Five is fine
Lady Red Raiders win 5th straight section title; LH’s Baker tops field
Uniontown’s senior class has never lost a section meet, and despite a dominating performance from Laurel Highlands’ Isabella Baker, the Lady Red Raiders had four of their five runners in the top 10 to win the Division I Section 2 girls cross country championship Tuesday afternoon at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Uniontown improved to 8-0 with victories over the Fillies (23-38), Albert Gallatin (15-50), Connellsville (15-50) and Ringgold (16-47).
Baker, a senior who will continue her cross country and track & field careers at Davis & Elkins College, had the lead for the majority of the race before crossing the finish line in 20:53.
“I got some separation about a mile-and-a-half in,” Baker said. “Charley (Murtha) was with me for a good part of the first mile, and that definitely helped give me a push in the beginning.
“I had a 30-second PR (personal record) at the Red, White and Blue Invitational in the beginning of the season, and that provided me with some confidence in knowing I can do well this season. It really set the tone for the year. This course is definitely a little slower than the course at White Oak Park where they run the Red, White and Blue Invitational.”
Baker is eager to compete in the 34th annual A.J. Everhart Uniontown Invitational this Saturday at Penn State Fayette, as she will face competition from a field of over 20 teams that will also include several states.
“I am looking forward to the invitational because there will be a lot of teams there and more opportunities to be pushed into running better times,” Baker said.
The Lady Red Raiders’ senior class had tremendous help in winning their fourth-straight section crown from
Murtha was a key piece in helping the Lady Red Raiders’ senior class with their fourth-straight section crown, as the sophomore finished second in 21:42.
“My goal was to keep her (Baker) in my sight,” Murtha said. “She was under 21, which is amazing on this course.”
Murtha, who plays basketball, wasn’t set on competing in cross country in high school, but was persuaded to do so.
“I ran cross country in middle school, but I did not want to run cross country at all in high school, but my older sister, Paisley, and my dad helped influence me to do it, so here I am,” said Charley Murtha.
Paisley Murtha is one of the Uniontown seniors who won a fourth section title.
Lady Raiders senior Hannah Foster finished five seconds ahead of Laurel Highlands’ Taylor Schwertfeger for third place. Foster clocked in at 22:39.
“We knew Bella (Baker) and Charley (Murtha) were going to get out there, and I tried to stay with Charley the first mile,” Foster said. “Arrington (Scott) is usually right with me, so I knew I was in the right area, and I was just trying to stick with her and Taylor (Schwertfeger). We focus on running in a pack and keeping our top five together in practice so it carries over into the meets.”
Scott, a senior, grabbed the all-important fifth spot with a time of 22:57. The Lady Falcons’ Abigail Zavatchan (23:01) and Addison Lane (23:05) were sixth and seventh overall before Paisley Murtha put the home team in the driver’s seat after finishing eighth in a time of 23:10.
Scott and her teammates are eager to race Saturday and defend their team championship. The Lady Red Raiders won the A.J. Everhart Invite in 2022, which was Scott’s freshman year.
“I am so happy and pleased to have been a part of a section-championship team for my four years in high school,” Scott said. “I worked to stay as close to the top group as possible. I knew I had to push myself. It really comes down to mind-over-matter.
“It is always so humid when we run here, no matter the temperature, so it was a little tough to breathe on the hills, but once I got up them, I was fine.”
Connellsville’s Trinity Moore placed ninth in 23:28 and Ringgold’s Mackenzie McCartor was 10th in 23:49.
Kiley Abbott closed the scoring for Uniontown with an 11th-place finish in 23:56. Teammates Sadie Hostetler (24:48), Finleigh O’Brien (24:58) and Addison Caruso (25:21) took the next three spots. O’Brien is part of the Lady Red Raiders’ senior class.
The Lady Rams’ Sarah Pilmer was 15th in 25:25.
The Lady Colonials’ Ashley Comaty was 22nd in 27:07.
Ringgold defeated Laurel Highlands (26-33), Albert Gallatin (15-50) and Connellsville (15-50).
The Fillies defeated the Lady Colonials and Lady Falcons by scores of 15-50, but Albert Gallatin and Connellsville weren’t able to have five runners finish, which is mandatory for a team to be scored.