Strong numbers to compete in WPIAL track championships
Athletes from area schools will fill the heats and flights next week in the WPIAL Class AAA and AA Individual Track and Field Championships after successfully navigating through the regional qualifiers this past Tuesday. Lost in all the confusing heats at the Class AAA southern qualifier at West Mifflin was Danielle LaPresta from Laurel Highlands finishing third in the 800 with a time of 1:00.9. She also qualified – in a school record time of 4:10.1 – in the 1,600 relay with Jessi Evans, Deena Blanc and Michol Monaghan, who, in turn, qualified in the 800 and 1,600 to join Uniontown’s Michelle DeShields as a three-time qualifier.
The Connellsville boys and girls along with the Southmoreland girls went to the Class AAA central qualifier, and though no Lady Scots were able to advance, several Falcons will take part in next Thursday’s finals at Baldwin.
Freshman Lauren McCormick grabbed the final berth in the 400 with a time of 1:03.6. Shannon Kovach had few problems advancing in the 1,600, finishing fourth in a time of 5:34.1.
The Lady Falcons were also successful in the field with three qualifiers. Christina Roadman finished fifth in both the discus and javelin while fellow thrower Amanda Sines was fifth in the shot put. Jaynece Stafford qualified in the high jump.
The Falcon boys had a good day on the track. B.J. Straughters (100, 11.6) and Brian Burden (400, 51.2) both finished sixth to advance to the finals. Frank Kolarik was fifth in the 300 with a time of 42.1 seconds.
Clint Richter will look for his second trip to the PIAA Championships in the discus via the WPIAL finals. Teammate Ryan Rumbaugh will make his first trip to the district championships after finishing sixth in the shot put.
Though the Colonials didn’t run a section schedule, Albert Gallatin’s Vaughn Jones was second in the long jump with a leap of 21-13/4.
Jefferson-Morgan’s Shanna Yourchik will be a busy young lady in Tuesday’s WPIAL Class AA Championships at South Side Beaver. The junior was fifth in the 100 high hurdles (16.09), fourth in the triple jump (31-6), and second in the high jump (5-0). Yourchik advanced to the state meet in the high jump last year.
The Brownsville girls 3,200 relay team grabbed the final berth, finishing behind the Waynesburg Central foursome.
Jocelyn Lindsay will look to become a four-time champion in the pole vault, winning all three titles the WPIAL has offered. The senior also qualified in the long jump with a second place finish. Teammate Helen Higgins finished fourth in the discus and second in the shot put while senior Jodie Riggs was sixth in the triple jump.
Beth-Center’s Danielle Hutchinson will make her second trip to the finals after finishing third in the javelin.
Keeping track of local athletes in the boys’ Class AA finals will be a demanding job with a number of Southmoreland, Beth-Center, Brownsville, and Waynesburg Central sprinters, runners, throwers and jumpers advancing.
Tom Brittain looks to cap his senior year on a high note as he qualified as the top seed from the northern qualifier in Mars in the 800 (1:59.01) and 1,600 (4:36.41). He also runs anchor on the Scotties’ 3,200 relay team. Southmoreland actually qualified all three relay teams by finishing fourth in the 1,600 relay and fourth in the 400 relay.
Steve Imel slipped into the 3,200 final with a fifth place finish. A pair of Scotties – Don Powell and Rick Fosbrink – cleared 11 feet, six inches in the pole vault to qualify while Tim Fratto earned berths in both the long and triple jumps.
Jeff Leonard was the sixth qualifier in the discus, an event won by Mount Pleasant’s Evan Shawley. The Viking senior also won the shot put.
Brownsville’s Dougie Patterson was a two-time qualifier, placing fourth in the 100 (11.15) and second in the long jump (19-113/4). The junior made a third event as a leg of the Falcons’ 400 relay team.
Teammate Josh Crable was fourth in the 800, junior Joe Cardine was third in the 110 high hurdles and the Falcons, as did the Scotties, qualified all three relay teams.
Beth-Center’s George Hilverding returns to the finals in the 800 with teammates Aaron Beck and Steven Barb both qualifying in the 1,600. Beck also qualified in the 3,200.
Derek Mears and Bill Patterson kept the strong Waynesburg throwing tradition alive. Mears was the top man in both the shot put and discus with Patterson second in the discus and fifth in the shot put.
Nathan Freedman hopes to become one of the few pole vaulters to qualify for the state meet all four years when he competes in the district meet next week. Frank Bryan nabbed the final berth in the 800.