Phillips does it all for Fairfield track team
Half an hour into last week's dual meet at Hanover, Cierra Phillips ran across the Sheppard-Myers Stadium field, leaped over a fence, jogged a few more paces and leaped over another one.
She wasn't competing in some new Parkour-type track and field event. It's just the way the Fairfield sophomore manages to get to everywhere she needs to be during meets, where several events happen at the same time.
Phillips competes in the rare combination of the 100 dash, pole vault, javelin throw and 400 relay, and she won all four events that day in Hanover. She broke the school's 100 dash record with a 12.7-second sprint last week against Biglerville, and broke the school's pole vault record by vaulting 10 feet, three inches on Tuesday.
“If they would let me do at least five events, I’d do high jump too," she said. "Some of my coaches really want me to do high jump instead of javelin so I don’t have to run back and forth so much.”
About 20 minutes after her first trek, Fairfield assistant coach Phomma Phanhthy jogged across the field trying to get Phillips' attention.
"Four by one, last call," he shouted to her through the fences.
So Phillips quickly grabbed a javelin, launched one last throw, then jogged and leaped back over both fences to take her place on the track.
“It’s really tiring and stressful,” Phillips said of having to be in so many places at once. “I rely on my coaches a lot. When I was at javelin, I ran back and jumped the fence, and I was already out of breath.”
Phillips credits years of gymnastics, which she started at age 12, for her success in a variety of track and field events. She never planned to join the Knights' team, but she gave it a try after a suggestion from cross country coach Marcia Roan during a gym class.
Phillips qualified for the District 3 championships in the 100 dash, 200 dash and pole vault last spring as a freshman, and she also went as a member of the 400 relay. She leaped 10 feet in the pole vault, missing qualifying for states by six inches.
“In all honesty, when we look at a meet we can say, ‘We’ll plug her into four events, and that’s 20 points,’" Fairfield track and field coach Darwin Seiler said. “We wish she could do about eight or nine events. She’s a phenomenal athlete."
This year, Phillips shifted her primary year-round athletic focus from gymnastics to pole vaulting, and she also added the javelin to her repertoire of track and field events.
“There are a lot of commonalities between the pole vault and the javelin, it's actually not as odd a combination as people think," said Seiler, who works most closely with the Knights' throwers. "That’s what allows her to do it. It’s a lot of the same approach, you worry about your steps and where your feet are. She picked it in like two days.”
Phillips' personal best so far in the javelin throw is 96-7, about 12 feet off the District 3 qualifying standard. Her personal best in the high jump, an event she hardly even competes in, is 4-9, just two inches off the school record and district qualifying standard.
Her biggest challenge often isn't the conditions or her competition, but rather making sure she's in the right place at the right time.
“That’s probably the most difficult thing for her," Seiler said. "It’s not the physical part of it, but the mental strain of ‘I’ve got to be here, I’ve got to be there, now I’ve got to shift my focus to something different than I had my focus on before.’ That’s really indicative of being a top-notch athlete mentally as well as physically.”
Top times in the YAIAA
Here are the top winning times from YAIAA dual meets reported by the home team through meets held April 5.
Boys'
3,200 relay: 1. York Suburban, 8:35.3. 2. Eastern York, 8:37.7. 3. Gettysburg, 8:45.89.
110 hurdles: 1t. Justin Atwood, Dallastown, & Ben Rivera, New Oxford, 14.8. 3. Dominic Eyler, Red Lion, 15.4.
100: 1. Andrew Hartlaub, South Western, 10.9. 2. Tyrell Hartwell, Spring Grove, 10.91. 3. Edny Celius, Gettysburg, 11.09.
1,600: 1. Justin Culp, Spring Grove, 4:25.5. 2. Bryce Ohl, York Suburban, 4:43.2. 3. Michael Bittinger, Littlestown, 4:49.0.
400 relay: 1. Dallastown, 42.9. 2. South Western, 44.3. 3. West York, 44.6.
400: 1. Justin Tracy, Dallastown, 50.6. 2. Mason Bair, Eastern York, 52.0. 3. Nick Pitoniak, York Suburban, 52.8.
300 hurdles: 1. Justin Atwood, Dallastown, 41.2. 2. Dayne Schmelyun, South Western, 41.9. 3. Brandon Montouth, York County Tech, 42.3.
800: 1. Dan Filler, Gettysburg, 2:02.5. 2. Mason Bair, Eastern York, 2:03.5. 3. Nathan Lopez, Eastern York, 2:04.8.
200: Jackson Hornbrook, Littlestown, 22.6. 2. Isaiah Ward, Dallastown, 22.7. 3. Bry'Quan Sweeney, York County Tech, 22.8.
3,200: 1. Daniel Wood, Biglerville, 10:25.9. 2. Evan Schlosser, York County Tech, 10:36.2. 3. Peter Wagner, York Suburban, 10:40.0.
1,600 relay: 1. Dallastown, 3:30.3. 2. Red Lion, 3:34.4. 3. Dover, 3:34.9.
