Seifried and Sacred Heart earn rightful place at states
CALN TWP. » For the first time in her career, Sacred Heart’s Emma Seifried did not qualify for the PIAA Class 2A Track and Field Championships in an individual event, despite finishing second in the 3,200-meter run and third in the 1,600.
Teammate Kayleigh Doyle also didn’t make it through in either event, yet that did not prevent the distance duo from earning a trip to Shippensburg, and they won’t be alone.
Seifried and Doyle achieved a first in their careers by teaming with junior Danielle Santoro and sophomore Chiara O’Keefe to win the 4 x 800-meter relay, which automatically earned the Lions a berth in the state championship meet.
“It’s awesome,” Seifried said. “In all the years that I’ve run here I’ve never been part of a relay so to actually have one and to qualify for states is something I’ve dreamed of for a while.”
Seifried, a senior, and Doyle, a sophomore, ran the first two legs of the relay and gave O’Keefe and Doyle a huge lead that turned into a 38-second victory. Sacred Heart finished in 10:13.26. O’Keefe also took fourth in the 800.
“It’s really cool because we all come from different sports and different backgrounds,” Boyle said. “I’ve gotten a lot closer to everyone here. It’s really great to spend time with them and do something special together.”
Seifried and Doyle had a little over an hour to recover for the relay after their 2-3 finish in the 3,200. After placing third and fifth, respectively, in the 1,600 the fatigue was noticeable.
“I definitely have some sore legs,” said Seifried, who is headed to Temple.
Delco Christian may not have had anyone advance to the state meet, but the Knights did come away with fair share of medals and topeight finishes. It should be noted that only the top three finishers in Class 2A received medals this year compared to the top eight in previous years. Because of the small number of schools in Class 2A in the district, the steering committee decided to cut back on the number of medals it awards in the classification.
Abigail Simbiri was second in the javelin with a personal best throw of 93-0. She also finished fifth in the 100 hurdles. Shekinah Yanes earned a silver medal in the high jump and was seventh in the triple jump and eighth in the long jump. Teammate Autumn Brooks was seventh. Alexander Soland took fifth in the 400. Avery McKeaney was seventh in the 800. Katie Powala placed fourth in the 300 hurdles. The Knights were also fifth in the 4 x 400 and sixth in the 4 x 100-meter relays, respectively.