Track & Field: Spring Inter-Ac Finale Highlights Team & Individual Standout Performances from the Inter-Ac Championship

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.

PHILADELPHIA – The outdoor track and field season for the Inter-Ac league came to a close with separate championships for boys and girls since the PAISAA did not have a championship of its own this year. Germantown Academy came out on top as the team champions for the girls and Episcopal Academy earned the boys Title

Some of the highlights of those championships and the season as a whole were as follows:

Inter-Ac Girls Championship Highlights…

Germantown Academy junior Moforehan Abinusawa has only competed a handful of times this season, but earned first place finishes in the 100m and 200m each time. Her championship performances in the 100m, with a time of 11.98, and 200m, clocking in at 24.44, were both PA No. 3 ranked performances. The talented sprinter has another year left to compete for GA and is an exciting athlete to watch on the track.

Second behind Abinusawa in the 100m and 200m was Springside Chestnut Hill senior Sabria Epps. The highlight of the Inter-Ac championship for the Penn State commit was her first place 400m finish of 57.98.

GA senior Sarah Fineman was first in the discus with a throw of 110-08.00 and her SP 41-08.25 landed her with PA No. 10 ranking. However, Springside senior Ava Roberts owns the top spot in the Inter-Ac in all three throws and her shot put of 44-6.25 earned her a PA No. 5 ranking to close out the season.

Penn Charter senior Peyton Parker placed first in 300mh with 45.21, a PA No. 11 ranking, with GA senior Perry Irons right behind with 45.34. Irons previously clocked 44.60 back in April, giving her a PA No. 3 ranking with that performance to end the season.

Inter-Ac Girls Championship Track & Field Gallery by Patty Morgan

Academy of Notre Dame sophomore Therese Trainor's 1600m performance of 5:08.39 earned her first place at the championship. Across the Inter-Ac, only Springside Chestnut Hill freshman Ella Woehlcke has run a faster time in the 1600m this season with a time of 5:06.83 at the Episcopal Academy Dual.

GA sophomore Emily Fiona McKenna won the 100mh, high jump and long jump for the Patriots at the Inter-Ac Championship. The long jump (17-08.25) and 100mh (16.60) performances were both PR's for the 10th grader. But its Academy of Notre Dame’s Emma McGuinn that holds the top spot in the Inter-AC with her 100mh performance of 16.08 at the DELCO Championships.

SCHA junior Maya McDermott earned first in triple jump with 35-03.75, putting her in the top spot in Inter-Ac. The pole vault belonged to Episcopal Academy in the championship, with four Churchwomen competing for the top spot. Ultimately, EA sophomore Erinne Bresler executed the top height of 10-00.00 to win first place.

Inter-Ac Boys Championship Highlights…

The boys championship was held at Malvern Prep on May 21. Germantown Academy senior Robert DiDonato was a triple winner in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m.

Looking back on the season, the big moment for DiDonato was the incredible 3200m he ran this past May at The Henderson Invitational where he completed the 3200m in 8:44.98, breaking a PA state record that has held for 14 years.

DiDonato attributed his success this spring to his continuous training regimen in the off-season.

“I would say the key to my year being successful, even after Covid, would be consistency of training throughout the lockdown. Even when we didn’t have high school team practices, I still was training as hard—if not harder—than I was during my normal high school routine. It really paid off when it came time to race again, and I was really glad that I kept my head down and got in the work when others might not have done the same,” said DiDonato. “I’d like to give a special shout-out to my mom and dad, they’ve been supportive every step of the way and I’ll miss them greatly while I’m at school next year.”

Next year, DiDonato is looking forward to continue his on-field success with his new teammates at Stanford.

“I am looking forward to being a part of an excellent group of guys and being coached by Ricardo Santos, whom I think is excellent,” said DiDonato. “I know a handful of guys on the team and all of my incoming recruiting class, and I’ve never met a more dedicated group of genuinely good guys. It’s truly an honor to have an opportunity to be a part of that, and I can’t wait to make the most of it.”

Germantown Academy senior and Stanford commit, Robert DiDonato - PSD Photo by Mike Nance

Video taken by Patty Morgan of Robert DiDonato competing during spring 2021 competition:

Malvern Prep junior D’Angelo Stocker continued his momentum from the indoor season to take first place in the 100m (10.80), earning a PA No.10 ranking. He also placed first in the 200m with a time of 22.23, which has Stocker tied for a PA No.9 ranking. Friar’s senior Ryan Rosenberger’s 110mh time of 14.76 has him ranked in the PA No. 9 spot and his first place 23-01.5 finish in the long jump ended his season with a PA No.4 ranking.

Another junior who flew on the track was Episcopal Academy’s Bryce Cooper, who placed first in the 400m with a time of 49.56.

SCHA junior Henry Banks Brandstadter won the high jump with a height of 6-02 but has a season best of 6-04, earning him the top ranking overall for Inter-Ac. Banks Brandstadter also placed fifth in long jump (21-05-75), thid in the 100m (11.21) and fifth in 200m (23.38). The talented junior looks to have an even more promising senior year .

In other field events, Malvern Prep junior Max Robinson came in first place in the pole vault with a height of 14-00. SCHA senior Cornell Kemp won first in shot put (53-01.00) and discus (142-05.00) at the Inter-Ac Championship.

Boys Inter-Ac Championship Track & Field Gallery by Mike Nance

Fellow Blue Devil Darrion Rascoe had a season best of 147-6 is discus and 148-11 in javelin and placed first in javelin at the boys championship (124-07.00). Rascoe holds the top spot in the discus and javelin for the Inter-AC league this season.

Haverford School senior Chris Sims placed first in triple jump with 44-09.25 but has a season best of 45-06.5, which ended his season with a PA No.11 ranking.

~ Wishing all the seniors good luck as they move on, but looking forward to seeing this mostly young crop of athletes come back next year for an even better season. ~

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