Abington's Morales sets mark in 400

Chris Morales longs to become Pennsylvania's premier quarter-miler.

And he just may do it.

The Abington junior's potential was on display last night at the third annual Henderson Invitational at J. Oscar Dicks Stadium.

Without being pushed, Morales won the boys' 400 meters in a meet-record time of 48.76 seconds. The previous record of 49.04 seconds was set by Owen J. Roberts' Chris Edelman in 2006.

Morales' record-setting performance is also the state's third-fastest time of the season.

"This definitely motivates me," he said. "If I can run 48 by myself, then, with Khaliff [Featherstone] and Anthony Batch and all the other kids that can keep with me, it's on."

Simon Gratz's Featherstone and Penncrest's Batch are among the favorites to win the event at the PIAA Class AAA state meet.

Morales' name could be added to the list after last night.

Attacking the first 150 meters, the 17-year-old made up the stagger on the backstretch. After extending his lead to 20 meters off the final turn, he coasted to a sizeable margin of victory.

Unionville's Evan Ulatowski finished second in 50.41, while Devon Prep's Steve Rachman placed third in 50.59.

Morales was a little disappointed that he didn't run 48.0.

"I was trying to get that time," he said. "But no one was with me."

In another event, the Methacton quartet of Ian Quinlan, Jim Swan, Mike Mansuy and Rob Morehard won the boys' 800 in a meet-record time of 8 minutes, 4.06 seconds. The foursome set the previous record of 8:09.95 last season.

Engineering and Science standout Elliot Rhodes missed the meet with a knee injury. The Germantown Academy transfer had won the boys' 800 in each of the previous two seasons.

Rhodes may have had his hands full even if he had competed.

Malvern Prep's Brian Fulton won the event in a meet record time of 1:52.77. Rhodes set the previous record of 1:52.96 last season.

The Results

BOYS

100: 1, Kemahl Franklyn Dulaney, 11.39. 2, Tom McGarrigle, Malvern Prep, 11.42. 3, Brett Blackwell, Methacton, 11.43.

200:

1, E.J. Hadrick, Norristown, 22.37. 2, Ramaan Ansley, Engineering and Science, 22.62. 3, Idris Kasumu, Springfield, 22.74.

400:

1, Chris Morales, Abington, 48.76 (breaks the meet record of 49.04 set by Owen J. Roberts' Chris Edelman in 2006). 2, Evan Ulatowski, Unionville, 50.41. 3, Steve Rachman, Devon Prep, 50.59.

800:

1, Brian Fulton, Malvern Prep, 1:52.77 (breaks the meet record of 1:52.96 set by Engineering & Science's Elliot Rhodes in 2007). 2, Joe Capecci, Council Rock North, 1:54.59. 3, J.C. Rizzo, Conestogo, 1:56.12.

1,600:

1, Greg Kareis, Red Lion, 4:16.56 (breaks the meet record of 4:19.09 set by Danbury's Parker Boudreau in 2007). 2, Dan Lowry, La Salle, 4:19.51. 3, Isaac Ortiz, Germantown Friends, 4:19.78.

Novice 1,600:

1, Adam Krause, Washington Township, 4:41.17 (breaks the meet record of 4:43.30 set by Friends Central's Ivo Milic-Strkalj in 2007). 2, Colin McCallum-Cook, Tatnall, 4:41.60. 3, Zach Musselman, Methacton, 4:42.08.

Two mile: 1, Max Kaulbach, Germantown Friends, 9:02.35. 2, Doug Smith, Gill St. Bernards, 9:06.82. 3, Mark Dennin, Boyertown, 9:14.85.

110 hurdles:

1, Austin Woodford, Downingtown East, 15.57. 2, Wallace Spencer, Malvern Prep, 15.58. 3, Pat Kennedy, Malvern Prep, 15.82.

300 hurdles:

1, Frank Buffa, Owen J. Roberts, 39.93. (breaks the meet record of 40.19 set by Bryant Mills of Church Farm School in 2007). 2, Tim Carey, Washington Township, 40.49. 3, Josh Rehrig, Upper Perkiomen, 40.90.

4x100:

1, Engineering & Science (Ramaan Ansley, Derek Ferguson, Manny Velasquez, Dwayne Hyman) 43.91. 2, Daniel Boone, 43.92. 3, Abington, 44.07. 3, Dulaney, 44.33.

4x400:

1, Norristown (Jahquil Hargrove, Kevin Sadeghipour, William Griffin-Byrd, E.J. Hadrick), 3:22.18 (breaks the meet record of 3:25.71 set by Norristown in 2007). 2, Engineering and Science, 3:25.72. 3, Conestoga, 3:26.19.

4x800:

1, Methacton (Ian Quinlan, Jim Swan, Mike Mansuy, Rob Morehard), 8:04.06. (breaks the meet record of 8:09.95 set by the Methacton foursome in 2007). 2, Downingtown East, 8:07.04. 3, Council Rock North, 8:11.19.

Javelin:

1, Eric Brittingham, Methacton, 201-10 (breaks the meet record of 171-8 set by Brittingham in 2006). 2, Lorenzo Muniz, Washington Township, 167-2. 3, Ryan Gallagher, West Chester East, 166-4.

Shot put:

1, Kwabena Keene, Washington Township, 58-9 (beaks the meet record of 55-8 set by Keene in 2007). 2, Tom Barr, La Salle, 55-0½. 3, Andrew Finley, Malvern Prep, 51-7.

Discus:

1, Blake Davenport, Kennett, 157-2. 2, Kwabena Keene, Washington Township, 152-1. 3, Ryan Gallagher, West Chester East, 145-5.

