Brownsville’s four sisters advance
HOOKSTOWN – Sisters ruled for Brownsville on Thursday.
Four Lady Falcons advanced out of the WPIAL Class AA Track and Field Southern Qualifier at South Side Beaver High School to next Thursday’s WPIAL Championships at Baldwin.
There are senior Maris Seto, her junior sister Alie Seto, sophomore Sara Vance and her twin sister Jessica Vance.
“The day has gone very well,” Brownsville coach Jim Barak said. “We’re excited to bring 12 kids here today and we have four girls going to the championships next week, and, hopefully, from there we’ll take some more to states.”
In the high jump, Maris Seto and Alie Seto along with California’s Annalise Gillispie were in a group that stopped after clearing 4 feet, 10 inches in qualifying for the finals.
Maris Seto jumped 36-9 in the triple jump to place second and was one of three area girls to advance. The others were Frazier’s Annya Kossol (fifth, 32-9.5) and California’s Ashley McIntosh (eighth, 32-5).
Maris Seto again qualified in all three jumping events. She was third in the long jump.
Sara Vance was third in the 1,600 (5:35.21) with Jessica Vance not far behiind in fifth (5:38.64). In between them was Waynesburg’s Lindsee Zimmer in fourth (5:36.66). All three will be moving on to Baldwin.
Monessen’s Andrey Bolton qualified in three boys events. He advanced in the 100, 200 and long jump.
Waynesburg Central’s Ben Bumgarner cruised to a second-place finish in the boys 1,600 with a time of 4:31.41 to qualify for the finals.
“The only goal for me today was to just get qualified,” Bumgarner said. “I’ve ran a 4:23 earlier in the season in the mile. I had a really hard workout on Tuesday. I plan on having another one on Saturday.”
Jefferson-Morgan’s Aaron Mylan qualified as well with a time of 4:41.82, good enough for sixth.
Both advanced in the 3,200 as well with Bumgarner (10:09.81) again finishing second and Mylan (10:37.69) coming in seventh.
Waynesburg advanced two boys in the pole vault as Daniel Layton and Will Behm both cleared 11-6.
Frazier’s Joe Horvath moved on by finishing fifth in the shot put with a throw of 41-6.
It was a great day for area girl athletes.
The Lady Commodores’ Alena Blaszczak almost matched her personal best of 124 in topping the field in the girls javelin. The senior earned a repeat trip to WPIALs with a throw of 123-2. She’ll be joined there by sophomore teammate Khrystine Barch, who threw 115-8.
“That was better,” Blaszczak said after her final throw, which was her best. “I still have a lot of work to do.
“It’s nice to have a partner to push you,” Blaszczak added in reference to Barch.
“It feels pretty good to have two of us going,” said Barch, who gave Blaszczak credit for helping her excel in her first season competing in the event. “At practice she helps me with the steps and shows me what to do. I’m excited.”
Actually there will be three Frazier javelin thrower going to Baldwin. Lucas Klorczyk was third on the boys side with a throw of 147-11.
Three area athletes advanced in the 300 hurdles. McIntosh was third (49.75), Beth-Center’s Kinlee Whited was fourth (50.49) and Charleroi’s Shayla Watkins was eighth (51.17).
Watkins had a nail-biting day. She also finished eighth in the 100 high hurdles but had to wait until the official results of each heat were tabulated to find out her fate in both events.
“It wasn’t my best race by far but I feel like I did all I could to get there,” said the sophomore after the 100 high hurdles (17.2). “I didn’t know if I did or not but I was hoping. When they announced it, it was definitely a relief.”
The Lady Cougars’ Jessica Day and Beth-Center’s Hannah Lacey both qualified in the 200 and the 400. In the 200, Day was fourth (1:00.49) and Lacey was sixth (1:01.37). In the 400, Day was seventh (26.85) and Lacey was eighth (27.21).
Yough’s Emily Spisak advanced in the girls discus with a sixth-place throw of 94-3.
“This will be my first time (in the WPIAL finals) so I’m happy,” said the smiling senior.
Bentworth’s Heather Chester also qualified in the discus with a fourth-place throw of 96-8.
Advancing in the girls 3,200 relay were West Greene (Rachel Jones, Bailey Machesky, Jade Rittenhouse and Sarah Courtwright) and California (Addie O’Savage, McIntosh, Alexis Kronander and Jenna Miller).
Beth-Center’s 1,600 relay team (Lexie Marchando, Sydney Urbine, Whited and Lacey) moved on with a sixth-place time of 4:18.70.
Several more boys qualified for the WPIAL finals.
The Trojans’ Kass Taylor moved on in the triple jump, where he was fourth (41-6).
Beth-Center’s Ron White’s throw of 109-3 in the discus was good enough for eighth place and a trip to Baldwin.
In the 300 hurdles, Monessen’s Raymond Sitton was fourth (42.98) and Beth-Center’s Michael Elliot was sixth (43.15).
Sitton also qualified in the 110 high hurdles, winning the event with a time of 15.22. Layton was fifth (16.32) to also advance.
Bolton (11:30) and the Bulldogs’ Ben Sterling (11:47) advanced by finishing fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 100.
Bolton also finished third in both the 200 (22.73) and the long jump (20-11).
Monessen’s Matt Taylor advanced with a seventh-place time of 52.41 in the 400.
The Greyhounds advanced in the 1,600 relay as Sitton, Demond Jordan, Taylor and Bolton finished fourth with a time of 3:32.78.