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WPIAL harriers prepare for invitationals

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 7 min read
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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Pat Anderson is one of the top returning harriers in the WPIAL. The Mt. Lebanon junior finished fourth in last year’s district championships and 22nd overall in the state.

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Hailey Poe captains South Fayette as the girls attempt to defend their WPIAL title in cross country this fall.

The WPIAL championships may seem a long way off but cross country fans will get an early glimpse of the top competition and the new course when two key invitational meets will be held within the upcoming weeks.

California University of Pennsylvania will host its annual invitational on Sept. 1. The college campus is the site of this year’s district championships set for Oct. 25. In the past, the WPIAL held its state-qualifying meet at Cooper’s Lake Campground.

“Since WPIALs will be held there now, Cal U. is now a bigger meet,” said USC cross-country coach Doug Petrick. “More teams will be participating.”

So far 20 Class A and AA clubs are committed to competing at Cal U. while 12 so far will represent Class AAA, including area schools such as Bethel Park, Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, South Fayette and USC. High school races begin at 10:20 a.m. Middle school teams run at 9 and 9:40 a.m. while collegiate clubs compete at 1 and 1:30 p.m.

The following week, on Sept. 8, Schenley Park will be the site for the annual Red, White and Blue Meet. The invitational not only attracts the top contenders in the district but the state as teams from outside the WPIAL typically participate.

While area teams officially opened camp this week, some runners to watch this fall polished off their summer training with strong performances.

For example, Elias Zajicek finished second at the annual Brookline Breeze. The Chartiers Valley senior clocked a time of 18:06 in the 5-kilometer race. The 18-year-old harrier is not the only Colt to watch this fall.

In addition to Zajicek, CV head coach Lori Poe anticipates Shorya Kohli and Issac Vance to provide experience as they are her top returning guys.

“Those three have been working hard over the summer and look to make big improvements on where they finished last season,” she said.

She noted that her boys’ squad was hit hard by graduation the past few years so the team is smaller than normal.

“But, we have a lot of developing talent,” she said. “Ideally as a team we want to build on what previous teams have done and continue to fight hard in our section.”

On the girls’ side, Kiki Thornton is the top returner for the Colts. She had a top 15 finish at last year’s WPIAL championships and qualified for the PIAA championships. She took second in her age group and placed 46th overall at the Brookline Breeze with a 21:49 time.

“Kiki also had a great spring track season,” said Poe, noting her seventh-place showing in the mile. “We look to her to top her place at WPIAL’s from last year.”

After Thornton, Grace Struna and Alyssa Dunn, rounded out the CV girls’ top 5 at WPIALs last year. So losing two girls to graduation, puts them as key returners for the team, says Poe.

“I think our girls team has a lot of talent but will need our younger runners and new recruits to step up in team competition to round out our top seven,” Poe added.

SF girls to watch

The South Fayette girls are the team to watch. The Lions captured the Class AA team title in 2017.

“They are excited about defending their WPIAL championship,” said head coach Joe Winans.

Hailey Poe will be a strong front-runner for the Lions. She has grown into a “tremendous leader,” Winans said. The junior placed 11th at last year’s WPIAL finals and 26th at last year’s PIAA championships.

Junior Steff Kozak also helped the Lions post their strong showing at districts and states last year. The junior finished 25th overall at the WPIAL championships.

Joining Poe and Kozak as the Lions attempt to repeat as champions will be sophomores Delaney Parisi and Emma Fleck. Gabby Baiano leads a strong list of newcomers.

“We’ve added a nice group of freshmen,” Winans said, “and Gabby looks like she can make an immediate impact.”

In addition, the Lions have added depth to their roster. They have brought in a handful of team members from other sports, including sophomore Baylee Carpenter and junior Peyton Yater.

Meanwhile, after losing a large senior class, including WPIAL champion Sam Snodgrass, the SF lions are looking to find their “identity.”

Zach Conner is the key newcomer. The junior ran track last season and decided to compete in cross country instead of football.

Aaron Skerbetz follows Conner closely. According to Winans, the sophomore has been improving steadily over the last year, where he finished 84th in the WPIAL with a 19:39 time.

AAA talent abounds

At the Class AAA level, according to Petrick, there is plenty of talent in the South Hills.

Among the individual boys to watch are:

  • Tommy O’Brien and Alex Shaw from USC. O’Brien advanced to states for cross country and Shaw “has progressed immensely” all year long.
  • Pat Anderson, Peter Cosentino and Alex Brokaw from Mt. Lebanon. All three advanced to states last year and continued to progress during the scholastic track season this spring. Anderson, Cosentino and Brokaw placed fourth, 11th and 24th respectively at last year’s WPIAL championships. Anderson finished 22nd overall at the PIAA finals while Cosentino and Brokaw followed in 56th and 98th positions.

The Lebo men finished fourth in the team standings last year. Seneca Valley, Butler and North Allegheny finished in the top three slots. The Raiders are the favorite to repeat as Class AAA champions.

“I look for them to defend their WPIAL title for the 2018 season,” Petrick said.

  • Antonio Burkhart is the top returning runner for Bethel Park. As a sophomore, he advanced to the PIAA championships with a 15th place in the district finals. He was 78th in the state.
  • Zach Marmol returns at Peters Township. He finished in the Top 100 at the PIAA championships and in 21st position at the WPIAL finals. He also had a strong spring in the distance track events.

On the female side: Claire Hoffman and Sophia Shi look to be top performers for the Panthers. Hoffman is only the second female cross country athlete to ever medal at states for USC. Shi, meanwhile, has improved all year long and is ready to keep improving, says Petrick.

Alison Small and Aoife-Ruby Dunne are Lebo’s top threats. After strong finishes at WPIAL and states last fall, they put together strong spring track seasons.

They helped the Lebo women finish seventh in the WPIAL team standings. Oakland Catholic, Fox Chapel and North Allegheny grabbed the top three spots. The Foxes are the reigning state champions in Class AAA and look to be the team to beat as they attempt to defend their title.

Additionally, Isabella Primm should help the Lebo girls. The sophomore joined the track team last spring and is now running cross country this fall. According to head coach Oscar Shutt, she should be a varsity contributor.

“We will have a large pack looking to round out our varsity squad to replace the graduated Moira Anderson and Rory Vigrass,” added Shutt of the pair that is now running in college together at John Carroll in Ohio.

NOTES: Tina Seech won the women’s masters division during the Brookline Breeze. The 57-year-old Upper St. Clair native covered the 5K course in 20:23. She finished sixth overall among all women. Lauren LaRoche won the women’s open category in 19:02.

Larry Van Dyke, 56, won the men’s masters division in 19:17 but Praveen Vulimiri, 21, won the overall race in 17:35. Van Dyke finished ninth overall.

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