Wanamaker leads Girls High to title

Jasmine Wanamaker had a case of "good nerves."

According to the Girls High sprinter, the definition of "good nerves" is when a runner is nervous before a track meet.

"I wasn't scared," she said. "I was nervous. To be scared is something else. And plus, it's a good thing to be nervous. If I'm not nervous, then something is wrong."

Nothing was wrong with the sophomore at yesterday's District 12 Class AAA championships.

After dealing with the pre-meet butterflies, Wanamaker took individual titles in the 200 meters, 300 hurdles and 400 run at Northeast. She also ran the anchor leg on Girls' winning 4x400 relay.

Her effort helped her team conclude the three-day meet with its first district title.

A runaway winner, Girls finished with 160 points. Central was second with 107.5, while Simon Gratz, with 60, rounded out the top three.

On the boys' side, Simon Gratz (96) nabbed its second consecutive district crown. Central (82) was second, followed by Martin Luther King.

While the Gratz repeat was impressive, Wanamaker was by far the star of the meet.

She began by winning the 300 hurdles with a time of 47.49 seconds. It was just her third time running in the event.

"I was nervous because of that," said Wanamaker, still trying to get her steps in between the hurdles down. "The last time I ran it, I didn't finish the race."

But after winning the hurdles, her nervousness quickly turned into confidence. Wanamaker knew as long as she did her best, good things would continue to happen.

And they did.

After posting winning times of 59.04 in the 400 and 25.33 in the 200, she brought her team from third to first in the 4x400.

Wanamaker got the baton behind Central's Nicole Reaves and Gratz' Muniyra Davis. She moved into second place after passing Reaves on the first turn. Wanamaker then passed and ran away from Davis after coming off the last turn.

As a result, the Girls quartet of Latifah Porter, Janee Douglas, Jordan Muse and Wanamaker finished first in 4 minutes, 11.45 seconds. Gratz (4:12.61) was the runner-up.

Following that race, several Girls runners openly celebrated their team title in the stands. Several rows over, Ben Franklin's Jasmine Russ displayed a similar joy.

Russ and teammates Brooke White, Shakira Garner and BriAnna Cropps-Hawkins won the girls' 4x100 in 49.03.

"I prayed so many times" before the race, said Russ, who also won the 100 in 12.04. "I asked God to bless us. Please let have good handoffs, no injuries, everything. I just kept praising him."

That's because a year ago, Russ, while running the second leg, pulled her hamstring in the 4x100 final. As a result, the Electrons were unable to finish the race and failed to qualify for the state meet. It was a heartbreaking moment for one of the state's top relay teams.

"I'm real happy," Russ said of yesterday's victory. "I'm just real thankful that we did it."

The top two individuals in each event automatically qualify for the PIAA state championships on May 25-26 at Shippensburg University.

The competitors with the 12 best overall performances in yesterday's meet and Thursday's District 12 Class AA championships will compete in the Public League championships on Friday at Northeast.

The Results

(State qualifying marks in parentheses, winners automatically for the state meet, plus the top eight finishers if they reach the state qualifying mark.)

Class AAA GIRLS

Team scoring: Girls High; 160; Central, 107.5; Simon Gratz, 60; Ben Franklin, 50.5; Northeast, 45; Germantown, 33; Martin Luther King, 33; Dobbins, 29; Edison-Fariera, 22.5; West Philadelphia, 19; University City, 11.5; William Penn, 8; Frankford, 4; Abraham Lincoln, 3.

4x800 (9:35.48): 1, Girls High (Janee Douglas, Candice German, Tracey Pinkston, Krystal Roseboro), 10:26.16. 2, Dobbins, 10:30.00. 3, Simon Gratz, 10:30.01.

300 hurdles (46.60): 1, Jasmine Wanamaker, Girls High, 47.49. 2, Maya Malcolm, Germantown, 48.47. 3, Zuri Stone, Central, 48.48

100 (12.70): 1, Jasmine Russ, Ben Franklin, 12.04. 2, Saqenda Dallas, Girls High, 12.37. 3, Shaniya Richardson, Simon Gratz, 12.44.

1,600 (5:13.37): 1, Pam Alva, Northeast, 5:28.04. Mary Morgan, Central, 5:33.65. Reyna Kratchman, Central, 5:35.48.

