Girls Track- The ‘Delco Pack’ is headed to state meet

CALN TWP. >> The Delco pack, as Strath Haven’s Jordan Brown, Haverford High’s Cecilia Katcavage and Springfield’s Symphonie Blalock like to call themselves, are headed to the PIAA Track & Field Championships as a group.

That’s only fitting since the trio of shot putters is about as close as competitors can get. They root for each other and offer one another hints on improvements.

“Our parents even call themselves the Delco pack,” Blalock said.

Jordan took third in the Class 3A shot put at the District 1 Track & Field Championships Friday at Coatesville Area High School with a heave of 38-1 ½. Katcavage was fifth (37-11 ½) and Blalock sixth (36-9 1/2).

“We were all in the second flight,” Brown said.

In any other year, Blalock would not be going to Shippensburg because only the top five finishers from District 1 automatically qualify for the state meet and she was 8 ½ inches shy of the state qualifying standard. However, because an unidentified district chose not to use one of its automatic bids, the PIAA awards that berth on a rotating basis to keep the field intact. This year it’s the District 1 girls’ turn to have the extra automatic bid.

That’s fine with Brown, Katcavage and Blalock. They are, after all, a pack.

“We cheer for each other and help each other out,” Brown said. “We’re best of friends.”

“You can hear us rooting for each other from a mile away,” Katcavage added.

This is the second straight trip to Shippensburg in the shot put for Brown and Katcavage, and the first for Blalock. Brown finished 12th a year ago, and Katcavage was 16th.

“I wanted to get to states and I’m going with friends, which is really nice,” Blalock said.

Katcavage picked up a second medal later in the afternoon with a seventh-place finish in the javelin (115-8). However, she missed qualifying for states.

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From left, Haverford’s Cecilia Katcavage, Springfield’s Symphonie Blalock and Strath Haven’s Jordan Brown, claimed three of the top six places in the Class 3A shot put at the District 1 Track & Field Championships Friday at Coatesville