Shot put: 1. Joshua Zeroth, South Western, 49-3 1/4. 2. Tony Nelo, Dallastown, 47-7 3/4. 3. William Landis, York County Tech, 44-2.
Discus: 1. Luke Hoffman, West York, 152-9 (school record). 2. Joshua Zeroth, South Western, 144-5. 3. Hunter Klein, York Suburban, 131-3.
Triple jump: 1. Ravaughn Dillard, Gettysburg, 46-1. 2. Devon Hodgen, Bermudian Springs, 41-0. 3. Paul Jones, Red Lion, 40-11 1/2.
Long jump: 1. Ravaughn Dillard, Gettysburg, 22-3 (tied school record). 2. Adam Warehime, Spring Grove, 21-3. 3. Devon Hodgen, Bermudian Springs, 20-11.
High jump: 1. Noah Staub, New Oxford, 5-11. 2t. Dazhir Hughes, West York, Desmond Wigginton, Northeastern, Jonathan Osborne, Kennard-Dale, Evan Czulada, Central York, Adam Warehime, Spring Grove, & Marquise Camel, Gettysburg, 5-10.
Pole vault: 1. Greg Potter, Red Lion, 14-3. 2. Brady Glatfelter, Eastern York, 13-3. 3. Peter Smith, York Suburban, 11-6.
Javelin: 1. Ben Hurda, Biglerville, 179-7. 2. Zak Kettinger, Susquehannock, 150-5. 3. DJ Stockman, New Oxford, 148-8.
Girls’
3,200 relay: 1. Central York, 10:37.8. 2. Eastern York, 10:41.9. 3. York Suburban, 10:53.8.
100 hurdles: 1. Lynne Mooradian, South Western, 14.9. 2. Taylor Forrester, Dallastown, 15.7. 3. Zoe Stauffer, Spring Grove, 16.03
100: 1t. Teresa Pecher, Delone Catholic, & Ayanna Johnson, New Oxford, 12.1. 3. Lynne Mooradian, South Western, 12.3.
1,600: 1. Maddie McLain, Eastern York, 5:24.1. 2. Maddie Ferner, Kennard-Dale, 5:33.5. 3. Tristan Schluderberg, Red Lion, 5:44.58.
400 relay: 1. South Western, 52.2. 2. Delone Catholic, 52.3. 3. Central York, 52.6.
400: 1. Amanda Bentz, Northeastern, 1:01.58. 2. Samantha Trone, South Western, 1:02.4. 3t. Hannah Myers, Eastern York, Madyson Miller, Spring Grove, 1:02.5. 5. Heap, Central York, 1:03.5.
300 hurdles: 1. Lynne Mooradian, South Western, 45.5. 2. Taylor Forrester, Dallastown, 47.3. 3. Tiffany Small, Delone Catholic, 49.9.
800: 1. Nicole Stough, West York, 2:31.0. 2. Maddie Ferner, Kennard-Dale, 2:33.3. 3. Kate Mowery, Delone Catholic, 2:33.9.
200: 1. Evans, Central York, 26.9. 2. Kendyll Fissel, Biglerville, 27.3. 3. Samantha Trone, South Western, 27.4.
3,200: 1. Baylee Robey, Biglerville, 12:20.0. 2. Bridget Palm, Central York, 12:38.9. 3. Olivia McLain, Eastern York, 12:42.6.
1,600 relay: 1. Dallastown, 4:23.8. 2. Delone Catholic, 4:26.0. 3. Spring Grove, 4:26.1.
Shot put: 1t. Kirsten Jenkins, New Oxford, & D'Shanna Edwards, York County Tech, 35-5. 3. Morgan Taylor, York Suburban, 35-1.
Discus: 1. Jazmin Walker, South Western, 115-7. 2. Madison Kling, Red Lion, 115-6. 3. D'Shanna Edwards, York County Tech, 111-9.
Triple jump: 1. Ayanna New Oxford, 35-6. 2. Sydney Dockins, Delone Catholic, 34-8 1/2. 3. Taylor Currier, Eastern York, 33-2 3/4.
Long jump: 1. Ayanna Johnson, New Oxford, 17-7. 2. Hannah Logue, Fairfield, 16-0. 3. Taylor Forrester, Dallastown, 15-10 ½
High jump: 1. Kayla Brooks, South Western, 5-2. 2. Kyrstin Evans, York County Tech, 5-1. 3t. Madelyn Whitney, York Suburban, Taylor Geiman, South Western, & Lauren Corbitt, York County Tech, 4-10.
Pole vault: 1. Alexis Baublitz, Central York, 11-0. 2. Nathalie Elliott, Spring Grove, 10-6. 3. Rachel Groden, New Oxford, 10-0.
Javelin: 1. Lillian Cook, Dallastown, 128-10. 2. Madi Smith, New Oxford, 124-7. 3. Maura DeReamer, Eastern York, 118-8.