Farewell title for Strath Haven's Jesson

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - The Strath Haven boys' track and field team sent coach Bob Jesson into retirement the sweetest way possible: with a state championship.

Behind senior Chris Williams and junior Wellington Zaza, the Panthers scored 61 points to claim the PIAA Class AAA trophy Saturday at Shippensburg University.

Coatesville, with 33 points, won the Class AAA girls' title.

Williams, a Washington recruit, defended his title in 110-meter hurdles and also ran on Panthers' 4x100-meter relay that took gold. He capped the meet by setting a state record in the pole vault, winning his third gold of the day with a mark of 16 feet, 6 inches.

Zaza ran with the 4x100, won gold in the triple jump with a school record Friday, and took fourth in the 110 hurdles and silver in the 300 hurdles. Jack Huemmler set the school record (4 minutes, 12.54 seconds) in claiming silver in the 1,600.

Jesson, set to retire after 30 seasons at Penn Wood and Strath Haven, earned his third outdoor state title and first since 1994. Including the relay runners, five Panthers medaled this weekend.

"This is the only way it should happen to anyone. Couldn't draw it up any better," Jesson said. " . . . This group had everything: distance runners, jumpers, hurdlers, sprinters, milers - we scored in so many different events."

Kenya Woodall's individual state titles in the 100 and 400-meter dashes led Coatesville.

Woodall, a Cincinnati recruit, turned in a personal record of 53.40 seconds in the 400, winning gold by nearly two seconds. She also helped the Red Raiders take third and fourth in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, respectively.

"I didn't really want to run the [4x100 relay] when I got here, but I'm glad I did now," Woodall said.

Kelly Boulger's seventh-place finish in the girls' 3,200 championship also earned points to help Coatesville take home the trophy.

Local Districts 1 and 12 combined for 27 state titles in two days of competition.

Penn Wood's Eric Futch defended his 300-meter hurdles title, added gold in the 200 and ran the second leg in the Patriots' champion 4x400 relay team, which burned the field by 2.83 seconds.

Pennsbury junior Sara Sargent claimed the girls' 1,600 title, using a spirited kick over the final 200 meters to overtake Pennridge's Marissa Sheva at the finish line. Sargent hadn't won a district or state title since setting the PIAA record in the 3,200 as a freshman.

"I'm so happy I'm finally getting back to where I was freshman year," Sargent said. "I'm only hoping to improve. I know I have a lot more to give."

Pennridge senior Tori Gerlach defended her title in the 3,200. Gerlach's winning time of 10:38.40 was more than two seconds slower than her championship clip from last year, but good enough to best North Penn's Meghan McGovern by 1.10 seconds.

Gwynedd-Mercy's Emma Keenan repeated as girls' 800 champion, running a personal record of 2:07.06. In three years of high school, Keenan has won two state tiles and three district crowns.

Downingtown East's Amanda Koser, Anja Weiler, Sarah Black, and Danielle Castalldi shocked a star-studded field in claiming the 4x800 relay title. East's time of 9:03.12 edged District 1 champ Strath Haven by a hundredth of a second and defending state champion West Chester Henderson by .26 seconds.

Anchor Castalldi took the baton in third, then overtook Henderson's Natalie Deacon and fended off Strath Haven's Kristen Miller at the finish.

"I've never won a first-place medal and I've always wanted to win," Castalldi said. "It's just the best feeling to win with some of my best friends out there. Felt like a dream."

After setting the PIAA record (47.04) in prelims Friday, the Swenson girls' Class AA 4x100 relay took gold with a time of 47.77. Swenson's Imani Harris-Quillen took home two gold medals, the 200 and 400.