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TRACK & FIELD: Sabria Epps, A Springside Chestnut Hill Standout Whose Positivity and Success Captivates both Family & Teammates Alike

By Patty Morgan , 05/14/21, 4:15PM EDT

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'On Track' with Patty Morgan....

Sports photographer Patty Morgan has turned her enthusiasm and knowledge for track and field into a life-long passion. She continues to showcase both indoor and outdoor events at the high school and collegiate level bringing visual appreciation to these stellar student athletes through her lens. Morgan wanted to do more to highlight this sport and its athletes. Through her column, On Track with Patty Morgan, she hopes to give audiences a more personal experience to the hard work, training, and dedication of these athletes. 

By: Patty Morgan 

 

Sabria Epps – It ‘runs’ in the family… 

PHILADELPHIA – It was a beautiful spring day on the track at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy when I stopped by to check in on the girls varsity track & field team as they competed against Baldwin School, Academy of Notre Dame and Agnes Irwin. One of my goals was to get some race video of Springside senior Sabria Epps. I have been following along and documenting her successes for some time but I really didn’t know that much about her but after I got there I found out that she was sidelined with an injury.   


Sabria (SCHA '21) and Salim Epps (SJPrep '20) - Photo Courtesy of Sabria Epps

I previously sent Sabria a few questions to answer for this story, but the fact that she wasn’t competing actually gave me a chance to do a more in-depth and personal video interview with her. After watching the video below, I hope you find out a few new things that you didn’t already know about this incredible athlete! 

Epps began her track & field career at a young age, as part of the Infinity Track Club  

“When I was around seven, I had a cousin that ran for Infinity Track Club,” said Sabria. “One day I went to one of his indoor practices with him, jokingly running around the hallways with the team. I found a love for the sport.”

The swiftness and stamina that Sabria exudes on the track is a talent that runs in the family. Sabria’s older brother is Salim Epps, a '20 St. Joseph’s Prep alum who now runs track at the University of Oklahoma.

As a junior, Salim captured the PIAA Class 3A title in the 400m in a time of 47.48 and, as a senior, he snared first in the 200m (22.35) and 400m (49.36) at the PCL indoor track and field final, propelling the Hawks to a second place overall finish prior to the COVID-19 shutdown. 

According to Sabria, her brother is her go-to person. 

“Someone that has kept me grounded a lot throughout my career is my brother Salim. I know if I ever need advice or to vent about something track related, he will always be there for me giving me the best advice.”

We haven’t seen much of Sabria since the PTFCA Indoor State Championships back in March 2020, which was right before everything shut down because of the coronavirus. As a result, many schools did not compete during the limited indoor season this past winter. She did run in the Armory Trials, where she clocked a PA No.8 time of 26.09 in the 200m and a PA No.10 time of 58.90 in the 400m.

Since she last ran at the Armory Trials in November, Epps has been training heavily and trying to keep her body healthy. 

“Training became difficult when winter came around because of the lack of availability for a proper training spot. Mentally, it was challenging trying to stay in competition condition during the indoor season because I did not have a goal (or) meet to train or look forward to,” said Sabria. 

Exclusive Interview With Springside Chestnut Hill Academy's Sabria Epps - Video and photos by Patty Morgan for PSD

A senior and freshman with an unbreakable bond… 

While I was photographing the meet that day at Springside, I was watching a mid-distance/distance runner named Ella Woehlcke compete and was impressed by the freshman’s presence on the track.  

It turns out that Sabria and Ella are training partners at Springside. I asked Blue Devils head coach Maurice Broadwater why he paired a sprinter with a distance runner to train? According to coach Broadwater and Epps, it’s in their differences where they benefit from each other.   

“I believe once a week sprinters and middle distance runners should train together. My two favorite workouts are six 400's or ladders 600m, 400m, 200 with a short recovery. The workout benefits the sprinters the most by producing speed endurance. In the beginning intervals, the sprinters dominate the workouts, but the latter part, the sprinters are getting weaker and that's when the workouts truly begin,” said Broadwater. “Sabria Epps, a 100m, 200m and 400m specialist, understands she needs strength to maintain her speed and freshman Ella Woehlcke, who went 2:21 for 800m and 5:11 for 1600m, gives her strength. Sabria is anticipating Ella as the race is ending and once Ella approaches, it places Sabria in fighter's mode. Having two fierce competitors will also produce the same mental and physical race pressure.”

Video of Springside Chestnut Hill freshman Ella Woehlcke - By Patty Morgan

While the spring season is nearing a close, Sabria still has goals left to accomplish. 

“[My goals are to] most importantly stay healthy, but I would also like to break more school records, become a 2x league champion in the 400m and improve my PRs,” said Sabria. 

Having recently committed to Penn State University, Epps is looking forward to her new journey ahead in State College, PA. 

“I practice with a different mindset than I had before. I know everything I do and have been doing is preparing me for the next level. With that being said, I try not to add additional stress on myself because I still want to have fun and enjoy myself,” said Sabria. “Ultimately, my goals for my time at PSU are to, of course maintain a high GPA, and to also make an impact on the track program.” 

I then asked Sabria to note some advice to pass down to the next generation of track and field athletes. 

“The advice I’d give to the younger aspiring athletes would be to focus on yourself. Everybody has their own breakthrough moment at different times, so if people surrounding you are having their moment and you aren't having yours just yet, continue working and stay patient because it will come,” said Sabria.

I concluded the interview asking Sabria if she had any special talents besides being a star on the track. Her response was humble. 

“Outside of track and school, I enjoy shopping and watching The Office,” said Sabria. “Unfortunately, I do not have any special talents, but when I discover my special talent, you will be the first to know.”  

I had a feeling that there was more to Sabria’s athletic abilities than meets the eye. So, I sent a message to her brother Salim and he was quick to dish on his talented sister.

“Sabria has a bunch of other talents. She’s very strong, dealing with injuries she never gave up when times got hard and she always kept pushing to be the best athlete she can be. Outside of track, she’s an outstanding cook, if she sees something she would like to try whether if she’s seen it online or from someone she knows she’ll come home and make it (even though majority of the time she doesn’t share it with me lol),” said Salim. “Also, she’s really smart. I always make little jokes about her being a nerd but she’s in love with history. If she reads or learns something she’ll come home from school and that’ll be all she talks about at the dinner table. Also, she’s a gym junkie. She loves working out. She’ll find a way to workout anywhere if we’re on vacation, if it’s at the beach, finding a gym, or anywhere she’ll find somewhere to workout and she’ll put together her own workout.”

In conclusion…

I found Sabria to be charming, unassuming and just lovely to talk to.  I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the video and get to know this scholar athlete a little better, it will definitely be worth your time.  

Let me know what you think about this latest segment of “On Track” …we’re heading into championship season so there will be a lot of action to cover in the coming weeks.  

I look forward to bringing you more from around the oval. Feel free to email me at pattymorganphotography@gmail.com with any comments or suggestions.  See you on a track somewhere soon!