400 (58:72): 1, Jasmine Wanamaker, Girls High, 59.04. 2, Dashana Hightower, Martin Luther King, 59.56. Latifah Porter, Girls High, 59.97.

4x100 (51.39): 1, Ben Franklin, (Brooke White, Shakira Garner, BiAnna Cropps-Hawkins, Jasmine Russ) 49.03. 2, Central, 50.48. 3, Girls High, 50.97.

100 hurdles (15.65): 1, Gabrielle Gaines, Girls High, 16.27. 2, Persha Lane, Simon Gratz, 16.51. 3, Maya Malcolm, Germantown, 17.76.

800 (2:18.47): 1, June Cain, Martin Luther King, 2:30.39. 2, Ketsia Dornevil, Dobbins, 2:32.81. 3, Janee Douglas, Girls High, 2:32.86.

200 (26.09): 1, Jasmine Wanamaker, Girls High, 25.33. 2, Shaniya Richardson, Simon Gratz, 25.68. 3, Shakira Garner, Ben Franklin, 25.88.

3,200 (11:16.60): 1, Reyna Kratchman, Central, 12:11.29. 2, Pam Alva, Northeast, 12:32.00. 3, Mary Morgan, Central, 12:35.76.

4x400 (4:03.10): 1, Girls High (Janee Douglass, Jordan Muse, Latifah Porter, Jasmine Wanamaker), 4:11.45. 2, Simon Gratz, 4:12.61. 3, Central, 4:13.16.

Class AAA BOYS

Team scoring: Simon Gratz, 96; Central, 82; Martin Luther King, 55; Northeast, 51.6; Swenson, 49; Dobbins, 44.16; Edison-Fariera, 34; George Washington, 28.16; Ben Franklin, 24; Overbrook, 21.5; William Penn, 21; Abraham Lincoln, 18.16; Frankford, 18.16; Olney 12.16; West Philadelphia, 10; University City, 8; Germantown, 8; Roxborough, 2.

4x800 (8:02.04): 1, Martin Luther King (Jaleel Rogers, Jonathan Charles, Alex Holland, Ashton Butts), 8:35.59. 2, Dobbins, 8:39.65. 3, Simon Gratz, 8:51.60.

300 hurdles (39.80): 1, Frank Wainwright, Simon Gratz, 39.40. 2, James Reid, Swenson, 39.59. 3, Jason McKenzie, Overbrook, 41.48.

100 (11.19): 1, Kendall Coleman, Martin Luther King, 11.13. 2, William White, Martin Luther King, 11.26. 3, Anthony Walker, Dobbins, 11.38.

1,600 (4:24.22): 1, Alex Bernier, Edison-Fariera, 4:39.64. 2, Jeff Kinkaid, Central, 4:47.25. 3, Mick Bursack, Central, 4;55.31.

400 (50.09): 1, Khaliff Featherstone, Simon Gratz, 48.08. 2, Tyrell Moon, Swenson, 49.38. 3, John Kennedy, Central, 49.43.

4x100 (43.53): 1, Martin Luther King (Alex Holland, Kendall Coleman, William White, Michael Burnes), 43.67. 2, Abraham Lincoln, 44.04. 3, Northeast, 44.62.

110 hurdles (15.23): 1, James Reid, Swenson, 15.21. 2, Frank Wainwright, Simon Gratz, 15.87. 3, Robert Williams, George Washington, 16.83.

800 (1:57.32): 1, Khaliff Featherstone, Simon Gratz, 2:05.77. 2, Jihad Allen-Bey, Simon Gratz, 2:06. 24. 3, Mick Bursack, Central, 2:08.68.

200 (22.64): 1, John Kennedy, Central, 22.49. 2, William White, Martin Luther King, 22.50. 3, Anthony Walker, Dobbins, 22.66.

3,200 (9:35.36): 1, Alex Bernier, Edison-Fariera, 10:33.41. 2, Jeff Kinkaid, Central, 10:37.23. 3, Isaac Siebu, Germantown, 11:42.67.

4x400 (3:24.30): 1, Simon Gratz (Jihad Allen-Bey, Jonathan Williams, Frank Wainwright, Khaliff Featherstone), 3:26.38. 2, Dobbins, 3:27.38. 3, Swenson, 3:30.00.