Jul 2, 2024 4 min read

From the moment she joined the Pacer Track Club in fifth grade, Logan St. John Kletter developed a passion for running.

“It’s always been my love,” she said. “I loved the competition with people and improving.”

By her senior year at Mt. Lebanon High School, St. John Kletter had improved so much that she bested all the competition on the local, state, regional and national level.

She was the golden girl on the scholastic level, winning six WPIAL championships and four state titles.

She competed in the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships, along with the Penn Relays in track, and other prestigious invitationals such as the Hoka Festival of Miles in St. Louis, the Brooks PR in Seattle and the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia.

Her running successes paved the way for a scholarship to the University of North Carolina as well as accolades such as Gatorade Runner of the Year in Pennsylvania. Additionally, she headlines the Best of Sports 2024 edition. Not only is she the cross country as well as track and field MVP, she has been named The Almanac and Observer-Reporter Female Athlete of the Year.

“I am really honored to win this award my senior year,” St. John Kletter said. “It’s a really cool honor, especially to represent all the women athletes in the WPIAL.”

In the league, there was none better than St. John Kletter this season. She started the school year winning her second straight WPIAL cross country championship then went on to capture the PIAA crown after finishing runner-up as a sophomore and placing eighth as a junior. After those accomplishments, she placed at the regional and national level during the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. She finished fourth at the Northeast Regional to qualify for the nationals, held in December in San Diego. She was 34th in the national championships.

During the spring track and field season, St. John Kletter repeated as WPIAL champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races with personal best times of 4:47.09 and 10:34.49. She won both events at the state level. Her time of 4:38.54 stands as the fastest mark by any WPIAL athlete in the 1,600. While she already owned the state record in the 3,200, she lowered her WPIAL PR with a 10:21.46 showing at the state meet.

“Winning the 3,200 and 1,600 to end my high school career on such a high note,” St. John Kletter said, “was the highlight.

“Absolutely amazing senior year. It’s been all that I could ask for.”

Her high school coach, Oscar Shutt, concurred. “Logan completed one of the more remarkable seasons by a distance runner in WPIAL history,” he said.

St. John Kletter wasn’t finished. Immediately after the PIAA meet, she flew to St. Louis to compete in the Hoka Festival of Miles. There she finished fifth in the nation with a 4:37.44 mile time. At the Brooks PR Invitational in Seattle, she finished eighth with a 4:48.06 time. Finally, she set the meet record with her winning time of 9:58.44 in the two-mile race during the New Balance Nationals.

“It is so cool to get a record, whether WPIAL, state or another,” she said. “When you consider just how many great people have come out of those leagues, it’s such a big honor.”

St. John Kletter is preparing for more accolades as she enters into the next leg of her career. She will arrive in Chapel Hill to begin workouts with the Tar Heels on Aug. 11

“I am excited to get with the team and train with the girls. Keep improving and see what role I can play,” St. John Kletter said.

While pursuing a degree in exercise and sports science in anticipation of a career as a physical therapist, St. John Kletter expects to earn All-America accolades in cross country as well as track. She also anticipates turning pro and perhaps compete in a future Olympic Games.

“It will take a little bit of time to get there,” she admitted, “but that’s the end goal.”

Shutt predicts St.John Kletter will get to that finish line.

“While Logan has amazing talent, her work ethic and drive to be excellent have put her in the position to achieve such lofty accomplishments,” he said.