Long jump:

1, Carlton Lavong, Methacton, 23-1 (breaks the meet record of 21-8 set by Perkiomen Valley's Matt Turner in 2007). 2, Matthew Cannell, Daniel Boone, 23-0½. 3, Doug Moppert, Malvern Prep, 22-6½.

High jump:

1, Ryan Brumfield, Owen J. Roberts, 6-4. 2, Dean Melchioni, Germantown Academy, 6-2. 3, Paul Savage, Norristown, 6-2.

Triple jump:

1, Ben Ashby, Bayard Rustin, 45-71/2 (breaks the meet record of 44-21/2 set by Avon Grove's Jerrell Graveer in 2007). 2, Carlton Lavong, Methacton, 44-7. 3, Matthew Cannell, Daniel Boone, 44-11/2.

Pole vault:

1, Jimmy Lemon, Upper Perkiomen, 13-0. 2, Beau Whitman, La Salle, 13-0. 3, Seth Gorman, La Salle, 13-0.

GIRLS

100:

1, Aubrie McAlphine, Daniel Boone, 12.48. 2, Megan Wilson, Friends' Central, 12.60. 3, Kayla Lee, Bayard Rustin, 12.68.

200:

1, Shakey Ladson-Singleton, Norristown, 25.24. 2, Jackie Dim, Washington Township, 25.47. 3, Megan Wilson, Friends Central, 25.81.

400:

1, Nicole Powell, Bayard Rustin, 56.89 (breaks the meet record of 58.56 set by West Catholic's Christiana Taylor in 2006). 2, Carly Niness, Conestoga, 58.46. 3, Richelle Adams, West Chester Henderson, 58.51.

800:

1, Kacie O'Neil, Conestoga, 2:15.92. 2, Juliet Bottorff, Tatnall, 2:16.85. 3, Marta Klebe, Conestoga, 2:17.54.

1,600:

1, Juliet Bottorff, Tatnall, 4:57.41. 2, Heather Giovagnoli, Spring-Ford, 5:03.96. 3, Katie Buenaga, Tatnall, 5:05.67.

Novice 1,600:

1, Emma Sideriak, Perkiomen Valley, 5:35.53 (breaks the meet record of 5:38.35 set by Perkiomen Valley's Traci Tempone in 2007). 2, Kristina McCrea, Padua, 5:36.92. 3, Kacie O'Neil, Conestoga, 5:37.92.

3,200:

1, Traci Tempone, Perkiomen Valley, 11:24.81. 2, Celia Hanss, Downingtown West, 11:25.34. 3, Lauren Mills, Unionville, 11:27.71.

110 hurdles:

1, Lauren Terstappen, Phoenixville, 15.84. 2, Jackie Dim,Washington Township, 15.91. 3, Brittany Waters, Abington, 16.07.

300 hurdles:

1, Jackie Dim, Washington Township, 45.80 (breaks the meet record of 46.03 set by Downingtown West's Katie Brower in 2007). 2, Yahnae Weldon, Norristown, 46.39. 3, Carly Niness, Conestoga, 46.92.

4x100:

1, Norristown (Yahne Weldon, Nickol Smith, Courtney Bell, Shakeya Ladson), 49.54 (breaks the meet record of 50.16 set by Phoenixville in 2007). 2, Pottsgrove, 51.02. 3, Downingtown East, 51.36.

4x400:

1, West Chester Henderson (Kim Oakes, Susan Sanders, Jeanette Gehrig, Anne Gregory), 4:01.86. 2, Villa Maria, 4:05.33. 3, Spring-Ford, 4:06.61.

4x800:

1, Downingtown West (Laura Call, Emma Slattery, Kaitlyn Patterson, Sammi Rhood), 9:36.77 (breaks the meet record of 9:54.65 set by Villa Maria in 2007). 2, Spring-Ford, 9:59.39. 3, Dulaney, 10:02.29.

Javelin:

1, Matilda Pancoast, Unionville, 129-0 (breaks the meet record of 115-5 set by Pancoast in 2007). 2, Jess Ernst, Central Bucks West, 106-0. 3, Michelle Martin, Washington Township, 105-10.

Shot put:

1, Gabriella Rinehart, Norristown, 41-5½. 2, Alanna Owens, Bayard Rustin, 40-10. 3, Mariam Humed, Spring-Ford, 34-10.

Discus:

1, Alanna Owens, Bayard Rustin, 126-0 (breaks the meet record of 118-9 set by Owens in 2007). 2, Matilda Pancoast, Unionville, 119-4. 3, Rachel Shalamera, Villa Maria, 115-6.

Long jump:

1, Sherry Ben-Joseph, Central Bucks West, 17-01½. 2, Jenny McAvoy, Phoenixville, 17-0. 3, Amber Jack, Kennett, 17-0.

High jump:

1, Nicole Sittler, Downingtown East, 5-0. 2, Jordyn Parsons, Downingtown East, 4-10, Lauren Edeleman, Owen J. Roberts, 4-10, Khyalyani Whitaker, Pottsgrove, 4-10.

Triple jump:

1, Kristen Slack, Spring-Ford, 36-83/4. (breaks the meet record of 35-5 set by Christiana Dewitt in 2007). 2, Courtney Bell, Norristown, 36-31/2. 3, Jenny McAvoy, Phoenixville, 36-13/4.

Pole vault:

1, Alyssa Long, Downingtown East, 10-6 (breaks the meet record of 9-6 set by Mercy Academy's Laura Vernon and Avon Grove's Diane Cressman in 2006). 2, Diane Cressman, Avon Grove, 10-0. 3, Lai-Yee Ho, Spring-Ford, 9-6.

Contact staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-8029

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» READ MORE: kpompey@phillynews.com

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