Bethel Park star runner Carter heading west

Emily Carter is one of the top distance runners in the state. Her times in the mile and two-mile runs rank among the fastest in WPIAL history.

A year from now, a girl known for traveling long distances will make her longest journey yet — more than 1,000 miles.

No, Carter won’t be running all the way to Stillwater, Okla., but she will be going to school there. Last week, Carter, a senior at Bethel Park, decided that she’d like to continue sporting orange and black gear when she committed to run track and cross country at Oklahoma State.

“I saw it as an opportunity to see another part of the country, and I might not get that opportunity again,” said Carter, who also considered Penn State and North Carolina.

Carter and her parents have actually already been to Stillwater once. They made the 16-hour drive late in the spring to visit the campus. Carter called the school’s cross country course “amazing.”

“It was my first time in Oklahoma,” she said. “I really don’t like the city, but just the small town of Stillwater really attracted me. There were a lot of hills, so it was more similar to here than I thought. I expected it to be all flat farmland.”

Carter said she formed a good relationship with Oklahoma State coaches during the recruiting process, and enjoyed meeting some of the team through a Zoom call. The school also fit her academically, she said. Her plan is to major in psychology with a minor in pre-med.

Last year’s Big 12 cross country champions will next year add a runner in Carter who already has an outstanding resume despite not having a junior track season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a sophomore, Carter won WPIAL Class 3A titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. At the PIAA championships, she set a Class 3A meet record in claiming the 3,200 title (second fastest in WPIAL history) and placed third in the 1,600 (11th fastest in WPIAL history). Carter followed that up with a junior cross country season that saw her place third at WPIALs and second at states.

While Oklahoma State isn’t a typical landing spot for WPIAL student-athletes, Carter will be greeted by another when she arrives in Stillwater. West Allegheny graduate Maddie Salek is entering her junior season running for the Cowgirls. The two don’t know each other well, but Carter said Salek reached out to her to answer some questions she had about the school.

Pavelek to Navy

About a year ago, Beaver senior

Emma Pavelek said the Naval Academy began recruiting her for track and field.

“I remember telling them, ‘If this was the basketball team, I would literally commit right now,’” Pavelek recalled.

Fast forward to June, and Pavelek got the offer from the school she really wanted.

“When the basketball team reached out to me, I said, ‘Oh, that’s a sign,’” she said, laughing.

Pavelek, among the best allaround athletes in the WPIAL, will play basketball for the Midshipmen. She was also receiving interest from Division I schools, along with Clarion, Millersville and Point Park for basketball, and drew interest from Boston University and North Carolina for track.

“It’s plain and simple: No other school is going to offer me the opportunity that the Naval Academy is going to offer,” Pavelek said. “I’ll be pretty much set for life.”

Pavelek, a 5-foot-8 guard, is a three-year starter and two-time allsection choice who has already scored 1,096 career points. Last season, she averaged 17.3 points per game and helped Beaver reach the PIAA quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

When she gets to Navy, Pavelek isn’t sure she can handle playing two sports, but there’s little doubt she has the talent to shine in track and field. Pavelek has won four

WPIAL track gold medals (two in the high jump, one in the 400 and one in the 1,600 relay). She was the PIAA Class 2A runner-up in the high jump her sophomore season.

Pavelek has been busy with AAU basketball the past few weeks. She plays on the same Drill 4 Skill team as Rochester’s Corynne Hauser and Quaker Valley’s Bailey Garbee.

North Hills’ Garth

A sturdily built 5-foot-11, 205pound outfielder, one thing quickly stands out when watching North Hills senior Drew Garth play baseball.

“His physicality. He’s a very physical kid,” said Sean Lubin, hitting coordinator for Garth’s travel team, the Pittsburgh Spikes.

Garth committed to Seton Hill last week, a big get for the Griffins, according to Lubin. Garth has had a strong summer with the Spikes, typically batting third or fourth in the lineup.

“He definitely has a lot of pop in his bat,” said Lubin, also the interim head coach at La Roche University. “He hits for power. He’s a very smart hitter. He’s developed into more of a pure hitter. The one thing is, he’s always making adjustments. He works his absolute butt off.”

Football commitment

Greensburg Central Catholic’s Zach Dlugos (Amherst).