As the focus shifts to the postseason and last chance District qualifying this weekend, Upper Perk track coach Clayton Mowrer savored his track teams' efforts last week in the Senior Day finale to the 2022 regular schedule. The girls were impressive in a 94-56 win, while the boys blitzed Upper Merion 101-49.

            Nineteen girls and 11 boys achieved personal records (PR) in the meet.

Upper Perkiomen's Grace Galbavy clears the bar in the  high jump.

            "I'm very happy with how they performed today," Mowrer said. "This has been a phenomenal team to coach. Not a lot of headaches."

            While only Thomas Flud, javelin, and Samantha Pedrick, pole vault, have qualified for districts, Mowrer is hoping that more will qualify at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Championships this weekend at Perkiomen Valley.

            Against Upper Merion, senior Jozi Coddington paced the Upper Perk female runners with wins in the 300m intermediate hurdles (53.82, PR) and 100m high hurdles (18.06, PR) as well as a PR 53'10 in the javelin to place fourth.

            "She had a very impressive meet," Mowrer said.

            Erin States took the discus (66'11) and javelin (91'3) while a pair of teammates, Pedrick, pole vault, and Grace Galbavy, high jump, easily captured their events.

            Pedrick, who has been vaulting for just three months, cleared the bar at 9'6. But the real story revolves around her determination to get to 11 feet in the postseason, which would better her personal best by a foot.

            "Now, I'm pretty confident in myself," Pedrick said, and she has a believer in assistant coach Mike Flack.

            "Samantha's a phenomenal athlete. You get a Samantha once in a lifetime. She's just that good of an athlete. She's got that 'it' factor," Flack said. "You have to combine speed, strength and fearlessness. And she has it all."

            Pedrick is also working out with Philadelphia Jumps Club, the same organization that developed Flack's son, Hunter, who is now pole-vaulting for Liberty University.

            Pedrick is adjusting to two new poles, six inches longer, and Flack expects that it will take at least a week for Pedrick to feel comfortable.

             Another Flack protégé, freshman Grace Galbavy, wrapped up her high jump win early and spent her last sequence of jumps trying unsuccessfully for a personal best at 5'1.

            Galbavy, a first-time trackster, whose primary sport is basketball, like Pedrick, credits Flack for her rapid adjustment to her event.

            "I'm getting height, I just need to bend my back," Galbavy said. "I can definitely jump high enough. It's simply just my form."

            "Her whole goal now is to get stronger, keep playing basketball, keep coming out for track," Flack said. "I don't see 5' 6 being out of her reach (by her senior year)."

            Other winners for Upper Perkiomen included Nadia Frydlewicz (PR in the 800m), Jade Traynor (PR in the 200m), Maren Landis (3,200), Hannah Guffey (PR in shot put), as well as the 4x400 meter (PR for Ashlyn Gatto, Frydlewicz, Abigail Conti, Coddington) and 4x800 meter (PR for Lauren Donahue, Frydlewicz, Ava Reil, Landis) relay teams.

            For the boys, Vince Durrant and Donald Miller led the way with a pair of victories each.

            Durrant took the 200m (23.51) and 400m (51.90).

            "He just started doing [the 200 and 400 meters]," Mowrer noted. "Early on he was just doing 100 and jumps. He's really come on strong learning what he needs to do."

            Miller won the 1,600m (4:48.13) and 3,200m (10:38.13).

            Dan Carpenter took the pole vault with an 11'6 and then tried for more.

            "Dan went for 12'1 today and just missed it," Flack said. "He's jumping great."

            Other Upper Perk victors included Eric Romanowski (shot put), Christopher Shup (discus), Flud (javelin), and Diego Peguero (high jump). The 4x100m (PR for Roy Cobb, Cooper Schwartz, Zach Schwartz, Peyton Mealing), 4x400m (Hunter Adelsburger, Tommy Fehnel, Mateo Schneidt, Durrant) and the 4x800m (PR for Adelsburger, Miller, Fehnel, William Daub) relays were also winners.

            Mowrer is very pleased with the current and future state of the track program.

            "We've got a lot of young, talented girls which is phenomenal," said Mowrer,                "We've got a lot of really, really good junior boys which is great for next year. The future looks good."