TSTCA Indoor Championship - Meet Preview
The TSTCA season wraps up on Saturday with is championship meet. We always see a good amount of strong performances and it should be no different this year at Edinboro.
Girls' Preview
SPRINTS/HURDLES
North Allegheny's Casey Burton has been undefeated this season in the TSTCA in the 60 meters. Burton, who enters the weekend at PA#5 in the event, will shoot to improve upon her PR of 7.73 in the event. Burton's also entered in the 200 meters where Upper Saint Clair's Jane Madson is the top seed. Mount Lebanon's Molly Mangan will also be in the mix for the win there.
In the 400 meters, South Fayette's Rachel Helbling and Greater Latrobe's Faith Mucci are the top seeds in what should be an interesting race. In the 60-meter hurdles, Bentworth's Brenna Cavanaugh will look to keep the momentum going. She ran a PA#2 8.90 in the event last week at SPIRE. North Hills' Amberly Valeriano (PA#5), Oakland Catholic's Jayla Ellis (PA#8), and Hempfield Area's Bailey Traczynski (PA#11) are also entered in what should be a heated final.
DISTANCE
Savannah Shaw of Upper Saint Clair headlines the mile field. Last week at YSU, Shaw ran 4:54 for 1,600 meters. She'll look to translate that into a quick mile this weekend. Oakland Catholic's Hannah Schupansky is also entered. Shaw will return for the 3,000 meters, where North Allegheny's Clara Savchik (PA#10) will have fresh legs.
The 800 will be a great race between two of western PA's best. Malia Anderson of Greensburg Salem (PA#7) will go up against Liz Simms of Butler (PA#11). Expect that to be a race to the line.
FIELD
The shot put won't be an event to miss on Saturday. Punxsutawney Area's Sam Dyson enters the weekend at PA#2, but Lillia Allen of Penn Hills (PA#4) has been the best at Edinboro this season, winning the at last two TSTCA meets. Baldwin's Laurel Bristow, Hempfield Area's Mackenna Orie, and Butler's Jena Reinheimer are among the other contenders for the win on Saturday.
Zoe Roush of Forest Hills (PA#6) is the top seed in the triple jump, but Penn Cambria's Lauren Michina (PA#12) can't be counted out. In the long jump, Cavanaugh (PA#7) will look to build off her 18-3.75 from last week. Also looking for the win are Valeriano (PA#10), Burton (PA#11), and Roush (PA#11) in a strong field.
Molly DeBone of Hempfield Area enters the weekend at PA#5 in the pole vault. She has three consecutive wins and the senior will look to take back the TSTCA title, which she won as a sophomore. North East's Carlye Zahner will be the one to beat in the high jump. She sits at PA#3 after clearing 5-5 last month.
Boys' Preview
SPRINTS/HURDLES
Ayden Owens is in the midst of a dream season. The North Allegheny senior and USC recruit had a terrific meet at SPIRE this past Sunday. He ran 7.71 in the 60-meter hurdles, a PA#1 and US#2. He also put down a 21.35 in the 200 meters, a PA#2 and US#4. He's entered as the top seed in both events for Saturday and he'll be heavily favored to win both.
Bethel Park's James Krandel will to keep reigning supreme in the 60 meters in the TSTCA this season. Krandel currently sits at PA#4 in the event and will hope to improve upon his best time of 6.97. Penn Hills' Alex Trower an Hempfield Area's Eudel Moreta are tied at PA#8 and both in the field as well, aiming for an upset.
In the 400 meters, Riverside's Calvin Wetzel, West Mifflin's Ziggy Patterson, and Greater Latrobe's Zakharee Williams are the top seeds. Expect a close one here.
DISTANCE
The mile should be a good one. Winchester Thurston's Tristan Forsythe is among the top seeds. Seneca Valley's Sam Owori, South Fayette's Sam Snodgrass, Butler's Brett Brady, and the Greensburg Salem duo of Mark Brown and Cameron Binda. In the 800 meters, Seneca Valley's Seth Ketler (fresh off a 4:20 1,600 meters last week) will go up against Kiski Area's Nick Gabrielli.
Sub-9 will likely be on the minds of those entered in the 3K. Among the favorites are Fox Chapel Area's Christian Fitch, North East's Josh Lewis, North Allegheny's Daniel McGoey, and Chartiers Valley's Czar Tarr.
FIELD
Owens, the top seed in the hurdles and the 200, is also the top seed in the long jump. He enters at PA#7, but will look to move up in what has become a very crowded event near the top of the state rankings.
Three boys inside the PA top ten are entered in the pole vault. Altoona Area's Tyler Delozier (PA#6), Butler's Jack Codispot (PA#7), and Waynesburg Central's Will Behm (PA#9) are among the favorites on the runway for the top TSTCA spot.
Expect a good matchup in the shot put. Somerset Area's Nick Hyde comes in as the top seed and PA#5 after a big throw last week. PA#8 Sam Mastro of South Fayette and PA#9 John Eakin of Bradford Area are also in this field of state medal hopefuls.
Mason Ventrone of Mount Lebanon will be the heavy favorite in the high jump. The sophomore jumped 6-5 (PA#6), four inches better than the next entry.