Upper St. Clair runner qualifies for nationals
Savannah Shaw with Jon Petrick and her coach Doug Petrick.
Savannah and Alex Shaw
Just like the Al Jolson theme song from the Broadway musical “Bombo,” California, here Savannah Shaw comes. Right back where the Upper St. Clair High School senior started from.
A Golden State native, Shaw is homeward bound after she crossed the finish line at the Foot Locker Cross Country Northeast Regional in sixth place with a time of 18:14.7 and qualified for the national championships set for Dec. 9 in San Diego.
“I’m so excited to get a chance to be back in Southern California,” said Shaw, who was born in Los Angeles some 17 years ago. “I really enjoy the area. I love big cities and beaches so it’s the best of both worlds.”
Not only that, Shaw will get to do what she does best. Race.
“It is an amazing opportunity,” she acknowledged. “I get to run against the best girls in the nation. It’s a cool way to end my high school cross country career.”
Expect Shaw to put on a strong finish. Her “spectacular” kick in the last 600 meters of her last race enabled her to move up well beyond the Top 10 in the regional. In fact, she was positioned as low as 30th after the first mile. After two miles, she broke into the lead pack, positioned as high as eighth place before she made her move.
She described the race as “strategically challenging” since the beginning was fast with the first mile over an open grass field through the vaunted VanCortlandt Park in Bronx, N.Y. The course gained elevation over the second mile but Shaw pushed through that.
“I started off conservative but began to make my move up to the front,” she said.
Shaw noted that what really got her into the top 10 was her “work in the forest,” which was the majority of the race, she said as she picked off the 24 runners ahead of her.
Because this was her second time participating in the event, which conducts a series of races throughout the park from open divisions to grade-specific runs, all the way up to the championships, Shaw’s coach expected a better performance than last year’s 35th showing.
“She got her second crack at the girls’ championships and did very well against a strong field,” Doug Petrick said.
“Savannah ran an intelligent race plan, worked her way through the pack, came out of the woods in a good position and, unleashed her deadly kick,” Petrick noted.
During the fall season, Shaw indeed kicked the competition. She captured first in nearly every invitational entered. She secured runner-up honors at the WPIAL finals and took third at the PIAA championships. She also earned All-State acclaim, the only runner from USC to secure that honor.
With her showing in New York, Shaw also achieved another milestone as no Panther has ever advanced to the nationals.
Shaw would like to put an exclamation point on that accomplishment. She said that she is aiming for a Top 20 finish.
“No matter what happens,” she said. “I’m excited to be there.”
Petrick is equally thrilled for his protégé to represent USC and the region.
“It’s hard to put into words how excited we are for her,” Petrick said. “She’s so talented, and deserves each bit of success she earns. I get goose bumps watching her finish and punch a ticket to nationals. It was not surprising, but surreal to see it happen.”
Meanwhile, Alex Shaw, Savannah’s younger brother, finished 62nd overall in the 9-10 grade division during the Foot Locker Regional. The sophomore clocked in at 18:57.
“The future bodes well for him,” Petrick said. “With continued work, he will progress and be ready for big things.”