Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair runners capture gold in track
After months of agony, Dani Prunzik from Upper St. Clair and Logan St. John Kletter of Mt. Lebanon experienced exhilaration. During the WPIAL Class AAA Track and Field Championships held May 17 at Slippery Rock University, both grabbed gold medals in two individual events.
Prunzik sprinted to victories in the 100- and 200-meter dashes while St. John Kletter circled the competition in the 1,600 and 3,200 events.
“It was heartbreaking this time last year because I lost my whole outdoor season,” said St. John Kletter. “I was here but I could not run. It was really upsetting.”
Baxter’s nerve entrapment, characterized by chronic heel pain, sidelined St. John Kletter for months after she finished runner-up in the 2021 district cross country championships. She was a bronze medalist in the mile and a fourth-place finisher in the two mile during the track finals her freshman year in 2020.
“It’s been such a mental battle,” St. John Kletter said. “It took a while to get diagnosed because nobody has ever heard of (Baxter’s). It was hard to treat but I feel things are really coming together now. It’s a good feeling.”
On a cool, sunny afternoon on the Milhalik-Thompson Stadium track, St. John Kletter sailed through the 1,600. Her winning time of 4:47.09 was a personal best and ranks No. 4 on the all-time WPIAL list.
“I have been trying to break 4:50 for over a year now and to do it is great,” St. John Kletter said. “I didn’t want to play any games or run any attacks. I just went for it a lap into the race. I wanted to run fast and see what everybody else was doing so I decided to just go for it.
“I was feeling good. It was not what I was expecting,” she added of her “amazing” time.
St. John Kletter won the 3,200 in 10:34.49. She opened with a 5:32.49 but finished the second half of the race in 5:02.41.
“I hung back the first mile then I get an insane split the second mile. That surprised me,” she said. “That was pretty crazy.”
There was nothing ridiculous about what Prunzik did. The senior submitted her usual performance in the 100 and won her third consecutive WPIAL title. Her personal-best mark of 11.7 ranks ninth on the district’s all-time list.
Prunzik also won the 200 in 24.53. The Penn State recruit was the runner-up last year and a third-place finisher during her sophomore season.
“Being a three-time champion (in the 100) ranks up there a lot because I got a PR but I was so excited to finally win the 200. I was very stoked for this. It’s an event I have really had to work on more.”
Since the summer, Prunzik has worked hard to alleviate ankle pain caused by sprinting. In fact, she spent weeks in a protective boot in an effort to rehab her right foot.
“Definitely self-degrading,” she said of the injury. “Practices did not go well and it made me worry but I tried to do the best I could to rehab. I did all the little things to get back.”
Prunzik’s pain is a bit ironic as it flares mainly after races.
“I don’t feel it when I run,” she said. “Only when I slow down.”
Howard repeats
Grace Howard was the only other first-place finisher among females in The Almanac’s readership area. The South Fayette senior successfully defended her title in the high jump. She won with a leap of 5 feet, 5 inches, one inch off her PR of 5-6.
“I was very nervous and I was very surprised at how I performed.” said Howard. “I think the second time (winning) is harder because you have built-up pressure and to do it again is pretty cool.”
Howard, who took fifth in the high hurdles, along with Prunzik and St. John Kletter automatically qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championships to be held May 26-27 at Shippensburg University.
WPIAL silver and bronze medalists along with fourth-place finishers also advanced to the state finals along with those who met the qualifying standards up to eighth place.
The WPIAL awarded medals to finishers through eighth place. Among the area’s other top performers were:
n From Bethel Park: Artemis Conoboy, second (400), Jenna Lang, second (800)
n From Mt. Lebanon: Megan Cain, second, (100 hurdles) and sixth (300 hurdles); Emma McGreevy, eighth (800); Caroline Adams, sixth (3200); Gina Smith, eighth (triple jump)
n From South Fayette: Erica King, second (javelin), fifth (discus); Olivia Renk, third (100, 200); Delaney Schumaker, second (300 hurdles); Michaela Schuler, fourth (high jump); Evabella Cox, fourth, (triple jump), sixth (100 hurdles)
n From Upper St. Clair: Sadie Tomczyk, seventh (100, 200); Sierra Dupree, seventh (300 hurdles); Tayla Kurzawa, seventh (high jump).
Silver and bronze were the shine on the relay medals.
In the 4×100, Prunzik helped the team of Tomczyk, Ashley Sanderson, Noor El Nokali to a second-place showing while Lebo’s foursome of Selma Bajgoric, Chloe Destain, Smith and Cain took third.
In the 4×400, Conaboy, Lang, Sadie Orie and Lauren Heh took runner-up honors. Lebo’s grouping of Bajgoric, Cain, Lauren Krebs and Kate Mooney finished fifth.
In the 4×800, Peters Township’s unit of Mariko Grim, Grace Senneway, Sydney Shock and Meagan McKenna took third. SF’s team of Emily Sinton, Siya Joshi, Madeline Stock and Lily Colombo finished fourth. Lebo’s foursome of MacKenna Pozza, McGreevy, Maeve McNamee and Kate Mooney placed eighth.
Visit gingerbreadtiming.com for complete race results.