District 1 Track and Field Championships: Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak cruises to 1,600 victory, looks ahead
CALN TWP. — The time paled in comparison to previous finishes, but the bottom line was the same.
Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak left a pretty good field in the dust on her way to winning the 1,600 meters Friday at the District 1 Class 3A championships.
Cieslak crossed the finish line in 4:48.28, or if you prefer, about four Mississippi’s ahead of the next girl.
“I did run wire to wire,” said Cieslak, who led throughout the race on the humid, 67-degree day. “So, it was just about staying kind of consistent today. I wasn’t really worried about the time. That’s for next week.”
Next week is the states in Shippensburg, and Cieslak, a junior, is the defending champion in both the 1,600 and 800 meters. In her immediate future are the district 800 meters and a leg on the Fords’ 4 x 400 relay Saturday. Cieslak certainly is used to pacing herself, and that partly is a team decision because the Fords are the defending girls state champions. It could get interesting this weekend as rain is in the forecast for Saturday.
“I felt good,” Cieslak said. “I kind of just wanted to take it out, see what I could do on my own. My training is going really well. I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”
Elsewhere in the 1,600, junior Sophia Kurtis of Springfield finished fourth and qualified for states. Her time of 4:58.71 was 10 seconds below the state qualifying standard.
The top five finishers qualify for states although up to the first eight placers go to states if they all meet the state qualifying standard for that specific event.
Ridley’s Jackson Kane was third in the boys’ 1,600 meters in 4:15.80, well under the state qualifying standard and close to a personal best.
The Penncrest boys’ 4 x 800-meter relay team clocked 7:42.33 to finish second and qualify for states.
In the boys’ long jump, Kivaleon Clarke of Penn Wood won gold as he leapt 22-6 on his sixth and final attempt. That was a personal record for Clarke, and one of the top 20 performances for a long jumper this season.
Ridley’s Jesufifunmi Olugbenga finished third in the long jump to qualify for states, extending 22-3.25.
In the girls 3A high jump Isabella Tront of Garnet Valley qualified for states with an effort of 5-3, right at the state standard. She was sixth in the event.
In District 1 Class 2A competition Friday, Makiyah Keys of Delaware County Christian School won the long jump with a leap of 17-1.75, the first time she’s been over 17-feet in her career. She did it on her sixth and final attempt.
Teammate Hallie Kees was fifth in the long jump at 14-5.
Erin Robertson of Delco Christian was second in the pole vault with a personal best of 6-6, and Luke Bushra of Delco Christian threw the discus a personal record 133-3 on his first attempt to finish second. Teammate Chase Caradonna sent the javelin a personal best 131-10 to finish fifth.
Delco Christian’s 4 x 800 relay team was fifth in 9:04.87.
All that said, when Cieslak is at her best she’s basically running only against herself. There almost is no need to look behind.
“I think of just running my own race,” Cieslak said. “That’s what I trust, just going out there and doing what I can do. Not really worrying about what other people are doing. That’s the main thing I focus on, trusting myself.”
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