Mt. Lebanon runner wins PIAA track title

A change in race strategy turned disaster into a record-breaking gold-medal performance for Logan St. John Kletter of Mt. Lebanon during the PIAA track and field championships held over the Memorial Day weekend at Shippensburg University.
On the first day of the competition, in the 1600-meter run St. John Kletter placed sixth with a 4:53.88 time. Haverford Township’s Olivia Cieslack won the event in 4:49.07. The time was nearly two seconds slower than St. John Kletter’s first-place performance at the WPIAL championships held on May 18 at Slippery Rock University.
“I did not have the race I expected,” she said of the 1,600. “I was really nervous and it definitely showed in the way that I ran the race. After the race and talking with coaches, friends and family, I decided I needed to come into the 3200 with a different mindset; ready to push the pace from the front.”
The approach worked. St. John Kletter dominated the field. She blazed a record-setting pace that resulted in a first-place finish ahead of four other WPIAL rivals.
St. John Kletter clocked a 10:12.86 time, which was than two seconds ahead of silver medalist Natalie McLean from Pine-Richland (10:14.99) and lowered the PIAA record of 10:13.62 set by Moon’s Mia Cochran last year. Cochran, who just completed her freshman year at the University of Arkansas, also won the 800 and 1,600 races in 2022.
“Logan went into the 3200 determined to control the race from the front after having challenges the day before in the 1600,” explained Mt. Lebanon coach Oscar Shutt. “She executed the plan to perfection.”
St. John Kletter performed so well that she closed with a sub-70 second last lap to slip under the PIAA mark. She ran the final 400 meters in 1:07.
The state record surprised St. John Kletter because she had covered the first 1600 meters in 5:10.
“At that point, I didn’t expect the record,” she said. “With a lap to go I was still leading a pack of five girls so I had to kick as hard as I could.
“I am really proud of myself for becoming a state champion,” she added. “Knowing how successful Mia was in her running career, it is also super exciting to break her meet record.”
St. John Kletter had plenty of encouragement along the way. Her mother, Erin, who was a standout at Penn State, called out her splits. Her father, Todd, was the inspiration as he, too, was a PIAA gold medalist.
“I could hear my mom on every lap from the other side of the track and that was helping to push me on the backstretch and crossing the line, my dad was right there along the fence cheering for me. I couldn’t be happier to join him as a state champion.
“It was really a team effort because I also knew my grandpa was watching at home. So just to be able to make the family proud means so much to me.”
Just to be running this season meant a lot to St. John Kletter. She missed her entire sophomore year of track because of an injury. She came back in the fall to capture the WPIAL cross country title. Then she to won both the 1,600 and 3,200 races at the district championships before grabbing two medals, including the gold, at this year’s state meet.
“A year ago, I was unable to run at WPIALs and states, so to end my season with two WPIAL titles and a state championship as a junior is really exciting. I’m just hoping to continue my progress as a runner and person and to support my teammates so that they can grow alongside me,” she said of her senior-oriented goals.
St. John Letter’s teammates in the 4×100 (Selma Bajgoric, Chloe Desnain, Gina Smith, and Megan Cain) and 4x400m (Selma Bajgoric, Kate Mooney, Lauren Krebs, and Megan Cain) relays ran best times so Mt. Lebanon track and field fans and coaches are “proud” of the team’s finish this season.
Lebo boysMt. Lebanon wrapped up one of its most successful seasons in team history. The Blue Devils qualified 16 members and medaled in nine different events at the WPIAL championships. As a result, they advanced 10 boys to Shippensburg to compete in seven PIAA events.
Luke Cramer was the top performer. Seeded 10th, he secured sixth place in the triple jump.
“Luke handled the pressure of the moment and ended up getting a medal,” said Lebo skipper Drew Habergerger.
Habergerger noted that the overall competition at the PIAA was some of the best in years. “So getting on the podium was a big challenge,” he said.
For example, Lebo’s 4-by-400 relay team of Michael Malone, Jake Lehman, Nick Hendrick and Connor Rychcik posted a time that was over two seconds faster than when they won silver medals at the WPIAL championship. The time, however, wasn’t enough to advance to the PIAA finals.
“Although we only brought home one medal, I was very pleased with our boys’ performances. This senior class is very special; they will be hard to replace.”
As group, Mt. Lebanon finished runner-up in the WPIAL in the team championship competition. The Blue Devils were also section winners.