Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held its WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Boys’ Track & Field Individual Championships in two classification this past Wednesday and Thursday at William C. Lennox Track on the campus of Slippery Rock University. The meet was extended into a second day due to multiple weather delays, and in the end a total of three championship meet records fell and 25 schools between Class 2A and Class 3A produced gold medalists.
 
In Class 3A, Butler had the most champions with five, with North Catholic (3), Canon-McMillan (2), Norwin (2), and Penn-Trafford (2) also topping the podium more than once. Butler senior Drew Griffith defended his 1,600 and 3,200-meter run titles with new meet records in both events, while Canon-McMillan junior Colton Dean became a two-time champion in the 200-meter dash and added a win in the 300-meter hurdles.
 
At Class 2A, Knoch and Quaker Valley both won three events, while Ellwood City, Fort Cherry, Mohawk, and Shenango captured two wins apiece. East Allegheny senior Lorenzo Fancher won his second consecutive gold in the triple jump, and Quaker Valley finished first in the 4x800-meter relay for the second straight year. Mohawk junior Jaxon Schoedel swept the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs – setting a new meet record in the latter – and Shenango senior Colton Fedrizzi won gold in the discus and shot put. Quaker Valley took two of three relays, also winning in the 4x400-meter relay.
 
Each event champion and additional student-athletes and relay teams move onto the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Boys’ Track & Field Championships, which will be held on May 24-25 at Seth Grove Stadium on the campus of Shippensburg University.
 
CLASS 3A RECAP
A total of 12 different schools brought home gold medals in the Class 3A portion of the WPIAL Boys’ Track & Field Individual Championships.
 
Butler’s quartet of Drew Knight, Zachary Slear, Owen Dressler, and Drew Griffith opened the meet with a victory in the 4x800-meter relay, finishing with a time of 7:53.54. Hampton placed second at 7:57.85 and North Allegheny clocked in at 8:00.71 to finish third.
 
Penn Hills senior Achan Green won gold in the 110-meter high hurdles, crossing the line in 14.61 seconds. Finishing second was North Hills junior Gamaliel Mogire at 14.71, and Norwin junior Ryan Schiller’s time of 15.04 was good for third.
 
Woodland Hills sophomore William “Scoop” Smith won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.64 seconds – just 0.02 off the meet record set last year in a prelim heat by Canon-McMillan’s Austyn Winkleblech. Big Macs junior Colton Dean won silver with a time of 10.74, and Elizabeth Forward junior Connor Stokes placed third at 10.96.
 
Drew Griffith slashed his own WPIAL championship meet record by over six seconds in the 1,600-meter run, winning with a time of 4:03.22. Griffith won last year with a time of 4:09.53, which held as the event’s top mark for a year. Ringgold senior Ryan Pajak crossed the line in 4:07.06 to finish second, while Beaver senior Elijah Bechdel took third with a time of 4:11.29.
 
Greater Latrobe’s team of Preston Miller, Jacob Pittman, Bryce Hoke, and Adam Piper narrowly took the win in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.46 seconds, besting runner-up Butler (42.52) and third-place North Allegheny (42.80).
 
In the 400-meter dash, Norwin senior Luke Denny claimed gold with a time of 49.92 seconds, topping Butler junior Aaron Stebick (50.30) and Penn-Trafford junior Thomas Cheplick III (50.47).
 
Colton Dean picked up his first gold medal of the meet with a victory in the 300-meter hurdles, as his time of 38.72 seconds bested Norwin sophomore Jeremiah Francis (39.34) and Achan Green (39.36).
 
Hampton senior Dale Hall captured gold in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.72. North Hills junior Kayden Lightner placed second after crossing the line in 1:53.13, while South Fayette senior Tim Danziger finished third with a time of 1:55.73.
 
In the 200-meter dash, Colton Dean successfully defended his title with a time of 21.71 seconds. Hempfield Area senior Caleb Prola (22.08) and Connor Strokes (22.24) finished second and third, respectively.
 
Drew Griffith shattered the 3,200-meter run championship meet record to successfully defend his title, crossing the line in 8:41.60 – 14.83 seconds faster than the previous standard of 8:56.43, which was set in 2015 by North Allegheny’s Matt McGoey. Ryan Pajak (8:56.37) and North Allegheny junior Jack Bertram (9:09.82) placed second and third, respectively.
 
The Norwin quartet of Austin Hladek, Theodore Ola, Eliezer Thomas, and Luke Denny won the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:22.25, edging out runner-up Penn-Trafford’s mark of 3:22.53. Penn Hills clocked in at 3:23.93 to claim bronze.
 
Butler senior Orein McBride-Cager won the high jump after being the only one to clear 6-05.00. Pine-Richland junior Emery Moye and Highlands senior Kyan Chambers shared silver after leaps of 6-03.00.
 
Central Catholic junior Elijah Faulkner took gold in the long jump after hitting a mark of 22-09.00. Indiana junior Stanford Webb (22-08.00) and Faulkner’s classmate Xxavier Thomas (22-06.00) rounded out the top three.
 
In the triple jump, Butler senior Ayden Davis topped the podium with a leap of 44-08.0. Baldwin senior Marcus Toto finished second after a jump of 44-02.50, while reigning champion Xxavier Thomas placed third by hitting a mark of 44-00.25.
 
Trinity junior Zachary Noble captured gold in the pole vault by clearing the height of 14-03.00 before North Allegheny senior Zach Duckworth and Chartiers Valley junior Christian Crowley, who finished second and third, respectively.
 
Penn-Trafford senior Matthew Sarnowski won the discus with a toss of 185-10.00. Hempfield Area senior and reigning champion Peyton Murray (181-03.00) and Connellsville senior Nicholas Rohal (158-03.00) finished second and third, respectively.
 
