PW’s Turner doubles up on gold, records at PTFCA
Cardinal O’Hara AllDelco Olivia Arizin went out fast in the 800, as usual, in the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association championships Saturday at Penn State.
Typically, that does not bode well for the rest of the field, but not on this day.
Penn Wood All-Delco Terri Turner stayed close and passed Arizin to win the gold medal and set the county indoor record in the process.
Turner finished in 2 minutes, 8.58 seconds to break the indoor mark of 2:09.78 Arizin set last year at indoor nationals. It was the first of two record-setting performances for Tuner. Later in the meet she teamed with Janae Pitt, Elicia Moore and Kyra Turner to break the meet record, as well as the school and county mark the quartet set earlier this season.
The Patriots crossed the finish line in 3:48.25 to break the meet record of 3:49.82 that was set by West Catholic in 2005. Ironically, Penn Wood coach Len Jordan was the coach of that West Catholic team 12 years ago. The time also shattered the school and county mark of 3:50.21 the Patriots ran earlier this season.
Arizin was second in the 800 to highlight a good day by the Lions. Teammate Christine Mancini was sixth in the 800 and joined her sisters Elizabeth and Eleanor, as well as Jesikah Boykin to take sixth in the distance medley relay.
Strath Haven also had a good day. Grace Forbes anchored the Panthers to second-place finishes in the 4 x 800 and distance medley relays. Maddie Forbes and Isabel Cardi were on both relay teams. Grace Haase led off the 4 x 800, while Olivia Malley ran the 400 portion of the DMR.
Upper Darby’s Michelle Brown-Jones and Sugar Hendry came home with state medals. Brown-Jones was fifth in the long jump, while Henry was fifth in the triple jump. Both turned in career best performances. Brown-Jones leaped 18 feet, 5½ inches in the long jump while Henry went 37-4¾ in the triple.
Darby native Thelma Davies (Girard College) broke the meet record in the 60 that was held by Chester’s Rayiana Johnson. Davies won the 60 in 7.38 seconds. She also was first in the 200.
On the boys side, Strath Haven junior Dayo Abeeb was second in the triple jump (47-6¾). Penn Wood’s Dennis Manyeah took third in the high jump with a leap of 6-8. Haverford High AllDelco James Abrahams broke his personal best time in the mile by more than three seconds to place fifth. Keon Rantin of Glen Mills and Ethan Cook from Bonner & Prendergast were fourth and eight, respectively, in the 200.
Penncrest All-Delco Avery Lederer was sixth in the 3,000. Sam Linder of The Haverford School took seventh in the 60 hurdles and the Fords were eighth in the 4 x 800. Cardinal O’Hara took fourth in the DMR.