Fourth time's a Jem
By Tom Waring Staff writer | Posted: Sunday, May 20, 2012 5:00 am

CALN — Villa Joseph Marie captured its fourth consecutive District One Class AA track and field championship on Saturday at Coatesville, while the Pennsbury girls had an impressive showing in the Class AAA competition.

Villa piled up 205 points to far outdistance its Athletic Association of Catholic Academies rival, St. Basil, which finished with 162 points.

The Jems won 10 of the 17 events. Their champions were Gina Lupica (14.92 seconds in 100-meter hurdles and 45.08 in 300 hurdles), Erin Keen (12.48 in 100 and 25.36 in 200), Mary Newell (126 feet, 2 inches in the discus and 39-6.5 in the shot put), Leah Patrick (58.68 in 400), Michaela Hollister (5-1 in the high jump), the 4x100 relay (Tori Nawalinski, Lupica, Patrick and Keen in a meet-record 49.00) and the 4x400 relay (Steph Hughes, Emily Market, Patrick and Keen in 4:02.84).

“It was a good day for us,” Keen said, in an understatement.

The AA winners and other top-eight finishers who made the qualifying standard advanced to the PIAA championships, May 25-26 at Shippensburg University.

“It was a very good day,” Newell said. “St. Basil’s is an amazing team, but so are we. The girls worked so hard. It will be a good turnout for our school at states.”

Newell, a senior headed to Philadelphia University, was especially happy with her performance in the discus.

“I really wanted a 126 because I hadn’t thrown that far in a long time. My goal at states will be to improve on the 126, and my goal in the shot put will be to throw 42,” she said.

Like Newell, Lupica was a double winner, earning gold medals in both hurdles.

“I’m so happy to win the 300 because it’s my best time so far, and I’m thrilled to win the 100 because it was my best time of the season,” she said.

Keen, too, won a pair of events. The 25.36 in the 200 was her personal best. A good start led to the 12.48 in the 100, where she edged Gina Lupica and her younger sister, Jane Lupica.

“It’s great to come out on top, and it’s also great that my teammates were second and third,” she said.

The VJM Track & Field Team is
PIAA District 1 AA Champion 2009 2010 2011 2012

What happens in Coatesville doesn't stay in Coatesville-
State qualifiers are headed to Shippensburg U

1- Gina Lupica 100HH NEW District 1 MEET RECORD 14.92

1- Erin Keen 100M 12.48
2- Gina Lupica 100M 12.49
3- Jane Lupica 100M 12.64

1- Leah Patrick 400M 58.68

1- 4x100 relay NEW District 1 MEET RECORD 49.00
Tori Nawalinski, Gina Lupica, Leah Patrick, Erin Keen

1- Gina Lupica 300IH 45.08

2- Steph Hughes 800M 2:21.03

1- Erin Keen 200M 25.26
4- Leah Patrick 200M 26.03
5- Jane Lupica 200M 26.11

1- 4x400 relay 4:02.84
Steph Hughes, Emily Market, Leah Patrick, Erin Keen

1- Michaela Hollister HJ 5'1

1- Mary Newell- SP 39' 6.5

1- Mary Newell- Discus 126'2

Congratulations to Gina Lupica- AACA hurdle record [15.19]
Mary Newell- AACA shot record [40'-6] AND AACA discus record [123']

VJM 141* SBA 120, GMA 112, VMA 94, MSJ 54, NA 23, SHA 12, MMA 1

additional First Places
100m- Gina Lupica 12.65
200m- Erin Keen 25.94

Montgomery Memorial Meet 5.3.12
NEW MEET RECORD
Mary Newell shot 40-4.5

Lady Rocker Invitational 5.5.12
Varsity Girls 4x100 Meter Relay NEW MEET RECORD
=========================================================
Team Time H#
=========================================================
1 Villa Joseph Marie 49.98 2
Tori Nawalinski, Gabby Falcon, Gina Lupica, Erin Keen

from Bucks Courier Times
Villa Joseph Marie's track team came away from Saturday's Springfield (Delco) Invitational with three victories.

