Contrasting fortunes for two runners at state track meet

La Salle's Tom Coyle enjoyed a breakout performance, while Upper Moreland's Drew Magaha wistfully ended his high school career Saturday in the PIAA track and field championships.

Coyle, a junior, won the boys' 1,600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 11.97 seconds at Shippensburg University. Magaha, who owns the PIAA record in the event and won gold last year as a junior, placed last in 5:01.75.

Magaha has battled mononucleosis this season, and as a result lost 18 pounds. Still, on paper he was the favorite to win the event after running a District 1 record of 4:08.94 a week earlier. Coyle won the District 12 title in 4:18.74.

"I knew going in that this race was mine, but it wasn't clear from my [personal records] and my races that I run that . . . I was going to win," Coyle said.

Coyle hung in second as he turned into the final lap. That's when he began to sniff victory. He thought the race's other front-runners, including Strath Haven's Jack Huemmler, who took silver, and bronze winner Alex Moran, kicked into their final push too early.

"The race was mine at that point," Coyle said.

With about 150 meters to go, Coyle zoomed ahead for the victory. As he was celebrating, Magaha was jogging to 12th place.

"Winning it would have been great, but you've got to take something more valuable from it. I learned a lesson," Magaha said.

"The lesson I learned was humanity. I thought that I learned it after I got mono that you can't always fight the world. I made the same mistake again running that 4:08 last week. . . . Today I needed to learn it again."

Sargent strikes back. In the time between her first and most recent state titles, Pennsbury distance runner Sara Sargent said she "had lost that will to win."

"It was really, really hard," said Sargent, a junior. ". . . I knew I was physically able to do the things I wanted to do, but mentally I was just shot. . . . I lost that will to win. I was just out of it."

Sargent set the bar sky-high when as a freshman she captured the PIAA girls' 3,200-meter run in record-setting fashion. It took her two years to win another gold medal, but she ascended the state podium again Saturday at Shippensburg University.

Sargent won the 1,600-meter title, edging a deep and talented field in 4:51.04 seconds. She drew even with Pennridge's Marissa Sheva with about 200 meters remaining in the race. The two ran side-by-side until the finish, when Sargent out-leaned Sheva.

Sargent said she summoned confidence from her first title as she battled down the final stretch.

"All the thoughts came back into my head from freshman year, with the two-mile. . . . I was like, you know what? I want this so badly," she said.

Sargent has emerged from a not-confident place with two state gold medals to her name and a year of high school competition remaining.

"Now that I'm back in it, I'm so happy I took every opportunity I was able to take because I might never be able to do it again." Sargent said. ". . . I'm only hoping to improve. I know I have a lot more to give."

Great heights. Strath Haven senior Chris Williams went higher than any other pole-vaulter in Pennsylvania history had gone at the PIAA meet.

Williams won the state title with a vault of 16 feet, 6 inches, breaking the all-time state mark by three inches. Once he clinched gold, Williams tried three times to clear 16-9, but fell just short.

He appeared to clear the bar on his second attempt, but clipped it with a knee as he descended.

"I felt really close. It actually was kind of a funky jump," he said. "I decided to go with it, and [my knee] turned out to be over it. But that just gives me confidence. Maybe I'll go to nationals or in college."

Williams won two other state titles over the weekend: the 110-meter hurdles and a relay as part of the Panthers' 4x100 squad. Strath Haven won the boys' team title as well. Williams will head to the University of Washington in the fall.