Athletes weather elements to shine on track
Winter-like conditions and wind have not prevented area athletes from excelling in track and field. As the outdoor track season commenced in earnest, several were up to the task of submitting some of the best marks in the state to date during invitational meets held at Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair last weekend.
Up next is the South Hills Classic. It is slated for April 9 at Baldwin. In between, Lebo, which battled USC and Bethel Park in a tri-section meet yesterday (April 5), will host Peters Township, South Fayette and Bethel Park April 12, a few days before the TSTCA Invitational set for April 16 at West Mifflin.
“Despite the wind, the weather wasn’t too bad,” said Oscar Shutt regarding Lebo’s invitational on April 2. “We were able to have some great performances.”
On the men’s side, Patrick Kimball and Todd Gunzenhauser posted the top times in Pennsylvania so far this spring in their respective events while Fabi Shipley and Sarah Rolfsen submitted some top marks in the ladies’ bracket.
Kimball, who finished second in the long jump, dominated the hurdles. He won the 110-meter distance in 14.51 and the intermediates in 40.23. Gunzenhauser won the 3,200-meter race in 9:41.00, well ahead of CV’s Joseph Westrick (9:49.94), who was the runner-up.
“Pat put down a state No. 1 time in the high hurdles. His time and that of 14.60 in the trials are already faster than he ran last year,” explained Shutt. “So, it’s a great start for him.”
In the 1600 event, Lebo’s Ian Harris posted a Top 16 time in the state by winning the race in 4:35.05, ahead of his teammates, Cameron Potts (4:46.75) and Nate Everhardt (4:48.54).
Shipley captured the discus (96-11) and the shot put (37-05) while Shannon Conway of Lebo won the javelin followed by Bishop Canevin’s Christine Aland. Shipley’s shot put throw ranks in the state’s Top 10 this season. Plus, it’s a personal record for her.
Meanwhile, Rolfsen dominated the sprints, winning the 100 meters in 13.22 and the 200 in 26.90. The times ranked 14th and 24th in the state.
Greensburg Salem’s Lawson Monta and Julia Howard submitted some of the other top performances in the meet. Monta won the discus in 168-7 and shot put in 56-7. He medaled in both events at states. Howard won the triple, long and high jumps.
“Both are off to the right start,” said Shutt. “For Julia, it’s a nice way to begin her final outdoor season.”
Other local winners at the meet included: Keara Mangan from Lebo and Sean Parenti from CV in the 400-meter dashes; Elias Zajicek from CV in the 800 run; Jared Nelson from CV in the triple and long jumps; Bethel Park’s Kathryn Kimes and Ryan Gillece in the pole vault as well as Brendan Todd in the high jump; Lebo girls in the 4×800 and 4×400 relays.
Lebo’s decision to compete in the South Hills Classic will hinge on the weather.
“The forecast isn’t looking favorable for Saturday,” Shutt said. “We are going to see how it plays out this week and make a decision by Friday about our involvement.”
South Fayette’s involvement in the USC invitational proved favorable for its distance medley, 300 intermediate hurdles and 4×200 relays. All were victorious. The distance unit consisted of Aaron Pfeil, Bri Rees, Sam Snodgrass and Allison Gates. Tori Valachovic, Sal McClintock, Hanna Niapas and AJ Rothenberger comprised the hurdle crew. Mikey Speca, Skylar Aitken, Byron Hudson and Valachovic made up the sprint relay.
The Lions took second in the triple jump, pole vault, long jump and 4×1600 relays and third in the 4×100 relay. Other members to play a role in the showings included: Amanda Oliver, Maria DeCello, Ryan Hayes, Dane Duffy, Joey Rossi, Samantha Louis, Hailey Bair, Mike Rimbur, Braden Hoy and Josh Milteer.