9/4-Kaycee Shaffer, West Allegheny, sets CR at Gateway Invitational

With Hurricane Frances bearing down on Florida and weathermen doing the hurricane shuffle regarding its impact on the skies over Western Pennsylvania, many of the coaches and runners at the Gateway Invitational Cross Country Championships were understandably anxious about a possible repeat of the mud bowl that marked last year\'s race. However, the day brought only sunshine and some late humidity, and the only storm sweeping through Boyce Park this Saturday was the West Allegheny women\'s team running roughshod over a talented field that included Elkins High Schoo, the #2 ranked team in West Virginia.

West Allegheny\'s victory was marked by the record-shattering performance of Kaycee Shaffer, who surged away from a tight pack at the mile and a quarter mark to decimate a quality field by over a minute. Her time of 19:03 on the hilly 5K course broke the record set in 2002 by Michol Monaghan of Laurel Highlands.

In the Men\'s Varsity competition, the team title was hotly contested throughout the race with the top five teams separated by only 31 points. Riding the two-four finish of Mike Farragonia and Larry Lenhart, the Norwin Knights overcame a stiff challenge from Bethel Park, Baldwin, Penn Trafford, and West Allegheny to earn the championship trophy. The individual competition was even closer as Adam Smith of Greensburg Central Catholic withstood the late surge of Farragonia and Mike Meade of Baldwin to take first place.