplish something special. Our relay teams have been our bread and butter all season, and for us to come up big when it counted in the 4 x 400 really didn’t come as a surprise.
“You come into states and do some of the math,” added Molloy. “And when we took into account the seedings for all of the events, we calculated that we would score 43 points and that would put us in the running for a chance at the title. Of course, things always change and performances don’t match seedings. We did what we had to do – even better since we ended up with 48 points.
“The conditions were horrible – the worst that I have ever seen with all the wind and the cold,” continued Molloy. “But that’s not what I am going to remember about that weekend (at Shippensburg University).”
In addition to the gold medal performance in the 4x400 relay, the Owls captured the gold in the 4 x 800 relay. Qhyle Elijah captured silver medals in both the 200 and 400 meters, Brad Rivera collected a silver medal in the 800 meters, and Kerron Holley climbed the medal stand with a fifth place finish in the 400 meters.
The numbers added up to a Bensalem team championship.
The Owls have had this respectful rivalry with Pennridge in the 4 x 400 all season. The Rams, in fact, bested Bensalem to capture the 2013 PIAA state indoor championship.
“Our kids knew what happened at indoors, and they felt they had something to prove in that race,” said Molloy. “As it turned out, it was a great race competitively, but the conditions were so poor that the times were horrible. But the race was close, and we will take the result.”
The Bensalem quartet of Holley, Kyle Francis, Rivera, and Elijah edged the Ram foursome by a mere 0.07 of a second for the gold.
“It was exciting to see Elijah run that final leg as our anchor,” said Molloy. “It was time to go for the win – and he went to get it.”
Bensalem also captured the 4 x 800 relay with its best time of the season as the Owls soared to a season-best 7:47.82. This quartet consisted of senior Rivera, senior Matt French, senior Armand Cox-Finn, and junior Francis.
“Brad and Matt ran really strong legs to keep us close to first,” said Molloy. “Armand ran a perfect tactical race and took the lead, and Kyle had the best split of anybody at states in the 800 with a 1:51.17 to take us home. It was just great to see that type of team effort in a big race.”
On the individual level, Elijah was a top seed and took second place in the 400 meters and was a third seed and captured second place in the 200 meters.
“Qhyle was so close in the 400 and just as close to winning the 200,” said Molloy. “In both races, if the race would have been just a little bit longer he would have closed and won both races.
“And Brad (Rivera) ran an intelligent race in the 800 (1:55.73) and stayed near the front for most of the race,” added Molloy of the future Penn State Nittany Lion. “He would tell you he was disappointed, but he ran a nice race.”
And the same can be said for his 2013 PIAA Class AAA Bensalem boys championship team.
“I guess you could say that winning the championship was exciting,” said Molloy. “But somehow, exciting doesn’t seem to be a good enough word.”
Central Bucks West senior Cait Mautz experienced the thrill of victory as Mautz defended her # 1 seed in the javelin going into states to earn gold with a heave of 141-02.00.
“I was proud to be going into the event as the #1 seed, but then you become the person that everyone wants to beat,” said Mautz. “It can be a little nerve wracking because everyone expects to just come out and win. I didn’t have my best throw of the season, but I was close to the 144-07 that I threw before states.
“The conditions that we had to throw in were difficult,” added Mautz. “It was very cold and very windy. It was a cross wind most of the day, and you had to adjust the flight pattern. It was a difficult situation, and I made the adjustments I needed to make.”
Mautz – who did not perform to her expectations at states last year – was more than satisfied with her performance this 2013.
“Last year, the conditions were ideal and I didn’t do well,” said Mautz. “This year I got a chance to redeem myself, and winning the gold medal was a great way to end my high school career.”
Mautz – who won in the SOL championship meet and the District One championship meet - will take her throwing talents next year to New Orleans University to major in Civil Engineering.
“I loved high school, but I am ready for a change,” said Mautz. “Going to school in New Orleans is to experience a brand new culture. It should be exciting.”
Souderton Area senior Emily Dussellier was the only member of the Big Red track and field team to make the trek to Shippensburg University, and it would become a memorable one as Dussellier surprised almost everyone with a silver medal finish in the 800 meters with a clocking of 2:14.87. She finished just behind gold medal winner Emma Keenan of Gywnedd Mercy who crossed the finish line with a time of 2:11.37.
“It may not have been my best time, but it was without question my best race,” said Dussellier. “I knew that this was going to be my last race in high school, and I had a lot of motivation from everyone to do my best. My best was a lot better than I thought.
