Big weekend for local track athletes
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Uniontown’s Nate Edenfield explodes out of the starting blocks on his way to winning the boys 400-meter run Tuesday in the Section 2-AAA triangular against Mount Pleasant and Yough at Mount Pleasant High School.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Uniontown’s Nate Edenfield explodes out of the starting blocks on his way to winning the boys 400-meter run on Tuesday, April 22, in the Section 2-AAA triangular against Mount Pleasant and Yough at Mount Pleasant High School.
The tail end of the track & field section schedule overlaps with the beginning of the individual-focused portion of the season today at noon when the Section 6-AA Championships are hosted at California Area High School.
The meet held on the Trojans’ new facilities features athletes from Bentworth, Beth-Center, Brownsville, California, Charleroi, Frazier, Jefferson-Morgan, Washington, Waynesburg Central and West Greene.
The section championship will keep Brownsville coach Jim Barak and his scorekeepers busy because the Falcons close the dual meet schedule against Bentworth in a meet-within-the-meet situation.
Frazier’s Lauren Timko (100 high hurdles), California’s Eilish Miller (1,600) and Kailyn Clancy (shot put, discus), and Brownsville’s Whitney Ptak (300 intermediate hurdles), Maris Seto (high jump, 4-10), and Kara Rohlf (3,200) are defending section champions.
While the section championship is well underway, the Section 2-AAA regular season comes to a close later in the afternoon with a pair of dual meets with the playoffs on the line.
Uniontown entertains Belle Vernon this afternoon on the track at Laurel Highlands. The Red Raiders’ lone loss came at the hands of the Mustangs, while the Leopards have losses to Laurel Highlands and Connellsville.
Connellsville, meanwhile, closes the Section 2-AAA schedule at Albert Gallatin. With the top two teams advancing to the team playoffs, the possibility exists of a three-way tie for the boys.
The teams get the day off Friday, then return to the track for their respective county meets on Saturday.
Connellsville hosts the annual Fayette County Coaches Association Track & Field Championships with the first field events beginning at 9 a.m. and the track prelims at 10.
Albert Gallatin, Belle Vernon, Brownsville, Connellsville, Frazier, Laurel Highlands, and Uniontown are scheduled to field athletes for the county meet.
Laurel Highlands’ Melissa McCann seeks her fourth Track MVP after holding off Connellsville’s Ashton Grimm by a mere ½-point in 2013. Seto used a first-, second-, and third-place finish in the three jumping events to win the Field MVP as a freshman.
Uniontown senior Nate Edenfield used his prowess in the 1,600 and 800, as well as with the Red Raiders’ 3,200 and 1,600 relays, to take the boys Track MVP in 2013. Connellsville’s Dylan Meyer had points in all three throwing events to win the Field MVP.
The Laurel Highlands girls have won the past three team titles, while the Mustangs are two-time defending champions.
The 92nd Westmoreland County Coaches Association Track & Field Meet will be hosted by Latrobe with Southmoreland the lone local team in attendance.
The Scotties’ Ben Bickerton, a distance runner, looks to build on the strong spring he’s had to date.
The Washington-Greene Coaches Track & Field Meet will be held this year at Peters Twp. Waynesburg Central is scheduled to bring a full complement of athletes, while Beth-Center will bring a select few.
The WPIAL Class AAA/AA team semifinals will be held around various sites on Wednesday, April 30, and the team finals will be at Baldwin on Thursday, May 8.
The individual regional qualifiers will be held at three Class AAA sites and two Class AA locations on Tuesday, May 6. The WPIAL Class AAA/AA Individual Track & Field Championships will be at Baldwin on Thursday, May 15, and the PIAA Championships will be contested on Friday-Saturday, May 23-24, at Shippensburg University.