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Runners ready for WPIAL cross country championships

By Eleanor Bailey Sports Editor Ebailey@thealmanac.Net 6 min read
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Leboharrier
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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter PeterþÄôs TownshipþÄôs Zack Marmol wins the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet boys varsity devision ahead of Canon MacþÄôs Josiah Wudkwych with a time of 16:38:16

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Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter Girls varisty runners in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet make their way up a hill during the race

The moment high school harriers have awaited has arrived. The WPIAL cross country championships are set for Oct. 26 at Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock.

“The WPIAL meet is the most exciting part of the fall,” said Mt. Lebanon girls’ coach Oscar Shutt. “It’s what we’ve been getting ready for all season.”

“It’s special,” added South Fayette skipper Joe Winans, “because you have the ability to accomplish something that you might not have been able to do all season long and since it comes down to one race on one day, anything can happen. It definitely makes for an exciting day. Nothing is guaranteed.”

The smart money, however, is on the runners from the South Hills. Individually, Sam Snodgrass from South Fayette and Savannah Shaw from Upper St. Clair are the favorites to capture the individual titles in boys’ Class AA and girls’ Class AAA respectively.

Meanwhile, Lebo is expected to battle Seneca Valley and North Allegheny for the Class AAA men’s crown. The Blue Devils (89) finished runner-up to the Raiders (71) at the Slippery Rock Mack Cooper Invitational on Oct. 14 held at Cooper’s Lake. NA took third with a 139 score.

Snodgrass finished third overall (16:19) behind Class AAA runners Noah Beveridge from Butler and Sam Owori from Seneca Valley. Lebo’s Patrick Anderson finished fifth, behind NA’s Dan McGoey.

“The South Hills is at a definite advantage as we roll into the WPIALs as all the teams are so talented,” said USC coach Doug Petrick. “South Hills running is really competitive and teams run in those types of settings-hilly, flat, dirt, grass, mud-that the finals feature. There’s no easy week in section action and that really helps out as we enter this championship.”

USC is coming off a strong showing in the Mingo Classic. In the final prep for the district finals, held Oct. 19, the Lady Panthers won the title while the boys lost the title by a slim margin, one point, to Chartiers Valley.

Shaw, who has been the top finisher in every major meet in which she has participated including the Mingo Classic, captained the Lady Panthers to a section title. USC also snapped the Lebo ladies’ streak of 82 consecutive section victories. The Blue Devils were runners-up with a 7-1 record to the undefeated Panthers.

“Savannah has been fantastic as a leader and athlete all season long,” Petrick said.

Freshman Claire Hoffman is USC’s No. 2 harrier. Lauren Hart, Nicole Naumann, Sophia shi, Carly Abraham, Steph Grunwald, Emily Rhodes and Lydia Lucas have also been strong and have taken turns making the score sheet for the Panthers.

Tommy O’Brien (16:46.77) leads the USC boys. He took third at the Mingo Classic, behind Chartiers Valley’s duo of Czar Tarr (16:02.47) and Mark Golebiewski (16:38.62)

Alex Shaw, Matt Higgs, Ethan Mann, Mike Gallagher and Kasey Turner have put in the work each week to make sure the Panthers reach their goals. Ryan Sarkett and Josephy Markovitz have blended well into the mix.

“The girls have been very focused and they have their sights set on performing their best at the WPIAL championships,” said Petrick. “The boys have pushed the program forward. Our guys strive on racing.

“Getting a chance to race against top competition in the South Hills gives us an advantage that other areas may not have. There are so many fast runners here, and they deliver and they will be poised for big things at WPIALs.”

Snodgrass is among the fastest runners in any classification and he’s poised to challenge for the Class AA title while Zack Marmol of Peters Township is expected to battle for a top spot in the Class AAA after winning the Washington County Coaches Meet in 16:38.16.

Following a trend of not racing the week prior to the WPIALs, Snodgrass did not run in the Mingo Classic, where his team took third place overall. Drew Whiteside, Gavin Parisi, Trevor Kulenich, Drake Simpson and Ryan Ging led the Lions, who also did not race their top seven male and female runners. Top females at Mingo included Lexi Palmer, Ally Lerda, Elise Kraeuter and Emma Paris.

“We hope that Sam will be able to continue his journey this year with a WPIAL individual championship,” Winans said. “He has been running well all season and has prepared for this race physically and mentally.”

All the runners must be prepared for some alterations as the WPIAL modified the course due to parking constraints. “It will be very interesting,” Winans emphasized to see how the changes affect the course and how the runners respond to them.

To date, the Lebo ladies have responded. After their 7-1 showing in the section, they have continued to round into form.

Junior Aoife-Ruby Dunne and sophomore Allison Small crossed the line side by side at the Legends Meet in Ohio and again at the Mac Cooper Invitational last weekend. Small qualified for the state meet last year and Dunne missed by just two places.

“They have teamed up to be very successful this fall,” Shutt said.

Sophomore Patrice Smith, who has recovered from ankle and knee issues from a basketball injury, follows right behind Dunne and Small. Senior Rory Vigrass had a great summer of training but has dealt with some injury setbacks this fall that have hindered her racing. Senior Moira Anderson has been very solid and stepped up throughout the season, especially as some of the others were not at 100%. Sophomores Elizabeth Teufel, Grace Kalapos, and Hannah Sabram round out the varsity team.

“We are looking forward to WPIALs and we are also looking to see how well teams like USC do, too. Coach Petrick’s group has had an amazing fall and it will be interesting to see how they do at WPIALS.”

According to Petrick, that type of camaraderie is great for the sport and each year, the WPIAL meet presents chances for all participants. “There is so much positivity out there,” he said. “The WPIALs are an opportunity to take a step forward and evolve as a team. Evolving and improving, regardless of individual ability level, is what this sport is really all about.

“Cooper’s Lake is the ideal venue for racing,” he continued. “The course is fast and lots of spectators show up to watch. You can’t help but love the fan support. It’s special for the runners. As coaches and fans, it’s fun to watch the best in the district compete for those tickets to Hershey.”

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