The Catholic Standard and Times

With all due respect to the unyielding heat of late May, one of the “coolest” parts of this time of this time of year is that so many championships are being decided.
On Saturday morning and afternoon at Widener University, the boys’ and girls’ track Catholic League championships were held. Despite sweltering conditions that led to one performer being taken to a hospital by ambulance after collapsing at a finish line (she was later treated for dehydration symptoms and released in good shape), hundreds of runners donned their respective school tank tops and shorts and braved the elements.
When it was over, the first official winners in the Catholic League were, pass the envelope please. …
In boys’ track and field, Cardinal O’Hara. And in girls’ track and field, umm, Cardinal O’Hara.
Indeed, it was a day of dominance for the big school that juts out along Sproul Rd. in Springfield, Delaware County. While the boys won their fourth consecutive title, the girls etched their first in four years.
Both were achieved in nail-biting fashion. Let’s start with the girls. After all, ladies first.
“In a meet like this, every point is huge,” said O’Hara girls’ coach Jen Quigley-Cipollone. “The girls know that nothing can be taken for granted. Even if you don’t win, do the best you can.”
O’Hara obviously took its coach’s motto to heart as it won only one event — Ashley Murphy in the shot put. But second-place finishes in the 3,200-meter relay, 400-meter relay, and 3,200-meter run (Katie Kelly), and third-place finishes in the 1,600-meter relay, the pole vault (Aileen Matson), and 800-meter run (Mary Debevec), along with other chips and dips here and there, provided just enough to clinch victory.
The Lions literally needed every single point to take home the hardware. They finished with 98 points, a mere single point more than heartbroken West Catholic. Archbishop Ryan was third with 79 points.
Although her team lost by one point, West Catholic junior Nicole Leach stole the highlight reel. She dominated the 400-intermediate hurdles and did likewise in the 100, 200, and 400 events. Her hurdles time of 60.53 seconds was followed closely by teammates Latavia Thomas (62.29) and Kneshia Sheard (63.80) in a rarely seen one-through-three finish by the same team.
As for the 100, she set a meet record with a time of 12.10 seconds. In the 200, she set another meet record with a 24.43. And in the 400 — we kid you not — she set yet another record, with a time of 54.32.
“Nothing she does amazes me any more,” said West Catholic coach Lenny Jordan. “She just comes to the track and takes over. She is something else.”
Now to the boys.
With star Anthony Heygood unavailable in 110-meter hurdles, javelin, and triple jump after pulling a hamstring during the long jump, the Lions buckled down and spread the wealth to the tune of 87 team points. They survived a yeoman-type effort from Monsignor Bonner (82 points), Bishop McDevitt (78 1/3), and La Salle (77 1/3).
O’Hara coach Tom Kennedy was like a proud papa after his Lions seized their 11th running title (including cross country and indoor track) in their last 12 tries.
“Talk about a team effort,” he said. “(Losing Heygood) was devastating. We knew going in, that there were a bunch of teams right there with us, so that was hard to overcome.”
As he has done so often during his brilliant career, senior Steve Hallinan was fabulous and the number-one reason why O’Hara was able to run its championship streak to four. The American University-bound Hallinan set a record in the mile. His time of 4 minutes 14.08 seconds broke the previous best of 4:16.10) set by Monsignor Bonner’s Brendan Benner in 1993. Ironically, Archbishop Carroll’s Mike Tilger would have done the same after taking second place with a time of 4:15.88. Hallinan also took the 800 with a time of 1:55.60.
Other O’Hara standout efforts included second-place finishes in the 400 relay, 1,600 relay, 3,200 run (Greg Thomas), 800 run (Matt Willard), 400 run (Jack Braconnier), and high jump (Jim Smith).
For Bishop McDevitt, junior Julian Edwards was named the meet’s outstanding track athlete after taking first in the 100, 200, and 400 and anchoring the 1,600 relay to triumph. The most outstanding field athlete went to St. Joseph’s Prep junior Juan Cave after setting a meet record in the high jump and anchoring the 400-meter relay to victory. LaSalle senior Kevin Moore won the javelin and placed second in the discus and shot put.
After it was over, another unofficial meet record was established: most water bottles emptied.

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