CALN — If having relays exceed the sum of their parts is the goal, then perhaps no one does it as well as Upper Darby’s girls program.
The Royals have no individual girls that qualified for the state meet out of the District 1 Class 3A Championships last weekend. But they’re sending two relays, one of which is a distinct medal threat.
The 4 x 100 squad of Ovviya Lauderdale, Amy Touray, Marziah Jones and Laila Fofana qualified Saturday morning at Coatesville High School by finishing fourth in 48.29 seconds. The 4 x 400 was third in 3:52.78, quicker than that time that delivered them a state fourth-place medal last year. Lauderdale, Fofana, Tajai Powell and Kadi Golembiewski comprised that relay.
Where many effective relays teams rely on one or two top runners — maybe one specialist and another whose best distance or discipline is adjacent to that relay — Upper Darby goes about it a different way. They have exemplary balance that keeps landing them in big races.
“We all encourage each other and motivate each other, push each other to our best,” Lauderdale said. “No one has negative energy. Everything usually goes pretty smooth, and it’s very big that we’re coming back this year for states.”
The 4×4 in particular is special. The Royals were running sixth in the final heat at the midway point until Powell surged them to third on the final turn. Golembiewski was about shoulder to shoulder with the front of the back on the way to the turn, and she kept them up with winner Upper Dublin in 3:51.36 and Downingtown West in 3:51.85.
Lauderdale, Powell and Golembiewski are holdovers from the team that went 3:53.94 for fourth place at states last year. Their goal at districts was to try to push into the 3:50 realm to challenge the program record, but the 3:52 is the 10th-fastest time in the state this season.
The Royals are seeded ninth in the 4 x 100 this weekend and fourth in the 4 x 400.
“Our 4×1, the goal was to just get the baton around, make it to states,” Lauderdale said. “That was our goal. We did that. For the 4×4, the goal was the school record today. But instead we PRed, and now we’re going to states.”
The Royals six states runners will be there for relays only. Fofana, a freshman, was 11th in the 100 at districts. Powell was 13th in the 200. Golembiewski finished 10th in the 400.
With the addition of Fofana, they haven’t missed a beat this season. The Royals finished fifth in the Philadelphia Area race at Penn Relays this year. The Royals dominated the race at Delcos in 3:53.30, then found nearly another second at districts.
With sole focus on two races, they hope to achieve even more at Shippensburg on Friday and Saturday.
“We started really, really great this year,” Lauderdale said. “I feel (Powell) being a freshman, she’s doing so very great. I think when we’re all doing our best, I think that we’re all staying consistent. That’s a very big part. We’re all staying consistent, pushing each other through every hard race, and that’s really important.”