‘No Show’ relay ruling against Chester deprives Damira Allen of chance for hurdles gold

SHIPPENSBURG — Damira Allen set the top time in qualifying of the girls 100-meter hurdles on Friday at the PIAA Track and Field Championships. But the Chester junior wasn’t at the starting line Saturday to chase a third straight medal and first gold.

Allen was disqualified from the meet due to the Chester girls no-showing their 4 x 400 relay Friday.

Teammate JaNasia Dearry suffered an apparent injury in the girls 400-meter dash. She finished 18th in that event, her time of 57.72 nearly three seconds off her best. Dearry had been third in the event last year and sixth at states in 2023.

As a result, Dearry scratched the 200. Chester also scrubbed its girls 4 x 400 relay, which included Dearry and Allen. The Clippers, per PIAA officials, listed two alternates on their relay card and had one present in Shippensburg but did not run. As a result, it was registered as a no-show rather than an injury/illness scratch, leading to the disqualification from the rest of the meet for anyone on the card, with Allen as the only individual qualifier other than Dearry.

The PIAA is a no-scratch meet, with a pre-meet deadline for event alterations. Should an injury or illness occur, per its bylaws, the PIAA can make accommodations. However, “if a relay team is scratched for a reason other than injury or illness, and the relay no longer has four eligible contestants to compete, each remaining member of the relay team shall be scratched from the meet, as determined by the meet director.” Since the Clippers had four runners but did not run, it was deemed to be a scratch for “reason other than injury or illness.”

An appeal by Chester was denied by the PIAA meet’s jury of appeals. Chester’s athletic department did not comment on the matter.

The confusion deprived Allen a chance to chase her first PIAA gold medal. Allen had been first in qualifying at 14.02 seconds. She set the Delaware County record at 13.91 seconds at Delcos. She was third in the state each of the last two years.  Allen also qualified in sixth place in the 300 hurdles in 43.60.

The girls 100 hurdles were won by Ella Bahn of Spring Grove in 13.64 seconds Saturday. Kennett’s Aydriane Bowden was second in 14.07. Bahn won the 300 hurdles in 41.98.

Allen’s prelims times would’ve placed her second in the 100 and fifth in the 300.