Dash

Kingsway High won the boys' and girls' championships over 12 other teams yesterday at the Gloucester Country track and field championships. While the Kingsway boys got a mild threat from Paulsboro, the Kingsway girls had to fight off Woodbury in the last race of the day - the 1,600-meter relay - to claim their third straight county title. Both girls' teams had 43 points entering that event. While Washington Township - with a strong anchor leg from Lori Verhille - won it, Kingsway anchor Tonya Kier brought her team a second-place finish.

Some highlights from the recently completed South Jersey track and field season. The only changes in the South Jersey individual record book - Vince Labosky of Holy Cross, with a javelin throw of 229 feet, 1 inch at the Burlington County Hall of Fame Relays, was the only South Jersey track and field athlete to break a record this season. Labosky, a senior, wiped out the mark of 226-11 set by Dave Reiss of Haddon Heights in 1966. But Labosky was not the only athlete to enter the record book.

Camden senior Danyne Brown concluded what has been an outstanding indoor track season by winning two events yesterday in the 31st Annual Boys' and Girls' NJSIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Princeton's Jadwin Gym. Brown has dominated the 55-meter high hurdles all season, and he continued to do so yesterday by winning in 7.44 seconds. Blair Woodward of Scotch Plains-Fanwood finished second in 7.66. Brown, who has signed with Florida State for a track scholarship in the fall, came back to lead off the Panthers' 4X400-meter relay team that included Sean Brown, Jade Smith and John Morris.

Central Bucks East relied on its strong field-events squad - taking four first places and four seconds - to defeat visiting Pennsbury, 93-48, in a Suburban One National meet Tuesday. Patriots senior Jen Blake won the shot put with a school-record toss of 38 feet, eclipsing the 36-11 3/4 record she set last year. Blake also won the discus (103-4) and was second in the javelin (96-11). "I think Jen was a little disappointed in herself," coach Val Ehlo said. "She hit over 40 in the shot in practice, and she was hoping to get 40 in a meet.

The Harry S. Truman High School girls track team improved to 3-0 on the year after two victories at home last week. The Tigers topped North Penn, 90-51, on Tuesday and defeated Abington, 95-28, Thursday. Junior Arden Williams was the big winner in both meets for the Tigers, winning four individual first places each time out. Williams won the shot put against North Penn with a 34-10 1/4 put and against Abington with 34-3 1/2. She took the discus and long jump in both meets with a high of 99-7 coming in the discus against Abington.

Council Rock, like most other track teams early in the season, has athletes who are battling shinsplints after a winter of inactivity. But there is one athlete who has overcome that malady to break a long-standing school record. In a Suburban One League National Conference Patriot Division dual meet against host Pennsbury Tuesday, Brooke Deacon won the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 10 1/2 inches. It broke the school record set by Dottie Kiedisch in 1986. Deacon has come a long way. During the winter indoor season, she was jumping in the 15-foot range before cracking 18 feet at the Meet of Champions.

Flourtown resident Claude Hills remembers the happiest day of his life. Hills, an avid track and field fan, was competing in the 100-meter dash against Joe McClusky, a man who had captured third place in the steeplechase at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A little over 10 seconds later, Hills had defeated the former Olympic bronze medalist. "That was about the happiest day of my life," recalled Hills, 76. "I just couldn't believe it. I won't say it was my biggest win, but it was certainly my biggest thrill because I just didn't imagine beating somebody who was Olympic caliber.

Here's a switch - an athlete who is keeping her coach working after practice. While Wissahickon coach Mike Walker pushes his athletes on the track, sophomore Gina Bundy is keeping Walker busy off it. For Walker has to dig deep into his archives in search of the latest records Bundy has broken. In Thursday's home meet against Gwynedd-Mercy Academy, Bundy won the 40- yard hurdles in 5.9 seconds. The time broke the record of 6.1 shared by Upper Dublin's Jenn Walters in 1994 and North Penn's Charlette Carter in 1987.

He came home to cheering neighbors and a house decorated with flags and banners, filled inside with balloons and patriotic streamers. For Howard "Mickey" McKee, who won the gold medal in golf last week at the Special Olympics World Games in Connecticut, the homecoming Monday night was icing on the cake. "I was excited and happy when I came home," said McKee, 26, who often practices putting on neighborhood front yards with wiffle balls. "Everyone was waiting for me. " McKee played with his father, Howard, and a coach.

After the 200-meter dash, Kia Davis was just looking to find a quiet spot to have a cup of water, ice down her strained Achilles' tendon and get out of the sun. The Chester junior was exhausted after having competed in four events in a span of 2 1/2 hours. But, with her mother, Dinetta; stepbrother Kareem Sharpe, and cousins Clarence Blackwell and Vincent Blackwell cheering her on, Davis did not disappoint as she took two gold medals and two bronze medals to lead the Lady Clippers to a second-place finish at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg Saturday.