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When the Archdiocese of Philadelphia considered closing West Catholic High School last year, Todd Townsend immediately sought potential new institutions to further his academic and athletic promise.
The entity would spare the facility, but opportunities to excel at Ss. Neumann-Goretti High School, 1736 S. 10th St., proved so alluring he chose to transfer. He hopes to tout that cherished decision even more next weekend when he participates in three events at the 119th Penn Relays taking place at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field.
“I definitely came here to be a leader,” the 18-year-old senior track star said last week at his East Passyunk Crossing secondary education site. “Many schools looked for me to join them, but I just felt I could thrive the most here.”
The Collingdale resident has enjoyed the new setting in part because it has kept him in close contact with his father, Lincoln Townsend, the Saints track and field coach, who likewise guided the teenager at West.
“It’s great to have his input and support from my mom, Joenette, who helped him to start the Delco Stallions,” the young adult said of the Amateur Athletic Union club he competes for in the summer.
Having guided his competitive maturation for 13 years, the patriarch can take credit for Townsend’s initial interest in distance running but must defer to another for his son’s current obsession, hurdles.
“I had never thought about trying them,” the younger Townsend said of a friend’s suggestion to add another chore to his legs’ labors. “When I began to, I found I had to get accustomed to more technical aspects, with form being first.”
He had favored the longer endurance tests because they gave him chances to “duke it out” mentally with his competitors, yet the instant lure of hurdling led him to become a gravity defier. He began his acclimatization by racing the 200-meters before settling on the 60-, 110-, 300- and 400-meter journeys. His April 10 acceptance into the Penn Relays, the nation’s oldest and largest track and field competition, gave him yet another accolade in his farewell high school campaign.
In February’s Philadelphia Catholic Indoor Championships at Lehigh University, he claimed second place in the 200-meter dash and broke his own parochial record to secure the 60-meter title. Competing in the same events at Feb. 23’s Penn State University-situated Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association State Championships, he registered seventh- and third-place finishes, respectively, before turning his attention to the outdoor season. The latter has proven equally invigorating, as March 30’s Pennsylvania Track Classic at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School brought him top honors in the 110-meter hurdles and a second-place commendation in his 300-meter assignment.
“I’m very happy my commitment has helped me to produce solid times,” Townsend, who in his second Penn Relays will compete in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4×100 and 4×400 races, said of his thus far stellar swan song. “I feel stronger now than at any point in the year, so when we’re there, I plan on winning.”
Triumphing has become customary but never arrogance-inducing for the Delaware County dweller, who last month received placement on numerous all-state squads. Having taken up hurdling roughly four years ago, he has used the discipline as a metaphor for overcoming adversity, which has done its best to hamper his hopes. A rich football and track and field history helped West to win his services, with the gridiron occupying him for one season. His freshman year running efforts experienced a setback because of a torn hip flexor, though the injury intensified rather than drained his motivation.
“I really exploded my sophomore year,” he said of a stretch that yielded first-place kudos in the 300-meter hurdles and second-place laurels in the 110-meter challenge at the Catholic League championships and a sweep of those distances at the District 12 PIAA championships and the state competition. “Being on big stages helped to give me a great amount of perspective, too.”
He fraternized with other greats at the 2011 AAU Junior Olympics in New Orleans ahead of his junior year and made that penultimate season of high school eligibility another medal- and pride-bearing span, winning the Catholic League’s 60-meter indoor hurdles and finishing fifth in the state pageant. A hamstring issue affected his outdoor season, but he still scooped up honors in the Catholic League’s and District 12’s 110- and 300-meter tasks, setting records in each, and crossed the line first and third in the state contest’s same lengths. He also gave Neumann-Goretti a taste of his tenacity last summer by notching a third-place Junior Olympics 100-meter hurdles commendation in Humble, Texas.
“I’ve never been naturally speedy and do my best to work on my starts, especially with the competitions left,” Townsend said.
No matter how the Saints fare in their 4×100 endeavor April 26, his day will be celebratory, as he will sign with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
“The coaching staff really stood out, as well as a chance to contribute early on,” he said of selecting the Tar-Heel-State school from many suitors. “I’m very excited to learn from them.”
Townsend might major in criminal justice to further his desire to be a FBI employee, but before the novelty of college life commences, he will further investigate his ambition at next week’s races and next month’s parochial championships.
“I’m fortunate to have chances to compete,” he said, “so I always expect to make the most of them.”
Contact Staff Writer Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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