achieving athletes
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kiki Thornton
Emily Carter
By Eleanor Bailey
Molly Mangan
Thornton to DU
Kiki Thornton will continue her athletic career as a walk-on at Duquesne University. The Chartiers Valley senior will run cross country and track for the Dukes.
A four-year letterwinner in both sports, Thornton wrapped up her scholastic career recently with a fifth-place showing in the 1,600-meter run during the WPIAL Track & Field Championships.
This spring, she also captured MVP honors during the Big South Invitational. In the meet, she won the 800 race as well as the 3,200 run as well as led the 4×800 relay team to victory. Thornton also helped the Lady Colts win a section championship.
During the fall, Thornton finished fourth in the WPIAL cross country championships with a 19:56 time and qualified for the state finals. She placed 106th in the PIAA championships.
Edeburn to SFU
Mark Edeburn of McMurray will continue his baseball career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The Peters Township senior is a 6-5, 175-pound right-handed pitcher.
“Mark shows great poise and control on the mound with command of all three of his pitches, along with having good depth on those pitches,” said IUP manager Anthony Rebyanski. “With his size and frame, we feel that he will continue to develop into a very good pitcher at the Division II level. His upside is limitless, as we feel there is a lot of room for positive development.”
IUP was 15-30 overall this spring. The Crimson Hawks posted an 8-20 record in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.
The son of Shannon and Kevin Edeburn will major in criminal justice.
Two all-state
Emily Carter of Bethel Park and Molly Mangan from Mt. Lebanon were named to the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association’s all-state team. Both earned second-team acclaim.
Carter won set a PIAA record in winning the 3,200-meter run. The rising junior also took the bronze medal in the 1,600 run during the state championships held at Shippensburg University. She is the WPIAL champion in both events.
A recent graduate, Mangan excelled in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. She was the PIAA and WPIAL runner-up. She also anchored Lebo’s successful 4-x-100 relay, which won a WPIAL championship.
South Park’s Maura Huwalt earned honorable mention status on the all-state team.
Lestini shines
For the second year in a row, Luke Lestini of South Fayette qualified for the Junior PGA Championships.
The rising senior will be among the top 144 players from around the country competing in the tournament to be held July 30-Aug. 2 at Keney Park Golf Course in Hartford, Conn.
Lestini shot a 2-under-142 to finish runner-up at a qualifier played this past week at the Willowbrook Country Club in Washington Township. Lestini won last year’s championship played at Fox Run Golf Course.
Last fall, Lestini enjoyed a successful scholastic season. He finished in the Top 10 during the WPIAL championships held at Oakmont Country Club after a runner-up showing in the semifinals. A bronze-medalist in the section, he took seventh in the regional and qualified for the PIAA championships, where he placed 16th, tops among all local participants.