For Mimi Duffy, it’s all about staying the course, both physically and mentally.
The Central Bucks West junior recently captured the 200 meter (25.31), and the 400 meter (57.69) at the Suburban One League Colonial Division championships at Central Bucks East May 12-13.
She helped her team to a third-place finish behind North Penn and Central Bucks East. The West boys team was second behind North Penn, and several other local athletes excelled at the league events. Duffy also was the anchor leg in her team’s winning 1,600 relay team. Teammate Ava Morgan took the shot put title with a mark of 35-03.5.
Duffy sees everything coming together at the right time.
“I feel like I’m in a great position moving forward, she said. “Running the trials and four races was tough, but I was happy I could get the wins and help my team overall.
“Going into districts and states, I just hope to stay consistent, and trust my training.”
Bucks head coach Kiki Bell also sees Duffy on a steady stream.
“She’s getting there,” said Bell about Duffy. “Mimi had a great race in the 100 and took second. It was a great competition between her and (Jael) Sykes from North Penn. She came back after that to win the 400, 200 and anchor the winning 4x400 in the season-best time of 3:54.”
Bell stated that Ella Denicore and Jia Walia had their personal bests in the 100 hurdles in the preliminaries and bested them in the finals. She also praised the performance of Morgan in the shot put and Nia Perry in the javelin.
The veteran coach is optimistic her squad can raise the bar with districts and states around the corner.
“Being days out from districts, we have athletes poised to not only do their best, but also better our own school records and accomplishments,” she said. “If focus, freshness, and fun remain priorities, great things will happen. Those things become the new stories to tell in meetings with future athletes and things that become stories to tell in their own circles.”
Bucks’ boys head coach John Mahoney appreciated his team’s effort. Noah Gartenberg defended his league title with a 49.65 in the 400, and Nate Fehrman took the 800 in 1:56.02. Connor Salmon won both the 110 (15.35) and 300 hurdles (40.49). The 4x800 relay team also won gold (7:59.23).
“Noah Gartenberg had a gutsy performance, while scoring points in the 200 and anchoring our 4x400,” said Mahoney. “Connor Salmon hit qualifying times in both hurdles, and Brayden Teufel finished second in the 300 hurdles and also hit the district mark. Nate Fehrman anchored the winning 4x800 relay and won the 800. Will Peralta bettered his personal best in the 1,600 by six seconds to finish third.”
Aside from the CB West athletes, Central Bucks East’s Devon Sutton won the girls 3,200 (11:45.47) and Central Bucks South’s Riley Rooney snared the 1,600 (5:01.19). Pennridge’s Ashley Landis set a new school record with a 2:10.44 in the 800, and it also was the fifth best time in the state. Teammate Lindsey Balmer took first in the high jump (5-06) and the Rams’ Victoria Angelo won gold in the 300 hurdles (45.35).
On the boys side, Pennridge’s Chase Marshall paced the pack in the 100 (11:15). Marshall was the anchor of the team’s first-place 400 relay team (42.56). Teammate Jared Hess won the triple jump (44-11.5) and the long jump (22.02-75).
Central Bucks South’s 4x400 boys relay team led the field (3:27.73), and Central Bucks East’s Jacob Tannenbaum (153-02) and Zach Mancini (14-0) won the discus and pole vault respectively.
In the SOL American Conference at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Quakertown’s Sabine Muse won the shot put (34-1), and teammate Mackenna Calabria collected the top medal in the long jump (17-2.25). The Panthers’ 400 relay team won gold (49.38). Otani Ekpe won the boys 300 hurdles (39.8).
New Hope-Solebury’s Marco Demeo secured the top length in the boys high jump (6-6).
In the SOL Patriot Division meet at Bensalem, Council Rock North’s Lily Moore led the field in the 100 (26.32). Teammate Nicole Eden had the best mark in the long jump (16-10), and Kaitlyn McCoy recorded a best in the discus (106-8).
CR North’s Brady Ott was first in the boys 3,200 (9:41.53) and Matthew Hendricksen took the javelin (148-3) and shot put (46-7). Their boys’ 3,200 relay topped their field (8:06.96).
Council Rock South’s Chloe Friedfeld won the girls triple jump (33-07.75) and Reagan Metague and Gavin Sudac capped their respective pole vaults (10-06) and (12-0).
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