Four race photos below. Gallery link to the right.
Latrobe and their front-running freshman Natalie Bower are looking like a strong challenger for state honors. Bower had a lot of company through the mile and two mile, but then lowered the hammer and steadily pulled away to an 18:37 to beat North Allegheny senior Kelley O'Brien by 12 seconds. With four in the top 12, Latrobe won comfortably with 79 points. Mount Lebanon was 2nd with 103. Bower, who will be a swimmer over the winter before starting track, has been running since she was seven. But this past summer, the Latrobe upperclassmen knew they could have a good year, and put in the work. Bower says the group helped her get to the point she is now. "I was just hoping to make States, but now I think we have a good shot to place."
It was a AA show at the front, as Elwood City's Jake Walker and Avonworth's Lucas Zarzeczny switched places from the Slippery Rock Invitational over a month earlier, when Walker had been running a bit (OK, a lot) under the weather. He was a bit motivated for the return challenge. "After 4-1/2 weeks, I really wanted this." Walker made it a small group of four shortly after the first half mile, and had a lead shortly after two, which he lengthened to finish ten seconds ahead of Zarzeczny in 15:34. "I relaxed the first mile, tried to gaphim the 2nd, and then tried to take the kick out of him in the end. It seemed like it worked." North Allegheny, behind the 3rd place 15:52 by Max Brown won the team title by 19 over Pittsburgh Central Catholic.
It's a crowd about halfway.
And much smaller by 2.5.
A flat to uphill start creates an arrowhead only 300 meters into the race.
Walker makes sure it's a small group before they even get to a mile.