Mary Newell '12 won the shot put with a toss of 39 feet. Gina Lupica '13 won the 100 hurdles in 15.78 seconds, and Michaela Hollister '15 was first in the high jump at 4-10.

The Jems also had a second-place finish from the 4x100 relay of Jane Lupica '15, Gina Lupica '13, Tori Nawalinski '14 and Erin Keen '12. Keen was second in the 200, Leah Patrick '13 took second in the 400, while Gina Lupica '13 just missed doubling, coming in second in the 100.

Winning attitude for VJM at Relays
By Todd Thorpe Staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 27, 2012 5:00 am

PHILADELPHIA — Villa Joseph Marie’s relay teams go to Penn Relays every year with a fairly simple attitude.

“For Penn Relays, it’s always just a fun race to run,” VJM senior Erin Keen said. “We don’t really expect anything. We just go out there and run for fun.”

Of course, it’s a lot of fun when you win. And in Thursday’s competition at the 118th Penn Relay Carnival at Franklin Field, the Jems had winning relays in their heats in both the 4x100-meter and the 4x400, the latter coming in exciting fashion.

Keen also said after the 4x100 that when the gun goes off and the race starts, the competitive juices take over.

“Our goal is to always win our heat,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what the time is, we just want to win the heat.”

In the 4x100, the Villa team of Tori Nawalinski '14, Gabby Falcon '14, Leah Patrick '13 and Keen '12 finished in 50.61 seconds, which ranked them 39th among 298 teams.

“I think we’re improving,” Keen said. “We have two younger athletes that are just starting to get the idea of passing and doing the relay, so, by the end of our season, we should definitely break 50 (seconds). Hopefully we want to break 49.”

Later in the afternoon, Villa was one of the favorites in the Philadelphia Academic heat of the 4x400, which included teams from the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, like VJM, St. Basil, Villa Maria, Nazareth, Merion Mercy, Mount St. Joseph and Gwynedd-Mercy, as well as Inter-Academic League schools Germantown Academy, Episcopal Academy, and Penn Charter, and also Calvary Christian.

A competitive race was expected, and that’s exactly what transpired. VJM grabbed the lead from Mount St. Joseph early but, in the final leg, Gwynedd-Mercy’s Emma Keenan stormed from back of the pack and nearly ran down the field, but Keen was again running the anchor and she held off the charge to claim the dramatic win. Villa’s relay featured Steph Hughes '14, Jane Lupica '15, Patrick '14 and Keen '12.

from the courier times
Local standouts qualify for Penn Relays
By TOM WARING STAFF WRITER | Posted: Friday, April 13, 2012 12:00 am

The Penn Relays will take place April 26-28 at Franklin Field, with most of the glamour events being, of course, relay races.

Still, the famed competition will also feature some of the top high school athletes in individual events.

As announced earlier this week, the local entrants will be Villa Joseph Marie’s Mary Newell (discus), Council Rock South’s Amanda Benninghoff (pole vault), Pennsbury’s Sara Sargent (mile) and Neshaminy’s Cody Minnig (long jump).

For Newell, a senior, it’ll be her second appearance. She’s already had a big week, throwing the shot put 39 feet, 6 inches to set a school record and to get closer to her goal of 40 feet.

Villa knocked off Gwynedd-Mercy in that meet, an indication that the Jems could be on pace to capture their fourth consecutive District One Class AA championship.

“I know we’re on pace,” coach Cathleen Murway said. “They’re really, really dedicated athletes.”

Among the key contributors, besides Newell, are co-captains Erin Keen (sprint relays) and Leah DiGiacobbe (throws), along with Leah Patrick, who runs the 100 through 800 meters.