In the javelin, Penn-Trafford junior Logan Kerstetter came away with the gold medal after a toss of 177-00.00. Pine-Richland junior Ryan Beam finished second with a mark of 175-08.00, and Mt. Lebanon sophomore Patrick Smith came home third with a throw of 174-08.00.
 
New Castle senior Jaden Kirkwood won the shot put after hitting a mark of 57-08.50. Fox Chapel senior Mason Miles (57-00.25) and Peyton Murray (55-03.00) completed out the top three.
 
North Catholic senior Alex Brown won gold in all three wheelchair events for Class 3A. Brown set times of 19.91 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 36.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash, and hit a mark of 14-07.00 in the shot put.
 
CLASS 2A RECAP
There were 13 different schools that topped the podium in the Class 2A portion of the WPIAL Boys’ Track & Field Individual Championships.
 
Quaker Valley won its second consecutive 4x800-meter relay, this time with the team of River Capek, Jonah Montagnese, Jackson Pethel, and Clark LaLomia clocking in at 8:01.66. Ellwood City (8:01.75) and Winchester Thurston (8:07.28) completed the top three.
 
The Quakers made it two wins in two events after the 110-meter high hurdles, as junior Davin Gartley clocked in at 14.56 seconds to best Ellwood City senior Nick Franitti (14.85) and West Mifflin junior Austin Kurta (15.02).
 
The Neighborhood Academy junior DeJuan Croumbles was victorious in the 100-meter dash, crossing the line in 10.73 seconds to top Washington senior and reigning champion Dane Asbury (10.98) and Fort Cherry senior Tegan Henke (10.99).
 
In the 1,600-meter run, Mohawk junior Jaxon Schoedel captured his first of two gold medals in the meet with a time of 4:26.74. Quaker Valley junior Clark LaLomia clocked in at 4:28.91 to place second, and Freeport junior Michael Braun finished third with a time of 4:29.37.
 
Fort Cherry’s quartet of Dylan Wudkwych, Tegan Henke, Shane Cornali, and Matt Sieg won the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 42.59 seconds. The Neighborhood Academy came in second after crossing the line in 42.89, and South Park finished third with a mark of 43.17.
 
Greensburg Central Catholic sophomore Jerry Davis took gold in the 400-meter dash, as his time of 49.50 seconds topped Beaver Falls sophomore Da’Karri Williams (49.78) and Hopewell junior Zachary Kovell (50.20).
 
The top three of the 300-meter hurdles was the same as the 110-meter high hurdles, but Nick Franitti swapped spots with Davin Gartley, as his time of 39.39 seconds bested Gartley’s 39.56. Austin Kurta finished third with a time of 39.59.
 
Ellwood City senior Colten Crizer won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:56.25. Eden Christian Academy freshman Ethan Haring (1:57.07) and Clark LaLomia (1:57.34) finished second and third, respectively.
 
The 200-meter dash was separated by 0.01 of a second, and in the end Tegan Hank’s time of 22.50 seconds was enough to edge out Mt. Pleasant junior Jarett Garn at 22.51. West Mifflin junior Damarius Day finished third with a mark of 22.69.
 
Jaxon Schoedel broke a 19-year championship meet record in the 3,200-meter run, as his time of 9:16.03 topped reigning champion Michael Braun (9:27.58) and Neshannock junior Brendan Burns (9:38.11). Schoedel bested the previous mark by 1.02 seconds, which was set by McGuffey’s Jeff Weiss in 2005.
 
Quaker Valley’s second relay win of the meet came in the 4x400-meter relay, as the group of Davin Gartley, James Irwin, Jayden Juliano, and Clark LaLomia crossed the line in 3:26.89. Ellwood City came in second with a time of 3:28.22, and Winchester Thurston’s time of 3:28.85 was good for third.
 
Burgettstown senior Zack Schrockman won the high jump, clearing the height of 6-05.00 before Ligonier Valley junior and reigning champion John Jablunovsky. Jablunovsky was the runner-up and South Park senior Jack Ozimek (6-03.00) finished third.
 
California junior Lee Qualk brought home gold in the long jump with a leap of 22-02.50. Charleroi freshman Braedin Lunger was second with a mark of 22-00.50, and Aliquippa senior Demarcus Walker placed third at 21-06.75.
 
East Allegheny senior Lorenzo Fancher successfully defended his triple jump title, setting a mark of 45-05.50 to best Greensburg Salem sophomore Luke Rullo (44-01.75) and Brentwood freshman Dayshaun Spencer (43-10.25).
 
Riverside senior Reece Sullivan cleared the height of 13-00.00 first to win the pole vault, topping Hopewell junior Connor Progar and Mt. Pleasant junior Garrett Eicher at the same mark.
 
Shenango senior Colton Fedrizzi brought home two gold medals, with his first coming in the discus as his toss of 154-01.00 topped Springdale junior Garrett Myers (146-02.00) and Riverside junior Carson Emerick (141-06.00). In the shot put, Fedrizzi set a mark of 55-11.25 to beat out Fort Cherry junior Jonah Pfender (52-11.25) and West Mifflin senior Braeden Walker (47-04.50).
 
In the javelin, South Side junior Mateja Pavlovich emerged with the win after a toss of 157-08.00. Apollo-Ridge senior Karter Schrock (154-04.00) and Union senior Elliot Liskooka (145-08.00) placed second and third, respectively.
 
Knoch sophomore Kristofer Robinson claimed gold in all three wheelchair events for Class 2A. Robinson set times of 20.72 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 36.25 seconds in the 200-meter dash, and hit a mark of 22-04.25 in the shot put.

#WPIAL