Bravo, Bella!
Laurel Highlands senior Baker wins first FCCA championship
CONNELLSVILLE — The ascension up the ladder to the Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) Cross Country Championship hasn’t been an easy one for Laurel Highlands senior Isabella “Bella” Baker.
The Davis & Elkins College commit was 12th her freshman year at the FCCA meet and didn’t compete in the race her sophomore season due to injury before placing third last year to Uniontown’s Grace Trimmer and Albert Gallatin’s Mia Medved, who are both running in college with Trimmer at Lehigh University and Medved at Slippery Rock.
Baker was also running at the Connellsville Middle School course for the first time in her career, but she had no trouble besting the field for her first county title Thursday afternoon.
Baker’s winning time of 19:52.10 was 22 seconds ahead of Belle Vernon sophomore Brooklyn Steeber, who crossed the finish line in 20:14.20. Uniontown 10th grader Charley Murtha followed in third place with a time of 20:23.70.
“I think I started to feel pretty comfortable at about the two-mile mark,” said Baker in reference to when she took control of the race. “At that point, I was feeling pretty good about where I was at in the race and just focused on time.
“This course is a lot faster than the one at Penn State Fayette. It is also not as hilly, so I liked it, even though this was my first time running it. I like that this course has two loops because I tend to do better in a course like that. You can see where everyone is at.”
Baker, who qualified for the state last season in Class 2A after finishing 13th in the WPIAL championship, felt a huge boost of confidence on Sept. 6 at the Red, White & Blue Invitational when she ran a time of 19:33.70 to finish fourth in the Class 2A girls race at the White Oak Park course, which is where the WPIAL Championships are contested.
The course at White Oak normally produces faster times than others in the WPIAL, which Baker relishes because she believes her speed as a middle-distance runner on the track works to her advantage.
“I am looking to do well at the WPIAL meet and get back to states,” Baker said. “The last half-mile of the course at White Oak is almost all downhill and flat, so it tends to work in my favor because I have middle-distance speed as an 800 runner. I really would like to get back to states, and hopefully medal, because I didn’t have a great state meet last year.”
The Fillies will compete on Oct. 16 at the Tri-State Invitational before facing the best of the WPIAL in the District 7 Championship meet on Oct. 23. The Tri-State Invitational is also held at White Oak.
Steeber also qualified for the state meet last season after placing 14th in the Class 2A girls varsity race.
She was pleased with her second-place finish in the individual race, but also proud of her teammates, as the Lady Leopards edged the Lady Red Raiders by one point. Belle Vernon had 42 team points and Uniontown 43. Connellsville was third with 66.
“It was really exciting to win the team title,” Steeber said. “Uniontown is a tough team, but we were hoping for this. We are looking forward to the Tri-States and the WPIAL meet. I like the course at White Oak, especially the finish, because you can really move up in places if you have a strong kick.”
Murtha was 18th at the WPIAL championship last year and qualified for the state meet. She is looking forward to hopefully getting back to Hershey, but she wants to bring her teammates along.
“We lost a tough one for the team today, but I hope we can come back and redeem ourselves at the WPIAL meet,” Murtha said. “It would be awesome if we could qualify for the state meet as a team. We also have the Tri-State meet, so we are going to push a little extra these next few weeks before the WPIAL championship.
“I had a good time today so I was pretty satisfied. I always try to stick with Bella (Baker) when the race begins, but she tends to keep her pace up. I tend to fall a little back, but if I can keep her close, that normally works for me.”
Lady Leopards senior Bella Tatar finished fourth to earn all-county honors with a time of 21:17.50.
Laurel Highlands junior Taylor Schwertfeger, who qualified for the state meet last season after placing 24th at the WPIAL meet, was fifth in the FCCA girls varsity race in 21:25.80.
The Lady Falcons’ Abigail Zavatchan was sixth with a time of 21:31.10.
Uniontown seniors Arrington Scott (21:32.20) and Paisley Murtha (21:46.80) came in seventh and eighth for all-county honors. Scott was crowned the Homecoming Queen last Saturday.
Belle Vernon sophomore Lily Walsh (21:56.60) and Connellsville ninth grader Addison Lane (22:02.60) rounded out the Top 10 for all-county honors.
The Lady Leopards’ Lilah Steeber (22:22.90) and Delaney Fretts (24:00.70) were 13th and 16th in the individual race, but in team scoring, the duo finished 12th and 15th, which was just enough points to top the Lady Red Raiders.
Belle Vernon’s Sydney Welsh won the middle school race in 10:13.80. Uniontown’s Aurora Payton (10:25.50) was second and Mount Moriah Christian School’s Arabella Graham (10:40.30) placed third. The Lady Leopards also won the middle school team title with 27 points.
The Lady Red Raiders’ Addison Caruso won the junior varsity race in 23:08.30.