“My coach (Mike Feliciani) did a great job of keeping me calm before the race,” added Dussellier in reference to the first year Souderton head coach. “He also did a great job of preparing me for the race. I knew a lot about the runners I was running against this year.
“Last year I finished 11th at states, and I really wanted to get into the top eight so that I could get to the medal podium,” continued Dussellier, who got a little higher on that stand than she thought. “I ran the same race that I always run where I start out back in the pack. My kick at the end of this race just caught more runners this time.”
Dussellier will attend West Chester University next year and will continue to run competitively with the Golden Rams.
“I talked with the coach, and I am excited about going there,” said Dussellier. “He said that he was recruiting a strong group of 800 runners.”
And that recruitment will include a PIAA Class AAA silver medalist.
The Pennridge 4 x 100 girls relay suffered the agony of defeat as the Rams magnificent relay was disqualified for a lane infraction in the Friday preliminaries.
Really?
“There was never a satisfactory answer given to anyone as to why the judge disqualified the girls,” said Pennridge head coach Bill Smith. “It was clear to everyone that the judge made a mistake, but he would never admit to that mistake. He was given many opportunities to change his mind – and it was obvious that people wanted to overturn his call. But it never happened.
“There was video and photo evidence that not only was our exchange legal – it was 10-meters inside the illegal exchange mark,” added Smith. “But there is nothing in the rules about video or photo evidence – except at the finish line. It is deflating to think that in this age of technology, we call races at the highest level like they did in the movie Chariots of Fire back in the 1800’s.
“The hardest thing, though, was to watch the girls have their hearts ripped out,” continued Smith. “They got together and cried – and I cried with them.”
Pennridge was considered one of the favorites to win the event with a talented foursome of sophomore Taylor Chapman, sophomore Ariana Przbylowski, junior Lindsey Sheehan, and senior Natalia Pinkney.
“We came in seeded second behind Cheltenham by just 0.04, and we were peaking to run this event,” said Smith. “But we never got the chance to compete for a gold medal – and that is devastating to the girls – especially Natalia. She is a senior and will play soccer at Towson next year, and her last race was this one?
“Sure Taylor, Ariana, and Lindsey are all underclassman and will have another chance,” added Smith. “But there are never any guarantees that we will every get that chance at states that we had this year.”
And that is a crying shame.
PIAA Class AAA State Championships
Shippensburg University
May 24 & 25th
Suburban One League Elite Performances
Gold Medal Performances
Men’s Division
Team – Bensalem Owls (48 points)
4 x 800 Relay – Bensalem (7:47.82)
4 x 400 Relay – Bensalem (3:19.73)
Pole Vault – Vincent Esposito (North Penn) – 15-0.
Women’s Division
100 Meters - Jody Ann Evans (Quakertown) – 11.79
100 Meter Hurdles – Kayla Coley (Cheltenham) – 14.33
200 Meters – Jody Ann Evans (Quakertown) – 25.03
Javelin – Cait Mautz (Central Bucks West) – 141-02-00
Silver Medal Performances
Men’s Division
3200 Meters – Ross Wilson (Council Rock North) – 9:11.97
800 Meters – Brad Rivera (Bensalem) – 1:55.73
200 Meters – Qhlye Elijah (Bensalem) – 22.76
400 Meters – Qhyle Elijah (Bensalem) – 47.99
4 x 400 Relay – Pennridge (3:19.80)
Long Jump – Nkosi Jones (Wissahickon) – 23-3.25
Triple Jump – Jared Alston (North Penn) – 47.06.5
Women’s Division
Team – Cheltenham (27 points)
400 Meters – Jamila Branch (Central Bucks West) – 56.40
100 Hurdles – Sydnee Jacques (North Penn) – 14.69
800 Meters – Emily Dussellier (Souderton) – 2:14.67
200 Meters – Dasia Pressley (Neshaminy) – 25.28
4 x 400 Relay – Central Bucks West (3:50.26)
Bronze Medal Performances
Men’s Division
4 x 800 Relay – Pennsbury (7:54.56)
800 Meters – Joey Logue (Pennridge) – 1:56.37
Women’s Division
Team – Central Bucks South (26 points)
Team – Central Bucks West (26 points)
400 Meters – Nini Rogers (Pennsbury) – 56.51
100 Meters – Christina Cianciarulo (Central Bucks South) – 12.07
4 x 100 Relay – Cheltenham (48.34)
4 x 400 Relay – Central Bucks East (3:54.83)
Pole Vault – Amanda Benninghoff (Council Rock South) – 12-0
Triple Jump – Sydnee Jacques (North Penn) – 38:09.75
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