Upper St. Clair’s Shaw takes the bronze in PIAA cross country championships
Eleanor Bailey
Claire Hoffman and Savannah Shaw
Eleanor Bailey
Savannah Shaw approaches the finish line during the Class AAA girls’ race at the WPIAL cross country championships. The Upper St. Clair senior placed second overall. During the PIAA championships, she grabbed the bronze medal.
Higher and faster has been Savannah Shaw’s motto when it comes to the PIAA cross country championships. Each year the Upper St. Clair senior has participated in the state finals, her place has been higher and her time has been faster.
During last weekend’s meet, held Nov. 4 in Hershey, Shaw capped her career with a bronze medal. She covered the course in 18:34 to finish third overall.
“Savannah delivered on the biggest stage for her last high school cross country race,” said USC coach Doug Petrick. “She is a true competitor that thrives in the spotlight. There’s a lot of pressure on an athlete when they enter the race as a known and fast commodity. Savannah is mature beyond her years in how she handles the internal and external expectations in regards to racing, and simply just runs so smart and so fast. She races intelligently with a calm mind.”
The state meet was no different. Shaw went out conservatively and chipped away at the pack. She successfully moved from fourth to third place in the last 100 meters of the race to secure the bronze.
“Running fast in the 5k distance gets extremely uncomfortable,” explained Petrock, “and Savannah demonstrated her resiliency and foot speed by digging deep at the end of the race. This year’s field in the female AAA race was loaded, which puts her outstanding finish in perspective considering that depth.”
According to assistant coach Maureen Chermak, “Savannah has set the bar high at USC.”
Young runners like Claire Hoffman and Tommy O’Brien have followed Shaw’s lead.
A freshman, Hoffman medaled. She placed 21st overall with a 19:19 time.
“Claire was amazing,” Petrick said. “In her first race at the state level, she was so calm- committing to an intelligent racing plan and not going out crazy fast at the start. She worked her way up each mile of the race, and made sure during the last loop of the course she stayed focused. Her smile was a great sign as she charged up of the final hill of the course, racing to a medal.”
Chermak said Hoffman’s medal was not surprise because of the consistency she has shown all year long. “Outstanding,” she said of the accomplishment. “We are so proud of Claire. She has a fun and successful high school running career ahead of her.”
So does O’Brien. The junior finished 76th overall. He posted a 17:01 time.
“Tommy ran a strong race,” Petrick said. “We are super excited for him, knowing that he is just a junior, and thinking about getting him back next year. He had a great season and put in the work over the summer, just a great kid and leader. Performing at states this year will set him up for big things next fall.”
South Fayette 10th
South Fayette placed 10th in the Class AA girls’ standings. It was the best PIAA finish by the Lady Lions’ cross country club.
Despite falling short of earning a medal, Maria DeCello finished 17th overall. The senior clocked in at 20:06. Sophomore Hailey Poe placed 26th. Other top finishers for the Lady Lions were: Steffanie Kozak, Delaney Parisi and Katy Allen. Emma Fleck and Emily Harasin also competed in the finals.
“We were very happy with Maria’s performance and Hailey turned in another great effort,” said SF coach Joe Winans. “Our 3-5 runners again stepped up to tighten the spread that was so influential in our winning the WPIAL. We are pleased with the girls’ finish because it’s their best showing ever.”
On the guys’ side, Sam Snodgrass finished 21nd overall. The WPIAL champion posted a 16:49 time.
Isacca Davis from Jersey Shore set the pace and won in 15:56.
“Sam went for it all,” Winans said. “Unfortunately, in doing so, the pace proved to be too much at the beginning of the race.”
Snodgrass trailed only Davis at the two-mile mark.
“In an effort to keep up with Davis, it pulled Sam a little too far out of his comfort zone,” explained Winans. “It was a bold move that earned him the respect of his peers as they congratulated him for his aggressive racing tactic but unfortunately, hindsight is always 20/20. It ended up being a strategy that we couldn’t apply over the entire race.”
Regardless, Snodgrass, says Winans, is the best runner that he has had the privilege of coaching. “So that just goes to show how strong Davis is and how much credit he deserves for his win.”
Colin Dunn and Silas Mays followed Snodgrass, finishing 29th and 101st in the individual standings.
Among The Almanac’s other top finishers were:
- From Mt. Lebanon: Patrick Anderson (22nd in 16:27) Peter Consentino (56th in 16:53), Alex Brokaw (98th in 17:11), Allison Small (43rd in 19:54), Aiofe-Ruby Dunne (142nd in 20:59). All are underclassmen.
- Antonio Burkhart. This Bethel Park sophomore was 78th in 17:01.
- Zack Marmol. This Peters Township sophomore was 94th in 17:09.
- Donavin Meriwether. This Canevin senior finished 90th in 18:10.