As the weather heated up, so did this week’s track and field meet slate. With 17 meets over a 5-day stretch, it was yet another busy week of meets. A section showdown between Butler and North Allegheny high school plus the West Middlesex Big Red Invitational were the highlights of the week. Next week (April 17- April 23), we have 13 meets on the schedule including the 58th Annual Butler Invitational on Friday. Let’s get into this week’s recap:
Tuesday 4/11
On Tuesday, the Trojans of North Catholic visited the Talbots of Hampton High School. The Talbots defeated the Trojans 73 to 68 in the girls meet and 86 to 55 in the boys meet. Pole vault was not contested at the meet thus leading to point totals of 141 instead of the standard 150 points. Hampton senior, Ava Vitiello earned a pair of victories running 5:24.29 in the girls 1600m and 2:29.09 in the girls 800m. In the boys meet, Hampton junior, Dale Hall, also earned a pair of victories with a time of 4:34.13 in the 1600m and 9:54.52 in the 3200m.
In a key section meet, the Eagles of Grove City visited the Hornets of Hickory High School. In the girls meet, Grove City won by a score of 86 to 54. On the boys side, Grove City earned a 95 to 55 victory. Senior, Josh Jones, scored 8 points for the Eagles with a victory in the 800m and a 2nd place finish in the 1600m. Luca Bertolasio of Hickory posted the only elite performance of the boy’s meet according to MileSplit with a jump of 22-7.5 in the long jump. Meanwhile, Grove City Area’s Rylee Gorrell posted the only girls elite performance by clearing 5-4 in the high jump.
In Erie, the Trojans of McDowell defeated the Lancers of General McLane 103 to 46 on the girls side and 82 to 63 on the boys side. McDowell junior, Benny Whitaker, posted a quick 11.01 in the boys 100m dash, while General McLane senior Kyle Birkmire dropped a 22.83 for the win in the boys 200m. In the girls meet, McDowell freshman, Hayden Palmer, earned a pair of victories in the 800m and 1600m securing 10 points for the Trojans.
Wednesday 4/12
In what some billed as the “dual meet of the year”, the Golden Tornado of Butler visited the Tigers of North Allegheny in a section 3 showdown with serious team playoff implications. In the girls meet, the Tigers emerged victorious over the Golden Tornado by a decisive score of 108 to 42. The boys meet came down to the very end with the Butler boys securing a 79 to 71 victory by winning the 4x400m relay in a time of 3:28.87 to North Allegheny’s 3:34.97. In a meet that featured two of the top schools in the WPIAL, there were numerous elite performances according to PA MileSplit including:
| 1600 Meter Run Finals | 4:58.76 | Wren Kucler | North Allegheny |
| 1600 Meter Run Finals | 5:09.88 | Eva Kynaston | North Allegheny |
| 3200 Meter Run Finals | 10:46.21 | Robin Kucler | North Allegheny |
| Javelin Finals | 124-0 | Alaina Fantaski | North Allegheny |
| Pole Vault Finals | 10-6 | Lindsay Breneman | North Allegheny |
| Pole Vault Finals | 11-0 | Sophie Aglietti | North Allegheny |
| Pole Vault Finals | 11-0 | Ava Como | North Allegheny |
| Triple Jump Finals | 38-9.5 | Megan Baggetta | Butler |
| HS BOYS | MARK | ATHLETE | TEAM |
| 4×800 Meter Relay Finals | 8:07.37 | Relay Team | North Allegheny |
| 4×800 Meter Relay Finals | 8:09.04 | Relay Team | Butler |
In Mars, the Hampton middle school girls emerged victorious with a 78 to 52 win, while the Mars boys bested the Talbots 72 to 60.
In Hermitage, the Hickory boys and girls defeated the Sailors of Lakeview Middle School.
Farrell, Mercer, and Sharpsville visited the Eagles of Grove City in a middle school quad meet showdown.
The North Allegheny Middle School Tigers visited the Shaler Titans. The NA boys secured a 94.5 to 32.5 victory, while the NA Girls won 86 to 41.
Thursday 4/13
In Mars, the Trojans of North Catholic bested the Planets 87 to 63 in the girls meet, while the Mars boys defeated the Trojans in a tight 79 to 71 meet. Mars freshman, Autumn Flowers, posted a PA Top 10 time of 16.61 in the girls 100h, while in the boys meet, North Catholic junior, Jack Fennell, dropped an 11.35 in the 100m dash also a state top 10 time.
Over in New Castle, the Hurricanes defeated Ambridge Area by a score of 113 to 27 in the girls meet and 114 to 35 in the boys meet. New Castle Sophomore, Kaevon Gardner, once again posted an impressive time in the boys 100m dash (10.96).
Friday 4/14
In Saltsburg, The Kiski School hosted Mercersburg Academy. Kiski prevailed in a close meet with a final score of 73 to 67. Kiski Prep senior, Markese Williams posted an 11.29 boys 100m time, and also placed first the boys long jump with a jump of 21-9.5.
At the junior high West Middlesex Big Red Invitational, the Grove City girls eked out the team title besting the Tigers of Sharon by a mere half point – 90 to 89.50. In the boys meet, Farrell edged Grove City 89 to 85 for the boy’s team crown.
At the Mars Athletic Complex, the Planets earned a pair of victories over Highlands winning the girls meet by a score of 85 to 11 and the boys meet 97 to 30.
In North Hills, the Indians secured a pair of middle school victories over Woodland Hills and the Titans of Shaler. North Hills won both the boys and girls meets versus both visiting schools.
Saturday 4/15
In West Middlesex, 14 schools competed in the 2023 Big Red Invitational. On the boys side, Slippery Rock High School emerged victorious with 123.50 points, while the Hornets of Hickory High School won the girls meet with 106.33 points. The meet featured three elite performances according to MileSplit. Oil City’s Cam Crocker threw 156-7 in the discus, Hickory’s Luca Bertolasio jumped 23-8 in the boys long jump, and Wilmington’s Solomon Glavach cleared 15-0 in the boys pole vault.