Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
PHILADELPHIA – Lincoln Townsend Jr. watches the first race, clicks his stop watch and reviews it. The expression on his face usually determines if it was a good finish or not.
That’s how the Neumann-Goretti track & field head coach takes in every heat one of his team members participates in. He’ll roam around, seeing how they’re preparing for a race, how they react after the event has finished and offers advice afterward, even if it was a victory. It’s been a regular routine for Townsend Jr. since taking over the program in 2012 and he’s remained steadfast in doing it.
He remembers how far the program has come under his leadership and he’s not about to deviate from his methods now.
“It took patience on my part because I came into nothing,” Townsend Jr. said. “It’s been building a culture of wanting to do the right thing in the classroom which in turn leads to work on the track. So, all together, hard work leads to no shortcuts or secrets. If you work hard in the classroom, you’ll be blessed on the track.”
Neumann-Goretti head coach Lincoln Townsend Jr. offers advice to Malik Griffin during the return of the Father Judge Relays on April 17th. (photo by Patty Morgan)
Townsend Jr. has risen the Saint program from one just trying to get its feet under it to one that has big shoes to fill every year with the success the previous team has had. Neumann-Goretti came into the outdoor track and field season after a dominating year indoors which culminated with its second straight Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA Class 2A titles.
His program has become elite not only on at the local level but at the national level as well. His talented roster, particularly the girls’ team, put its prowess on display with a bigtime performance at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Indoor in New York City. The 4x800m relay team of Mykala Perry, Dasia Wilson, Sanaiya Watts and Kami Joi Hickson took home the national championship with a time of 9:02.17. That was six seconds faster than the second-place qualifier. The one individual runner who may be the most accomplished of that quartet is Perry.
The junior finished first in the girls 400m dash while setting a new record in the process at the 31st Father Judge Relays at Father Judge High School. She finished in 55.94, breaking the previous record held by West Catholic’s Latavia Thomas (2005) who had a time of 58.32. It was one of three events Perry placed in the top three along with 100m (second) and 200m (third). What would be categorized as an impressive day for most runners was actually a downer for Perry.
“I felt good. I had a lot of races under my belt from throughout the whole day,” Perry said. “I wasn’t really happy with my results, but I knew it would take time and effort.”
Neumann-Goretti 4x800 Relay Team 2019. (l to r) Junior Mykala Perry, Senior Dasia Wilson, Head Coach Lincoln Townsend Jr. Senior Sanaiya Watts and Junior Kami Joi Hickson- (Photo by Patty Morgan)
NG's Mykala Perry finishes first and sets new school record at the Coach Joe Valley Father Judge Relays on April 17th. (photo by Patty Morgan)
That work ethic and desire to finish first or with the best time comes from Perry’s success as an underclassman. She was the Philadelphia Catholic League champion in the 200m and 400m while also earning First Team All-Catholic honors in both of those events as well as the 100m and 4x100 as a sophomore. From her success in the PCL, she captured the PIAA 2A crown in the 400m, after finishing in second as a freshman. With a PCL and state title under her belt, she joined Hickson, Wilson and Sydni Townsend in setting the school record in the 4x800 at 8:57.09 at the Penn Relays last year. It was almost surreal for Perry and her teammates to have accomplished so much in one year, but they’ve enjoyed the ride together.
“It’s been amazing,” Perry said. “We came together as a team and have won a lot of relays. Having all of us together has been very exciting and I’ve had a great time. It’s great running with them and I love my team.”
Wilson finished second behind Perry in the 400m final at the Judge Relays at 56.36. Hickson placed in fifth and Watts followed up in seventh in that event. Their individual accolades are astounding but once combined in the relays they’ve been difficult to beat. The girls did not run together at Father Judge but will be back out together, hopefully for the PCL championship as well as states and potentially the Penn Relays. She tried not to make it cliché, but Perry has described what her personal accomplishments have been in the last two years.
Members of the Neumann- Goretti Track and Field Team pose for a picture at the Coach Joe Valley Father Judge Relays. (photo by Patty Morgan)
“It’s really victorious,” Perry said jokingly. “I love it. I know sometimes it doesn’t even matter about what place you’re in, just the time and that’s what college coaches see but I still focus on both.”
Perry has continued to push her performance under Townsend Jr. between winning various championships and setting certain records but some of that is attributed to her teammates from a year ago in Sydni Townsend and Eliza Brooks, both of whom were First Team All-Catholic in the 4x100. They all won the District 12 2A title in the 4x100. Sydni won the 2018 PIAA 2A Tournament title in the 300m hurdle and Brooks finished in second in the 100m.
Townsend Jr. believes a lot of Perry’s success stems from what they taught her.
“She developed under me, but she developed more from the athletes who came before her like Sydni and Eliza,” Townsend Jr. “She came up under those girls. They instilled a great work ethic in her and she is developing that in our younger athletes.”
Bringing Perry and her teammates to the Judge Relays was a homecoming of sorts for Townsend Jr., who participated in the event while at Overbrook from 1985-86. His team claimed the 1985 Philadelphia Public League title while under head coach Fred Rosenfeld, who 40 Public League titles as a head coach between Overbrook and Central and was three-time Pennsylvania Track Coach of the Year winner. Rosenfeld was present at the relays and Townsend Jr. had the chance to converse with his former coach and teacher, who was inducted into the Judge Relays Hall of Fame prior to the event.
“It’s an honor to be back at the Father Judge Relays,” Townsend Jr. said. “Teams from all over came here to test the water and see where they were at before the Penn Relays. I want to bring that back to my kids to let them know that this is a test. I see it as a quiz for the test next week.”
Townsend Jr. has put his program on the map locally and nationally and Perry has been one of the catalysts in that effort. The success at the Judge Relays has strengthened the Saints belief that another strong finish to the indoor season is theirs for the taking.
Neumann-Goretti Junior Ronald Holmes competes in the 110 Hurdles at the Coach Joe Valley Father Judge Relays. (photo by Patty Morgan)
Neumann-Goretti Junior Malik Griffin comes in second during the 100m Dash at the Coach Joe Valley Father Judge Relays. (photo by Patty Morgan)
