USC, Mt. Lebanon produce winners at Baldwin Invitational
The 44th edition of the Baldwin Invitational definitely lived up to the tradition of great performances in the field and on the track.
It was a chance to see elite talent like Jordan Geist of Knoch Area continue his assault on the shot put and discus record books. Issac Elliot of Ambridge Area put on a sprint clinic, winning the 100- and 400-meter dashes.
South Hills athletes held their own with plenty of prized performances.
For example, Savannah Shaw of Upper St. Clair submitted a stellar performance in the women’s “McKinney Mile.” This race is a true mile in distance, 1609 meters on the track, slightly over four laps. The field featured a Who’s Who of WPIAL female distance runners.
“Getting a chance to run that race at that venue with those competitors is truly special,” USC coach Doug Petrick said.
Shaw won the race in convincing fashion with more than six-second margin of victory. During her last lap, Shaw put the jets on to secure the win.
“She continued her progression as a phenomenal racer,” Petrick said. “She has a great mix of speed and endurance, and an amazing kick.”
“Savannah ran a really smart race to win the McKinney Mile decisively,” Mt. Lebanon coach Oscar Schutt said.
Shaw’s time of 4:47.70 for a mile converts to a 4:55.97 in the 1600-meter distance. That mark pushed her to No. 1 all-time in the USC record books for the race. She also medaled in the 800-meter run, earning a seventh place medal, and running a PR for the season in the event.
Harvey Kane broke his own USC record in the long jump. He continued to be the only USC long jumper to hit 23 feet by reaching 23 feet, 1 inch in the event. This mark was strong enough to earn a second place medal at Baldwin. In the high jump, Harvey captured a sixth place medal, obtaining 6 feet, 1 inch.
Harvey had a busy day as he also pitched in on the 4×100 relay and the 400 meter dash. It’s been a busy few weeks for Harvey as he recently competed in the prestigious Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track and filed competition in the United States.
“Harvey’s experience at the Penn Relays last weekend definitely has given him perspective on track and field outside of the South Hills,” Petrick said.
Noting there were two other athletes at Baldwin that long jumped over 23 feet, Petrick added it was exciting to have Harvey as a part of that special group.
“He’s such a versatile athlete and big talent,” Petrick said.
While Jane Masdon (fifth in the 200 dash) and Victor Dubbs (eighth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles) also performed well for USC, Mt. Lebanon’s big talent included Molly Mangan and Mason Ventrone.
Mangan won the 300 hurdles and anchored the 4×400 relay to victory. The unit also included: Margot de Abreu, Jane Chavez and Patrice Smith. Mangan also anchored the 4×100 relay to a bronze medal. The unit also included: Katie Ward Flynn Begor and Jane Chavez. The 4×800 relay of Rory Vigrass, Moira Anderson, Smith and Aoife-Ruby Dunne secured seventh place.
A freshman, Ventrone won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 5 inches.
Other individual top performances from area participants included: seconds by South Fayette’s Rachel Helbling in the 400 dash and Aaron Pfeil in the 1,600 run as well as bronze-medal efforts from James Krandel of Bethel Park in the 100 dash, Aaron Tate of Chartiers Valley in the high hurdles and Amanda Oliver of South Fayette in the 200 dash.
Area athletes will travel to West Mifflin for the “Last Chance Invites.” Since the WPIAL changed the process to qualify for the individual championships to be held May 18 at Baldwin, this is a great development meet for those trying to crack the top 24 in AAA or simply improve upon their marks, Petrick said.
As athletes head into another trip to Baldwin for the individual finals, Petrick said, “they are excited about the chance to represent the South Hills at the event. This is the next step on the road to states. We feel great about our progress so far. Our kids our amped to make that next step,” he said.
The PIAA championships will be held May 26-27 in Shippensburg.