Mt. Lebanon runner wins at Foundation Meet
Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter is all about taking chances during a cross country meet.
After running with the pack for two miles, she made her move and coasted to victory during the PIAA Foundation Meet held Sept. 25 at Hershey. A sophomore, St. John Kletter clocked an 18:46 time.
“Logan executed a great race plan,” said Lebo coach Oscar Shutt. “This was her first time on the course so we wanted her to work with the pack and let them set the pace then see how she was feeling. If she felt good in the third mile we wanted her to take a risk and go for the win.”
From her gait, Shutt saw St. John Kletter could be a winner in the Gold Division for Class AAA runners.
“Logan ran a confident race,” he said. “Her body language through the first two miles showed a lot of comfort and relaxation so I had a good feeling that she was going to have a strong third mile. It was exciting to see that the strong finish translated into a victory.”
St. John Kletter’s success began early in her high school career.
As freshmen, she finished in 11th place and Caroline Adams finished in ninth in the 3,200 during the PIAA track and field championships. After a productive summer of training, they transitioned to cross country.
“(PIAA) was the springboard and positioned them both for a successful fall,” Shutt said.
Shutt expects St. John Kletter and Adams — once she is completely healed from an injury — to be among the top runners at the WPIAL championship meet. He also expects the pair to help Mt. Lebanon qualify as a team for the state meet.
The WPIAL championships are scheduled for Oct. 28 at California University of Pennsylvania. The PIAA championships are scheduled for Nov. 6 in Hershey.
Shutt is optimistic because his Lebo girls team had a solid showing at the Foundation Meet. The Blue Devils finished 12th out of 34 teams.
Emma McGreevy, Grace Goslin, Grace Kraemer, Grace Ganse, Kate Mooney and Justine Meta contributed to Lebo’s showing.
“Our goal is for Logan and Caroline to be among the runners at the WPIAL meet to qualify for the state meet but our goal also is to finish in the top three teams and qualify as a unit for the state meet,” Shutt said. “With our juniors (McGreevy and Ganoe) as well as our sophomores (Goslin and Mooney) we have a shot.”
PT, SF medals
Peters Township and South Fayette had two runners earn medals during the Foundation Meet.
Junior Brett Kroboth finished 14th overall while sophomore Sydney Shock submitted an 18th-place showing for the Indians.
Junior Jake Borgesi placed 12th in 16:59 while Lauren Iagnemma finished in 20:34 for the Lions.