WPIAL Class AA Track & Field Championships
13 area athletes qualify for states HOOKSTOWN – Frazier’s Derek Miller left last week’s Class AA qualifier angry, while Jefferson-Morgan’s Hans Lubich was left wanting more. Waynesburg Central’s Nick Patton wondered if he would be able to pull off a rare double.
All three left South Side Beaver pleased Tuesday afternoon after securing medals in the WPIAL Class AA Individual Track & Field Championships and the accompanying berths into next weekend’s PIAA Championships.
The trio wasn’t the only ones to leave with smiles from a job well done because an additional five boys advanced to the state meet, as well as five girls that made the grade.
Lubich needed only one attempt in the high jump to earn a berth into district finals. The sophomore got the work he craved with nine attempts, and the additional time paid dividends with a silver medal.
The top five finishers automatically advance to the state meet hosted by Shippensburg University on Friday-Saturday, May 23-24. Those athletes who finished sixth through eighth received medals and advanced only if they made the state qualifying mark.
Lubich had clean attempts at 5-8, 5-10 and 6 feet, but missed his first two attempts at 6-2 before clearing the bar, and did the same thing at 6-4. He had a go at 6-6, missing all three attempts with his second jump the closest to clearing.
“I knew if I got 6-2 I’d medal,” said Lubich. “When there were five guys remaining, I knew I was going to states.
“Today, I’m satisfied. I beat my own record.”
While he set a new PR, Lubich tied the house mark in the high jump, matching Luke’s silver medal effort of 6-4 back in 2005.
Miller had an auspicious start in his flight of the javelin, scratching when his hand touched the ground as he attempted to catch himself after throwing. In lieu of anger, Miller focused his efforts on his final two throws of the prelims, throwing a finals-qualifying 154 feet on his next attempt and what turned out to be his silver medal throw of 167-7 on his final qualifying throw.
“I calmed down from the first throw,” said Miller. “I knew I was going to have a good throw today.”
Miller, looking down at his silver medal added, “This is a nice award.”
The senior will have company at Shippensburg because teammate Tristan Bartolomucci cleared 6-0 in the high jump to finish fifth.
Bartolomucci needed two attempts to clear the opening height of 5-8. He was clean at 5-10, but need all three attempts to clear 6 feet. He went out at 6-2, hitting the bar with his arm on his final attempt.
“I was hoping to get 6-4. I knew if I hit 6-4 I would automatically qualify,” said Bartolomucci, who participated in his first WPIAL finals. “I was very nervous. I tried to push it out of my mind and (just) go for it.”
“We have two guys going to states. We just started track again, so no one has been to states in a while,” said Miller.
Patton had been to the finals before in the pole vault, but advancing to the javelin was new to him. The junior didn’t let the inexperience hold him back because he launched the best throw of the day and of his career, 175-3, to win the gold medal.
He settled down a bit, and searched for a second gold in the pole vault, but he came away with bronze, even though he tied the best vault of the day, 13-6.
“Getting first in the javelin was way past my expectations,” said Patton. “I had my best throw in the javelin in the prelims, then I warmed up for the pole vault. I went to the javelin finals, and headed back to the pole vault.”
Though he had his sights set higher in the pole vault, he’s pleased to surpass last year’s finish.
“Third place (in the pole vault) is much better than last year. I know I have the potential to do more. I really wanted that gold in the pole vault.”
Teammate Keith Higginbotham will be making a return trip in the state meet in the 100 after sprinting into fifth place in 11.2 seconds.
One of the finalists jumped the gun in the finals, but instead of making Higginbotham edgy, it buoyed his confidence.
“That it pumped me up. All eight of us, in any mixture, could go to states, and that was one less to run,” said Higginbotham.
Jeff Paletta and Dominic Malloy will give Beth-Center coach Ed Woods and his staff a trip to the states after a year hiatus. Paletta finished fourth in the discus (144-61/2) while Malloy held on for third in the 200 (22.89).
Starting in lane 7, Malloy attributed his finish to running the curve and a voice from above.
“I was in the first to the last lane so I couldn’t catch anyone. The only reason I ran well is I ran the curve good,” said Malloy, who ran under 23 seconds for the first time. “I heard my mom yelling for me. That was my motivation.
“I’m really excited to go to the state meet.”
Paletta has been tantalizing close before, but the senior finally put things together for a state berth. He opened with a throw of 127 feet, fouled on his second attempt, and then had his medal-winning throw on his final in the prelims. His first two throws in the finals were uncharacteristically out of the sector.
“It affected me a little bit,” Paletta said of his last shot at qualifying. “I’m pretty happy I made it. I think I could throw in the 150s. I’ll have to at states.”
Southmoreland’s Tyler Vivio was the lone boy to earn a berth, finishing fourth in the 400 in 51.65 seconds. His push in the second 200 propelled him into the state meet.
“I made up ground in the second 200. It’s just my style,” said Vivio. “I wanted to keep up with (the leaders). They were pulling me to the finish line.”
Teammate Brittani Eicher missed qualifying in the 100 high hurdles by a tenth of a second last year, but pulled out a PR time of 15.65 to finish fourth despite running in an outside lane.
“I’m getting faster at the right time of the year,” said Eicher.
The WPIAL introduced the pole vault for girls 10 years ago, and Waynesburg Central has received a medal each time. Morgan Bland made it 4-for-4 by finishing fourth after clearing a personal best 10 feet.
“I was so close on the last one at 10-6,” said Bland, who kept another tradition alive by vividly painting her nails. “I missed my first attempt (at the opening height) at 8-6. Nerves got to me.
“Once I made 9 feet, I knew I was in the top five. I was relieved after that.”
Maria Shepas will join Bland in Shippensburg after she finished fourth in the 800.
Mount Pleasant’s Abbey Way successfully defended her title in the pole vault, and finished seventh in the long jump. The Lady Vikings’ Taylor Funk reprised her silver medal finish in the 100 high hurdles, but came away the champion in the 300 intermediate hurdles.
NOTES: Jefferson-Morgan’s J.R. Phillips wanted to avoid getting boxed in as he did last year in the 1,600, and took the lead through two laps. The pack caught him with about 700 meters to go with Phillips hanging on for eighth in a personal best time of 4:38.98. … Frazier’s Amanda Wingrove cleared 4-10, but missed out on medals because of misses. … The Southmoreland girls 400 relay was sixth in 51.87 and missed a state berth by three-tenths of a second. … The Lady Scots’ Jamie Henry was eight in the long jump (15-11/2). … The Scotties place two relays with the 3,200 and 1,600 both finishing eighth. … The Class AAA finals are Thursday at Baldwin High School. The field events begin at 2 p.m. with the track events opening around 3.