May 11, 2015 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

With little effort last year, Brevin Banton finished ninth in the intermediate and 11th in the high hurdles during the WPIAL track and field championships. This Thursday however, the Upper St. Clair senior enters the district finals as one of the favorites to win both races.

To what does Banton attribute the difference?

“I put in the work for once,” he said with sincerity and a smile. “I’m a little more conditioned. My coach (Katie Gibson) pushed me. She made me work in practice when I didn’t want to. Plus, we worked a lot on my form, all the little details.”

So far this spring, that attention to detail has hurdled Banton to the top of the podium in all the major invitational meets leading up to the PIAA qualifiers to be held at 1 p.m. May 14 at Baldwin. He captured gold in the 110 and 300-meter hurdles as the South Fayette and Baldwin Invitationals as well as the South Hills Classic. During the WPIAL Southern qualifier held May 7 at West Mifflin, Banton won the high hurdles in 14.98 and the intermediates in 39.32.

“Brevin ran very well at West Mifflin,” Petrick said of the qualifier. “It was a hot day and all athletes were battling the heat. Coach Gibson was pumped to watch Brevin continue to progress towards the WPIAL Championships.

Also at the qualifiers, Banton helped the 4×400 relay team of Alex Lindstrom, Keith Leckenby and Matt Wertz earn a spot in the WPIAL championships. “He is such a team player,” said USC head track coach Doug Petrick. While he also clinched a berth in the high jump, he will not compete in that event at the WPIAL finals so as to “focus” on the hurdles and the relay.

For Banton and every athlete competing at the WPIAL championships, the PIAA finals May 22-23 in Shippensburg are the ultimate goal. “So running at the state championships is the next logical step,” Petrick added.

Having had a father that played football and basketball in Oregon, those sports seemed a logical step for Banton. While he did play varsity football at USC, he preferred track. Once he overcame his apprehension, he relished the activity so much that he earned four varsity letters.

“I was scared to try sprinting because I didn’t think I was fast enough. So I did hurdles,” explained the son of Bill and Courtney Banton. “Track just stuck. It’s a close-knit group of people and I enjoyed the company of the athletes participating in the sport.”

While Banton excels in hurdles, it is not the only activity that he enjoys at school or in life. He sings in the Pantheon Choir and has performed in several musicals, including “Kiss Me Kate” at USC. Banton also does woodwork. For his Eagle Scout project, he made wooden toys and donated them to St. Clair Hospital. The National Honor Society member also maintains a 3.5 GPA and plans to attend Brigham Young University and major in electrical engineering.

“Brevin is such a neat and humble kid,” Petrick said. “He’s also a team player.

“We can’t wait to see how he performs this week,” Petrick continued. “We have high hopes for him. Running at Baldwin is always a fun experience. It’s a great facility with a lot of history.”

Banton will not be the only USC athlete participating in the WPIAL championships. The following Panthers will also compete for berths in the PIAA finals:

• Keith Leckenby in the 100 and 400 meters

• Taylor Smith in girls’ shot put and discus

• Ricky Alfera in the high and intermediate Hurdles

• Matt Wertz and Chase Banton in the 800 meters

• Jay Pollock in boys’ shot put

• Lauren Schoeppner in the intermediate hurdles

• Bennett Sneath in the 1600 run

• Boys 4×400 relay of Matt Wertz, Brevin Banton, Alex Lindstrom, Keith Leckenby

• Boys 4×800 relay of Matt Wertz, Chris Adamo, Bennett Sneath, Chase Banton

• Girls 4×800 relay of Mary Wilding, Steph Vighetti, Juliann Alfera, Jess Murphy