Mental toughness key for Mangan
Shear athletic ability did not win Molly Mangan a WPIAL title. No, the Mt. Lebanon junior captured gold in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles on pure psyche.
“Definitely, my mind set was the difference between myself and the rest of the field,” she said.
Throughout the race, Mangan reminded herself that she could do this. She just needed to keep pushing through each obstacle.
“The 300 hurdles is a mind game,” she explained. “Even if you are a great runner, if you go at it, afraid of the hurdles, you are going to be holding yourself back. So just conquering the hurdles, the mental aspect of that is what put me ahead.”
Of course, Mangan did a little training, too. Her workouts and her races against elite competition, such as in the prestigious Penn Relays back in late April, enabled Mangan to top the competition. Mangan finished first in 43.21 while Macey Crawford of Oakland Catholic and Emily Brozeski of Norwin finished in a distance second and third with times over 45 seconds.
“It’s all been built on hard work,” Mangan said. “I’ve been working really hard at the hurdles with my coach and my other teammates and it just came to fruition. They’ve really made it possible for me to be here saying that I’m a WPIAL champion.”
Mangan also scored both a personal record as well as shattered the school mark with her showing in the race.
“We are really pleased that Molly PRed and broke the school record,” Lebo hurdle coach Aaron Panczyk said. “She is right where we want her to be heading into states.”
According to Panczyk, Mangan probably has the second fastest time in the state going into the PIAA championships set for May 25-26 at Shippensburg University.
“At this point in time, states is my goal,” Mangan said. “I can’t guarantee that I will make that but I am going to fight for it. That’s for sure.”
Since ninth grade, Mangan said she fought to win some sort of WPIAL title.
“Aim high and you will get somewhere. That’s my philosophy,” she said.
Flynn Begor also aimed high and, as a result, she is also joining Mangan at states in the hurdles. The Lebo freshman finished third in the 100 and sixth in the 300 hurdles. Her time of 14.54 in the 100 was .42 off the record-breaking pace set by Jayla Ellis from Oakland Catholic.
“Flynn did real well,” Panczyk said. “This was the first time that she has ever run this at a big-time meet like the WPIALs and we’ve got her going to states in the intermediates, too. So with Molly being a WPIAL champion and Flynn doing great, well, I’m really lucky.”
Talent, rather than luck, enabled Mangan and Begor to also qualify for states in relay action. The duo, along with Katie Ward and Jane Chavez, finished runner-up in the 4×100 with a 48.38 time. Avonworth/Northgate, which featured three Robinsons – Hunter, Harris and Hayden – along with Jasmine Williams, won the race in 48.29.
In the 4×400 relay, Patrice Smith, Margo de Abreu, Aoife-Ruby Dunne and Mangan clocked in at 3:57.18 for fourth place. The 4×800 team of Allison Small, Isabella Primm, Alison Hodgson and Aiofe-Ruby Dunne took eighth place in 9:43.97.
Individually, Dunn finished fifth in the 800-meter dash. The junior clocked in at 2:17.59. Maddie Salek of West Allegheny won the event for the second straight year in 2:11.34.
On the Lebo male side, Patrick Anderson grabbed runner-up honors in the 1,600 with a 4:20.03 time. Cameron Binda of Greensburg Central Catholic won the race in 4:18.94. His teammates filled in places third and fourth.
Andeson also helped the 4×800 relay team of Bryce Brandestein, Patrick Anderson, Cameron Potts and Jack Cameron to a third-place finish behind Seneca Valley and Butler with a time of 7:57.49. The 4×400 team also finished fourth.
Individually, Bryce Brandenstein and Nate Everhart finished fifth and sixth with times of 1:56.23 and 1:56.58, in the 800 run. Parker Reed took sixth in the 100-meter dash in 11.05.