Newell and DiGiacobbe teamed to win the shot put at Saturday’s Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonial Relays.

from the courier times-
Mary Newell had two individual event wins, including a school-record effort in the shot put, to lead Villa Joseph Marie past Gwynedd-Mercy Academy 68-61 in an Athletic Association of Catholic Academies track meet Wednesday.

Newell’s winning shot put performance was 39 feet, 6 inches. She also placed first in the discus (102-4).

VJM’s other individual to win two events was Jane Lupica, who prevailed in the 100 meters (12.5 seconds) and long jump (16-3.75).


Villa Joseph Marie 68, Gwynedd-Mercy 61
100-meter dash: Jane Lupica (VJM), 12.5. 200: Leah Patrick (VJM), 25.9. 400: Emily Market (VJM), 1:01.4. 800: McDonald (SH), 2:27.6. 1,600: Keenan (G-M), 5:10.0. 3,200: McDonough (G-M), 14:29.0.

4x100 Relay: VJM, 5:00.3. 4x400: G-M, 4:13.6. 4x800: G-M, 13:21.0.

100 high hurdles: Gina Lupica (VJM), 15.4. 300 intermediate hurdles: Casey (G-M), 49.7. High jump: Gabby Falcon (VJM), 4-6. Long jump: Jane Lupica (VJM), 16-3.75. Triple jump: Rosen (G-M), 33-9.25. Pole Vault: Markward (G-M)

from the courier times-
Benway Memorial Invitational

Athletes had to contend with blustery winds, occasional drizzle and a thermometer that never got out of the low 40s.
In the girls’ meet, Villa Joseph Marie collected three firsts in the field. Jane Lupica won the triple jump with a best of 31 feet, 2 inches, and Mary Newell picked up the other two. Her 35-7 was tops in the shot put, and she collected the gold in the discus at 103 feet.
“I stretched and did a little jogging back and forth to keep the blood flowing and to try to warm myself up,” Newell said. “I took a lap around the track, too, and then went out there and did my best.”
The Jems also won the 4x200 relay; Lupica, Erin Keen, Tori Nawalinski and Leah Patrick easily outdistanced the field in 1:46.5, with Patrick running the anchor leg.
“That was the same order we used indoors,” Patrick said. “My favorite event is definitely the (individual) 400, but the 4x2, it’s a shame that it’s not an actual event outdoors. I love it so much.”
Patrick finished third in the 400, but was excited to compete against Abington’s Jordan Matthews, who has a track scholarship to Kansas State University.
“When I heard her name, I just knew it was going to be a fast heat,” Patrick said. “When we finished, I was, like, Jordan, ahh, I can’t believe I just ran against her. It was great.”
Another highlight for the Jems was Gina Lupica’s school record in the 100 hurdles (15.2); she finished third.

Emma Mahony said it was the best that the Villa Joseph Marie cross country team has run all season.

The Jems even earned the hardware to prove it.

Mahony finished in third place overall with a time of 19 minutes, 4.12 seconds — just three seconds ahead of fourth-place teammate Brenna Twomey.

Overall, the Jems had three finishers in the top 15 as they hoisted the AACA cross country championship’s team runner-up trophy for the first time in the event’s six-year history.

St. Basil Academy won the team championship team for the sixth straight year.

“As a team, it feels great,” said Mahony, who is no stranger to the AACA championship, having recorded the event’s sixth-best historical time (18:55.40) last year. “Brenna and I are usually out there with our individual times, but to place like this as a team means that our teammates were right there with us.

“We also had a little more confidence than usual. When the whole team is more confident, it seems like the results are more positive.”

“We felt good at the start, and even though I was a little over my goal of 19 minutes, I’m excited to help the team,” said Twomey, who is also in the event record books with last year’s 10:06.60. “It also has us feeling good as we’re preparing for districts next week.”

Villa Joseph Marie’s Stephanie Hughes came in 15th place overall with a time of 20:37.50.