Track Tuesday: 37 local athletes go for gold this weekend at the PIAA Championships
Two local athletes enter the PIAA Championships this coming weekend as the top seeds in their events and both are juniors. Nora Johns of Quaker Valley is looking to defend her title in the 300 hurdles and Moon’s Jacob Puhalla is looking to build on his WPIAL record in the 800 with a PIAA gold.
Those aren’t the only local athletes looking to return home with medals as a total of 37 local athletes ― less than half of them seniors, including four freshmen ― and 11 relay teams will be represented Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
The top eight finishers at the PIAA Track and Field Championships will receive a medal.
21 different local athletes (and five relay teams) are seeded among the top 16. Seeding, which is determined by the results from the district championship meets held across the state over the past week, are viewed perhaps a bit more broadly due to the inclement weather conditions some athletes had to compete in compared to others.
Johns and Puhalla are experienced enough that they’ll adapt to conditions no matter what, but it’s not such a safe bet that all the field will and the size of the crowd has been known to cause jitters, too. Much of the meet will be televised on PCN as well so fans can get a sense of the meet without the four-hour drive.
Fans who watch in person, online, or on television shouldn’t be surprised to see any of the 37 athletes bring home medals but here are those seeded to be among the leaders.
Nora Johns, Quaker Valley junior ― As the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion in the 300 hurdles, Johns has “been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt, and wore it out” but she still admits to nerves before the race. She won’t have a lot of time to sit around and think about it, though, as she is also in the 100 hurdles and a member of the relay teams – and QV qualified all three.
Jacob Puhalla, Moon junior ― Puhalla won one of the most exciting 800 meter races at the WPIAL in years. The competition was so tight, in fact, his closest competition ― CJ Singleton of Butler ― is seeded second and the top four finishers at the WPIAL are all seeded in the top 12.
Mia Cochran, Moon senior ― The Arkansas recruit is seeded in the top eight in three different events after winning all three at the WPIAL meet. She is seeded second in the 1600, eighth in the 800, and sixth in the 3200.
Callie Wetzel, Riverside freshman ― After winning two individual medals at the WPIALs, Wetzel is seeded third in the 300 hurdles and eighth in the 100 hurdles.
Sydney Hale, Riverside senior ― After finishing second in the WPIAL in the discus, she is seeded third in the PIAA.
Alden Wetzel, Riverside junior ― The WPIAL champion in the 400 meters, Wetzel is seeded fourth in that event and will also participate in the javelin.
Quadir Thomas, Beaver Falls senior ― Finishing second by just .24 in the 400 at the WPIALs, Thomas is seeded fifth at the PIAA.
Ty Fluharty, Riverside senior― Finishing in the top three in both the 1600 and 3200 at the WPIALs, Fluharty is seeded sixth in the 3200 and 12th in the 1600.
Ellie Cain, Quaker Valley sophomore ― The WPIAL champion in the 800, Cain is seeded sixth.
Maxwell Hamilton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart junior ― Third in the WPIAL in the 800, Hamilton is seeded sixth.
Cali Legzdin, Beaver Falls sophomore ― The WPIAL champion in the javelin, Legzdin is seeded eighth.
Antonio Votour, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart junior ― Votour won the WPIAL gold in the 110 hurdles and is seeded ninth at Shippensburg.
Donovan Jones, Central Valley senior ― The WPIAL champion in the 200, Jones is seeded ninth and will also run the 100 meters.
Valeria Young, Ambridge senior ― The third-place finisher in the javelin at the WPIAL, Young is seeded 12th.
Maddox Mengel, New Brighton senior ― After a fourth-place finish at the WPIAL, Mengel is seeded 13th.
Kaitlyn Eger, West Allegheny junior ― Finishing fifth at the WPIAL, Eger Is seeded 14th.
Teddy McHale, Riverside senior ― McHale is seeded 14th after finishing third at the WPIAL.
Ainsley Commens, Quaker Valley senior ― Finishing fourth in the WPIAL, Commens is seeded 15th.
Joel Brooks, Ellwood City senior ― The fourth-place winner at the WPIAL, Brooks is seeded 15th.
Paige Drake, Central Valley senior ― Drake is seeded 16th in the 100 after finishing third at the WPIAL. She will also run the 200.
Joe Reed, Riverside junior ― The WPIAL runner-up in the javelin, Reed is seeded 16th.
Other individuals who will compete: Simaya Ausby, Aliquippa freshman (100); Cyair Clark, Aliquippa senior (long jump); Leia Day, Hopewell senior (pole vault); Dominic Flitcraft, Hopewell junior (1600, 3200); Lexi Fluharty, Riverside sophomore (1600); Grace Gasior, OLSH junior (400); Michael Hvizdak, Hopewell senior (110 hurdles); Kadin Johnson, Quaker Valley senior (200, 400); Dustin Mackall, South Side senior (high jump); Cecilia Montagnese, Quaker Valley freshman (3200); Eric Montanez, New Brighton senior (100 hurdles); Casey Nixon, Blackhawk senior (shot put); Ethan Papa, Blackhawk junior (1600); Lauryn Speicher, Hopewell junior (200); Delaney Sturgeon, Ellwood City freshman (high jump); Demeitris Taylor, Beaver Falls sophomore (400, high jump); Tajier Thornton, Aliquippa senior (100
Relay teams: A total of 11 relay teams have qualified to compete at Shippensburg and eight are seeded in the top 16. The Beaver Falls’ boys 400 team is seeded second, the Riverside boys’ 1600 team is fourth, the Central Valley girls’ 400 relay team is seventh, the Quaker Valley girls’ 3200 relay team is seeded ninth, the Quaker Valley girls’ 1600 relay team is 10th, the Quaker Valley girls’ 400 relay team is seeded 13th, the Riverside boys’ 3200 relay team is 14th, and the Aliquippa boys’ relay team is seeded 15th. Other relay teams to compete are the Beaver Falls girls’ 400 team, the Central Valley boys’ 400 team, and the Hopewell girls’ 1600 team.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: PIAA Track and Field Championship preview: 37 local athletes go for gold
