Starcher Breaks Meet Record In Girls Mile (4:38.19)

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By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

PHILADELPHIA – Victoria Starcher took on the Pennsylvania duo that beat her at New Balance Nationals Indoor knowing that she had a bit more to give.

The junior from Ripley WV stuck near the lead with Northern PA’s Marlee Starliper and then used her speed to pull away over the final 300 meters to win the High School Girls Mile in 4:38.19 at Franklin Field.

Starcher broke a Penn Relays record held by Mary Cain (4:39.28) by more than a second.

“I’m honestly in shock,” Starcher said. “I knew it was going to be a good field because of New Balance and it was basically the same girls.”

In New York, Starliper and Taryn Parks finished in a near-tie in 4:39.15 to move into the all-time top 10. Starcher was right behind them.

“At New Balance I was dead,” Starcher said. “I didn’t have it then. My workouts have been awesome lately.”

Starliper was second in 4:42.30 and Parks was third in 4:46.73.

In the girls distance medley relay, Fayetteville-Manlius NY got a powerful 4:43.34 anchor leg from Claire Walters and the Hornets improved upon a runner-up finish at indoor nationals with 11:45.28.

North Rockland NY anchor Katelyn Tuohy ran the fastest 1,600-meter leg, 4:36.94, but she couldn’t over come a 2:34 carry on the 800-meter leg. The NBNI champions were forced to make a lineup change due to injury.

Still, Tuohy rallied her team to sixth.

Beavercreek OH, anchored by Taylor Ewert, finished second in 11:49.14.

Joining F-M from New York’s upstate Section 3, Tully sophomore Brooke Rauber was the class of the field in the girls 3,000 meters and won in 9:34.21. Another pair of Pennsylvanians, Lydia Russell of Friends Central (9:37.65) and Isabell Sagar of Loyalsock (9:37.70) placed second and third.

Three hours of trials in the girls 4x400 relay produced a nine-team field that will compete for the Championship of America. Three U.S. teams – Union Catholic NJ (3:45.39), Bullis MD (3:46.90) and Neumann-Goretti PA (3:47.08) – qualified for the finals in a race that includes six Jamaican teams.

The fastest group Thursday, Hydel of Jamaica, ran 3:39.98. Charokee Young, the team’s second leg, ran the day’s fastest split – 52.91 seconds.

Long Beach Poly CA, a staple at Penn Relays for two decades, was not able to make the trip this year because of a glitch in the California schedule. Because the California state meet is a week earlier than normal, teams in the Southern Section have already gone through league championship meets and don’t have any free weekends to leave the state.

Britton Wilson of Mills Godwin VA, pushed out of the fastest heat of the girls 400-meter hurdles because officials said she didn’t check in soon enough, was relegated to the second race and still ran 58.58 seconds for the fastest time by a U.S. runner.

Wilson came back later and posted the second-fastest relay leg in the 4x400, clocking 53.86.

Lashanna Graham from Edwin Allen (Jamaica) won the 400 hurdles in 58.02.

Outside Franklin Field, Skylar Ciccolini made news in the girls javelin when she launched a throw of 184 feet, 2 inches (56.13m) on her first attempt. That was a seven-foot personal best and moved her up to No. 2 on the all-time list behind Madison Wiltrout’s national record 185-8 (56.59m).

“My training has been starting to click for me,” Ciccolini said. “I’ve been having some really good practices the past couple weeks. I’ve really been focused (on doing) the right things.”

Gennifer Hirata, one of the country’s three prep 14-foot vaulters, won the Penn Relays title with 13-7.75 (4.15m). She took attempts at a PR height of 14-1.50 before she was finished.

Jada Seaman from McDonogh School MD won the long jump competition with 19-6 (5.94m).

Lydia Bottelier from Palisades PA was a surprise winner in the girls high jump, beating three 6-foot jumpers with 5-10.50 (1.79m). She edged Morgan Smalls of Panther Creek on fewer misses after they both made the same height.

Penn Women’s DMR Makes History

The biggest news in the college program came the host school, Penn, which won the College Women’s Distance Medley in 10:59.44.

Nia Akins staked the Quakers out to an early lead with her 3:22.73 on the 1,200-meter leg and Uchechi Nwogwugwu extended it with a 52.22 carry on the second leg.

Melissa Tanaka (800 in 2:07.20) and anchor Maddie Villalba (4:37.30) enjoyed a big lead and a serenading crowd on the way to the first Championship of American victory ever by an Ivy League women’s team. It was also an Ivy League record.

“This is an all-star group, some of the best runners in Penn history assembled at one time,” Penn coach Steve Dolan said. “It is a historic moment. Sometimes you think it is possible, but then to actually capture the moment and do it … there is nothing more exciting than a relay moment when you do it together.”

Nwogwugwu was motivated to seize the moment.

“I wanted to do something special today with these beautiful, lovely, talented ladies and I am so proud of everything we accomplished today,” she said.

Shannon Kalawan of St. Augustine’s won the first event of the meet, the college women’s 400-meter hurdles, in 57.37 seconds.

Madison Pollard of Indiana won a high-quality women’s shot put competition with 53-10 (16.40m). Seven women surpassed 52 feet. Veronica Kanuchova of Florida State won the hammer with 215-3 (65.60m).

Samiyah Samuels of Houston won the women’s long jump with 20-1.50 (6.13m).

In one of the few men's finals on Thursday, Indiana's Daniel Michalski won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 8:34.26.