The Golden Knights of West Chester Rustin utilized a total team effort to chip away at a 37-point victory for the 2023 PTFCA State Championship. Friends' Central, the 2020 and 2022 State Champs, finished second with 30 points, while Haverford Township finished third with 26.
Mount Lebanon and North Penn rounded out the Top Five teams.
The Rundown:
At the High School level, one standout on can propel you to a strong finish at the State Championship. This year, we saw that exemplified by Avery Lewis of Friends' Central. The phenom nearly beat the rest of the state by herself, scoring 30 points after winning three events and lifting Friends' Central to a second-place finish. But she couldn't beat Rustin.
What made Rustins' performance was the depth that they showed throughout the Championship. They stood on seven different event podiums and could nickel and dime their way to a State Championship.
They opened the day with a seventh-place finish in the 4x800m - running faster than they had all year, 9:36.99. The finish was crucial in establishing momentum for the team.
By all accounts - Ava Alexander was the team's heavy hitter. She scored 18 of the team's points while also participating in relays for the Golden Knights.
Watch the 400m Final above
Early in the day - she finished second in the 400m dash with an indoor personal best of 56.47. She came in as the Top Seed and executed her way to a US Top 50 Time - which is all the coaching staff could have asked for, considering her participation in many different events.
Later, she would compete in the Triple Jump. Alexander also finished second in that event, jumping 38-11.5- she is currently ranked 18th in the Nation in the Triple Jump.
But as mentioned - Alexander wasn't the team's only contributor.
Halfway through the day, Maddie Miller joined the podium party, finishing eighth in the 800m. In the stacked and loaded field, Miller maintained her composure and expertly put herself in a position to score points. She was eleventh entering the final lap - but a solid last lap helped her finish in 2:17.28.
Ellie Keefer experienced similar success. Brownsville Area's JoJo Quarzo strung the field out early in the 3K, but Keefer knew better than to put herself in a precarious position. She settled into her pace and eventually finished seventh in 10:10.83.
Rustin did some damage in the end-of-the-day relays.
Watch Rustin win Heat Five of the 4x200m
Entering the 4x200m, the team had 21 points but would need at least nine more to tie Friends' Central in the lead. They got the job done in both events, finishing second in both. The 4x200m team ran 1:43.72, while the 4x400m team ran an impressive 3:56.34.
In 2022, West Chester Rustin finished second at the State Championship. An all-around team performance led to a team title. So in some ways - this Sunday's finish must have felt like redemption.
Haverford Township received points individually from Aubrey Leneweaver and Olivia Cieslak for third place. Leneweaver won her semi-final round of the 60mH before eventually finishing second in the finals with a personal best of 8.77.
Watch the Thrilling 800m Final
Cieslak was narrowly out-leaned at the line of the 800m Championship, and she finished second to Alli DeLisi (Penn Charter) with her indoor personal best performance of 2:11.85. That time currently ranks 14th in the Nation.
The team entered the Distance Medley Relay with 16 points and scored an additional ten after a late race pass by Cieslak moved Haverford ahead of State College.
The Golden Knights of West Chester Rustin utilized a total team effort to chip away at a 37-point victory for the 2023 PTFCA State Championship. Friends' Central, the 2020 and 2022 State Champs, finished second with 30 points, while Haverford Township finished third with 26.
Mount Lebanon and North Penn rounded out the Top Five teams.
The Rundown:
At the High School level, one standout on can propel you to a strong finish at the State Championship. This year, we saw that exemplified by Avery Lewis of Friends' Central. The phenom nearly beat the rest of the state by herself, scoring 30 points after winning three events and lifting Friends' Central to a second-place finish. But she couldn't beat Rustin.
