Meet slogs on at Baldwin
McKeesport senior highlights event with gold medal in 200 sprint
On a day when the skies opened up and the rain seemed like it would never stop falling, many of the top track and field athletes in the area braved the conditions and proved their mettle at the 48th annual Baldwin Invitational — one of the largest track and field events in the state.
Although a few of the top expected entries chose not to participate for a variety of reasons — be it the weather, prom, or simply resting for the postseason — the turnout was still tremendous. With more than 70 schools in attendance on Friday, the event was another successful one for longtime Baldwin coach Ed Helbig and his crew, as all scheduled events were completed on the boys and girls side.
Several notable names put on memorable performances despite the adverse conditions, including McKeesport senior Kanye Thompson. An all-conference defensive back who will play football at Slippery Rock in the fall, Thompson has been enjoying a stellar season on the track after a two-year hiatus from the sport. He took home a gold medal in the 200 meters with a time of 23.06 and finished second in the 100 at 11.13, just behind North Catholic’s Trevor Paschall (11.09).
“The weather was pretty bad,” said Thompson, who had to present a senior project in the morning before arriving at the meet. “I had a pretty busy morning, so I ran pretty well today.”
Upper St. Clair junior Dani Prunzik continued her domination of the sprinting circuit on the girls side, although she chose not to run the 200 meters on Friday. Prunzik still left the meet with two gold medals around her neck, winning the 100 with a time of 12.21 seconds while also anchoring the Panthers’ gold medal-winning 400 relay team.
“She really does perform at her best when the level of competition is raised,” said Upper St. Clair coach Doug Petrick. “She’s raised the bar for what she expects from herself, which is how she keeps staying motivated.”
Like Thompson and Prunzik, South Fayette senior Melana Schumaker has been a marquee attraction at every meet she’s attended so far this season, and Friday was no different. Schumaker took home
gold medals in both the pole vault (11-10) and long jump (17-05), as she continues to raise the bar while climbing up the all-time WPIAL leader boards.
“I don’t know how the conditions are going to be at WPIALs, so I want to be prepared for all conditions,” Schumaker said.
Allderdice senior Elijah White made sure the City League took home some hardware, earning a firstplace finish in the 110 hurdles (16.32) to go with a third-place finish in the 300 hurdles (44.11). He also took home fourth place in the javelin with a throw of 138 feet.
“We’re putting our name out there,” White said about representing for the city schools. “We want people to know who we are.”
Speaking of hurdles, Quaker Valley junior Nora Johns had no trouble clearing the competition as she breezed to a first-place finish in the 300 hurdles in 46.03 seconds. The next-closest finisher, Oakland Catholic’s Emily Cooper — who won the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.98 seconds — finished in 47.55. Johns is the defending state champion in the 300 hurdles.
“Once you get going, you don’t even notice the rain,” Johns said. “I don’t mind weather like this. I actually run the best in weird weather.”
In the prestigious McKinney Mile event, Moon’s Jacob Puhalla (4:19.72) edged South Fayette’s Jake Borgesi (4:19.86) on the boys side. For the girls, South Fayette’s Lauren Iagnemma won with a time of 5:15.84. Borgesi took home first place in the 3,200 meters with a time of 9:51.87.
Blackhawk senior Casey Nixon won the shot put with a mark of 35 feet, and she also placed fifth in the discus (90-4) and sixth in the javelin (89-11). Mia Pierce of Laurel Highlands won the girls discus with a throw of 10808, while Baldwin’s Brooklyn Lucas won the javelin on her home field with a throw of 97-4.
In the boys javelin, Ligonier Valley’s Miles Higgins earned a gold medal with a throw of 153-10, while PennTrafford’s Nathan Schlessinger won the discus (139-8). Elsewhere, Quaker Valley’s Kadin Johnson (50.59) won the 400 meters on the boys side, while North Catholic’s Tehya Dave (59.52) took home the gold in the girls 400.