WPIAL denies Layton’s appeal for berth into hurdles
Daniel Layton is the reigning champion WPIAL Class AA 110 high hurdles, winning gold last year with a time of 14.73 seconds.
The Waynesburg Central senior posted the fastest mark entering the 2019 district championship with his winning time of 14.46 seconds at the recent Baldwin Invitational. The time was his personal best and was the second-fastest in the state at the time.
However, Layton will not have the opportunity to defend the title and lower his school-record time because the WPIAL Board of Control, by a vote of 12-3, did not reverse the entry error Monday that left the senior not listed in the top 16 for the event. Layton’s time was nearly one second faster than the second-fastest entry time.
Waynesburg Central boys track & field coach Rick Layton, Daniel’s father, mistakenly removed his son from the 110 high hurdles instead of pulling him from the 300 intermediate hurdles. Daniel Layton has the third-fastest qualifying time in the 300 intermediate hurdles, and also qualified as the top seed in the pole vault (by over a 1½ feet). Additionally, he runs a leg on the Raiders’ 1,600 relay.
“The appeal process was denied. They did what everyone said they were to do. They penalized the athlete who has worked hard and done nothing wrong and not the coach who made the mistake,” Rick Layton said during Monday afternoon’s practice. “We are going (to take the appeal) to the next level (the PIAA). (Principal) Bob (Stephenson) and (Athletic Director) Justin (Stephenson) are diligently working on that right now.
“I’m extremely proud of them (the principal and athletic director). They are working hard.”
Rick Layton is hoping the PIAA hands down a favorable decision, but said his son and the Raiders are moving forward in preparation for the WPIAL Championships no matter what the state decides.
“We will stay focused and work on what we can control,” said Rick Layton. “I hope the PIAA has the wisdom and courage to do the right thing. And that’s what it will take, wisdom and courage.
“We think (the WPIAL) got it wrong.”
Ironically, Daniel Layton was one of 20 athletes honored by the WPIAL with a $1,000 scholarship as a top scholar-athlete as the appeal decision was being handed down.
While Layton will not apparently have the opportunity to repeat as gold medalist, several local athletes look to defend their WPIAL titles Thursday at Slippery Rock University.
Brownsville junior Gionna Quarzo broke the tape in 11:11.16 to win Class AA gold in the 3,200. She then won gold a week later at the PIAA Championships.
Quarzo enters the 2019 district meet with the fastest mark in Class AA, with her qualifying time of 10:29.29 over one minute faster than Shenango’s Carmen Medvit. She’s also seeded second in the 1,600, after placing sixth last year.
Elizabeth Forward senior Brianna Spirnak took gold in the Class AAA javelin with a throw of 150-1. She enters Thursday’s meet with the best throw this spring of 147-5, which tops the second-best qualifying throw by over 21 feet.
Waynesburg Central’s Scott Benco and Taylor Shriver both won Class AA silver last spring, but enter this year’s meet as the favorite in their events.
Shriver has the top qualifying height in the pole vault of 12-9, over two feet higher than Greensburg Central Catholic’s Corinn Brewer. Benco posted a throw of 192-6, currently the second-best in the state and the farthest in the WPIAL by 30 feet.
Belle Vernon’s Hunter Martin looks to go 4-for-4 in the Class AAA finals after qualifying in the 110 high and 300 intermediate hurdles, long jump and triple jump. The senior has the second-fastest seed time in both hurdles. He medaled in the high hurdles and long jump last year.
Monessen’s Darnel Howell is the top seed in the Class AA high jump and Belle Vernon’s Hannah Seitzinger has the fastest qualifying time in the Class AAA 400. Uniontown’s Ahmad Hooper has the fastest entry time in the Class AAA 100. The Leopards’ Ryan Marek has the farthest qualifying throw in the Class AAA discus.
The Lady Raiders’ Madison Brooks is seeded second in the Class AA shot put, and the Red Raiders’ Isaiah Melvin has the third-fastest time in the Class AAA 300 intermediate hurdles and third-best height in the high jump.
Other returning medalists in Class AA include Beth-Center’s Michael Berdar (3, high jump) and Jordan Blackburn (3, discus), Brownsville’s Nick Seto (4, triple jump), California’s Makayla Boda (7, 300 intermediate hurdles) and Charles Roberts (7, 1,600), Frazier’s Skye Eicher (3, 200; 4, 100) and Julian Mucciolo (7, long jump), Mount Pleasant’s Alex Kadylak (7, javelin), Southmoreland’s Chase Calhoun (3, shot put), Waynesburg Central’s Brooks (3, shot put), and Yough’s Hunter Bakewell (8, javelin).
Elizabeth Forward’s Chase Whatton placed seventh in the Class AAA javelin, but the Warriors moved down into Class AA this season. The Mount Pleasant girls also moved down to Class AA this year.
Seeking a return the the Class AAA podium are Belle Vernon’s Seitzinger (3, 400) and Grace Henderson (8, high jump), Connellsville’s Cameron Sapola (5, javelin) and Aden Bruich (4, shot put), Elizabeth Forward’s Hannah Hughes (4, shot put), and Uniontown’s Melvin (7, 300 intermediate hurdles) and Jayden Thomas (4, high jump).
The top five finishers in Class AA and four in Class AAA automatically qualify for the PIAA Championships on Friday-Saturday, May 24-25, at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. Those who place through eighth place and meet the state qualifying standard also advance to the state meet.