Silver and bronze lining for some at WPIAL finals
The medals did not glitter in gold but they shined none the less for area athletes who secured silver and bronze medals during the WPIAL track and field championships held May 17 at Baldwin.
“It wasn’t as good as I was hoping for but it’s still exciting,” Bethel Park senior Becca Libell said, summing up the feelings of other local medalists. “Happy with the silver medal, but hopefully, it will be gold next.”
On May 25-26 at Shippensburg University, several District 7 silver and bronze medalists, will go for the gold during the PIAA track and field championships.
South Fayette had a pair of silver medalists like Libell, who finished runner-up in the pole vault.
Rachel Helbling secured the silver in the 400 meters and took third in the 200 dash.
Sam Mastro placed second to Seneca Valley’s Zach Gehm (189 feet) in the discus with a throw of 175.8. He also finished fifth in the shot put, which was won by Baldwin’s Bailey O’Malley (54 feet, 4 inches). Mike Conaboy of Bethel Park and Colby Sorsdal from Lebo took seventh and eighth places while Gehm took runner-up honors.
In relay action, Keystone Oaks finished runner-up to Aliquippa in the 4×100. The unit, which clocked a 44.12, consisted of senior Ryan Musulin, sophomore Tyler Hrivnak, junior Charles Morrow and junior Michael Daure.
SF’s foursome of Steffanie Kozak, Rachel Helbling, Anna Hunter and Delaney Parisi took third in the 4×400 relay. Avonworth/Northgate’s unit of Megan Wisniewski, Jasmine Williams, Hunter and Hayden Robinson won the race and set a new WPIAL record with a time of 3:50.99.
Silas Mays of South Fayette won the bronze in the 800 run with a 1:55.27 time.
While the top finishers and those meeting the state-qualifying standards advanced to the PIAA championships, the WPIAL awarded medals for the top eight places in each event.
Among the area’s other top finishers included:
- Kiki Thornton of Chartiers Valley, seventh in the 1,600.
- Amy Allen, a freshman from South Fayette, seventh in the 300 hurdles.
- Sarah Gilliam, a sophomore from Bethel Park, seventh in the discus.
- Rutger Randall of Keystone Oaks, seventh in the 400 dash.
- Sam Snodgrass of South Fayette, fifth and sixth in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs.
- Maria DeCello, Kathryn Kozak, Ally Lerda and Katy Allen, fourth in the 4×800 relay.