NTL TRACK & FIELD: TOWANDA GIRLS' 4X400 EDGES THEIR WAY INTO THE FINALS (2023-05-26)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
SHIPPENSBURG — Three heats of the 1600 meter relay is a long time to hold your breath, but that’s what the Towanda girls’ 4x400 did at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. Waiting on pins and needles until the final heat was posted, it came as a relief when they saw they made the finals at the eighth team out of the preliminaries.

“It’s such a weight off my back,” said Kelsea Allen-smith. “I’m so thankful. I want to thank these girls for fighting so hard today for the effort. I knew we just made it, but I’m so thankful that we did.”

The foursome of Allen-Smith, Eliza Fowler, Kelci Carle, and Anna Dunn ran 4:06.24 to take second in the first heat, beating out ninth team Trinity by .26 seconds.

They were fourth after the second heat, but when three teams in the third heat moved above them things got tight. Defending state champions Central Columbia were in the fourth heat, meaning they had to beat every other team in the group to get in.

The Blue Jays opened up a big lead to put down the fastest time of the day - 3:55.89 - and didn’t really drag any other team along with them.

“It’s so rewarding,” Fowler said. “We’ve worked all off season to get back to where we were last year. And even though we may not have run the same exact time, I still just feel so good to be here. It’s a blessing to be here, honestly, just to get to this point.”

Allen-Smith led off with a 1:01.2, taking over the first leg spot from Porschia Bennett.

“It’s very stressful getting out of the blocks,” she said. “But I know as soon as I start running I just need to run, and if there’s a girl in front of me, I need to stay in striking distance.”

She handed off to Fowler, who ran 1:00.7 seconds to hand-off in first place.

“It felt good handing off in first place,” Fowler said. “I just knew that I was doing it for my team, and I wanted to give them the best chance that they could have.”

Carle then took the baton, running 1:03.7 as a Winchester Thurston runner overtook her the final 200 meters.

“My mindset was that it was just you against the clock, and not you against the runner,” Carle said as she held down the second place spot.

She handed off to Dunn, who went after first place.

“I knew that we could keep our second place lead,” Carle said about Dunn.

The sophomore made a run for first, running a 59.65 split, but still came up short as Winchester Thurston ran 4:03.00.

This was Dunn’s third race of the day - and the second for the other two - and it had gotten plenty hot by the late afternoon.

“I think I was feeling my 400 a little bit,” she said. “But I had some time to recover between so it wasn’t that bad.”

Then came the waiting.

“We were freaking out,” remarked Dunn. “We were really nervous. We were going through all the times in our heads, and ranking everyone else just trying to see if we made it right.”

When they found out they made it the foursome burst into the tears.

This will be the second time Allen-Smith, Fowler, and Dunn have run in a state final, but it’s Carle’s first trip.

“I am so thrilled to be going,” remarked Carle.

They’ll be in lane eight for the finals, making it a tough start for them.

“I just have to keep this heart,” remarked Allen-Smith. “And if there’s a girl coming up next to me I just need to stay with her, and just run my race.”

For three of the seniors Saturday’s race will be their final in a Black Knight jersey.

“We’re just going to gut it out,” remarked Fowler. “We want it. We’re going to gut it out, and we’re going to get what we worked for.”

The same four ran 51.18 in the 4x100 relay to take 21st, while Dunn was 14th in the 400 at 1:00.15.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Towanda’s Kelci Carle hands off to teammate Anna Dunn…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING