Peters Township runner races into PIAA record books
Froelich dominates distance races
Peters Township freshman Katie Froelich raced into the record books during the PIAA track and field championships held May 22-23 at Seth Grove Stadium on the Shippensburg University campus.
She became the first freshman from the WPIAL to claim titles in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
“That’s really cool and it means a lot,” Froelich said of the accomplishment.
On the first day of competition, Froelich won the metric mile in 4:48.08 to slip past South Fayette’s Angela Zeng by .041 seconds for the gold medal.
On the second day of racing, Froelich edged Julia Kelly from Downington West in the longer race by 1.05 seconds, with a winning time of 10:18.20. Zeng, who like Kelly is a sophomore and the WPIAL cross country champion, took third with a 10:21.55 time.
Froelich weathered the elements to secure her victory, relying on her soccer abilities to channel adversity into triumph. In the rain and in chilly temperatures, which are prevalent during the fall when she competes for the Peters Township soccer team, Froelich prevailed.
“I couldn’t really feel my toes, so I was a little worried and my hands were cold, but it was actually really fun,” Froelich said about the conditions. “I was telling my dad on the way here that I’d rather it be this type of weather than it being humid and 80 degrees.”
Froelich also preferred the strategy. When Kelly pulled ahead, Froelich instinctively charged ahead, zeroing in on the finish line.
“In soccer, I’m a striker so I have to run for the ball all the time, so I was just like ‘I’m going to run to the finish line’,” Froelich said. “I thought her kick was going to be really good, so I had to turn it on.”
Froelich turned it on during the metric mile. She found herself in a tight pack midway through the race before making her move. She took the lead on the third lap and held off Zeng.
“It honestly wasn’t what I expected,” Froelich said of how the race played out. “I thought the pack was going to separate. It was a little weird that everyone kind of stayed together.”
With her victories, Froelich has separated herself from the pack and moved into a new echelon. Regardless of class, she is the second WPIAL runner to sweep those distances in the highest classification. She joined Mt. Lebanon alum and North Carolina runner Logan St. John Kletter, who accomplished the feat in 2024.
Froelich broke St. John Kletter’s 2024 WPIAL record of 10:19.78 with a 10:15.64 during the District 7 finals but she still a ways from the the state record of 10:12.86 that St. John Kletter set in 2023.
“It’s really cool,” Froelich said of winning state titles. She added, “I still have three more years, so hopefully I can get better and better each year.”
South Fayette continues to improve as demonstrated by its performances in other events. In addition to earning two individual medals, Zeng steered the 4×800 relay team to a bronze medal. The Lions finished fifth last year.
Nina DiMartini, Ellena Gibbs and Madeline Stock comprised the unit with Zeng. The foursome combined for a time of 9:14.18.
Individually, Delaney Schumaker capper her scholastic career by adding two more medals to her collection. She finished fifth in the 100 hurdles and secured sixth in the 300 hurdles.
“That was my goal,” Schumaker said. “On Friday, the first goal is to make the finals and after that you see how high up you can get. You always want to place as high as you can, but being on the podium is a reward in itself, so I’m pretty excited with how it went.”
Schumaker won the hurdle races at the WPIAL championships for two years in a row. She will compete for the University of Pittsburgh next fall.
The Lady Lions tied for second place in the team standings with Kennett. Both totaled 27 points while J.P. McCaskey won the team title with 42 points. Thanks to Froelich, the Peters Township girls tied for eight place with 20 points.
Among the other area athletes to earn a spot on the podium included:
Sadie Tomczyk from Upper St. Clair. The senior finished fourth and fifth in the 100- and 200-meter dashes with times of 12.11 and 24.63. Tomczyk was a two-time WPIAL 100-meter champion and a one-time 200-meter winner at the District 7 level.
Lilly Carlson from Chartiers Valley secured seventh place in the discus. Her medal-winning throw measured 130 feet, 8 inches.
Nolan Reddy from Mt. Lebanon tied for fourth place in the pole vault. He was six inches off the top three finishers, all of whom vaulted 14 feet, 9 inches.
Carmen Pellarin from Keystone Oaks was the runner-up in the high jump clearing the bar at 6 feet, 5 inches.