USC junior Shaw is a quick learner
Already standout in classroom, now tops in distance
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Savannah Shaw has a 4.0 grade-point average, is proficient in Chinese, has been playing the cello for seven years and has lived in six different states.
So, really, being one of the WPIAL’s top distance runners probably isn’t even the most interesting thing about her.
Shaw is a well-spoken junior at Upper St. Clair who is not only smart and cultured, but also an excellent athlete. This school year alone, Shaw placed fourth at the WPIAL Class 3A cross country championships, capped a strong indoor track season with a ninth-place finish in the mile at the state championships and began the outdoor season by winning gold medals in the 1,600and 3,200-meter runs at the South Hills Classic.
“She had a great cross country season and a stellar indoor track season. This is just the next logical step in her progression,” Upper St. Clair coach Doug Petrick said. “She’s super talented, obviously. The other cool thing is she’s willing to try other approaches in racing tactics.”
Shaw is also a quick learner. She had never ran the 3,200 before the South Hills Classic, but decided to enter the race that just so happened to include a twotime PIAA champion in the event, Vincentian’s Marianne Abdalah. No problem. Shaw beat Abdallah by about five seconds in that race and in the 1,600. Shaw ran an 11:02.26 in the 3,200 and 5:06.40 in the 1,600. Both rank as the top times in the WPIAL this season. Shaw’s best finish at WPIAL’s came last year when she finished fourth in the 1,600.
“I definitely want to run a sub-five-minute mile. I’ve been so close, just seconds away, so I really want to break that barrier,” Shaw said. “I also want to improve my place at WPIALs and maybe even win it. I have yet to place at states, so I’m pretty hungry to get on that podium. For me, my philosophy is steady improvement.”
Keystone Oaks
It’s not often you see a high school gymnast excel in another sport. That’s what makes Tara Gologram’s story so unique.
Gologram, a junior at Keystone Oaks, is an accomplished gymnast who in February placed third in the all-around competition at the WPIAL championships.
That success has carried over to the track, and Gologram got off to a tremendous start to the season at the South Hills Classic. Gologram competed in four events and claimed first place in all of them, making her the only athlete to win four gold medals. She won the 100-meter dash and swept the jumping competitions, winning the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Gologram’s leap of 16 feet, 11 inches in the long jump would have qualified her for the PIAA 2A championships last season. Her best finish at the WPIAL championships a season ago came in the 100, where she placed eighth.
Quaker Valley
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call Quaker Valley senior Zach Skolnekovich one of the most accomplished distance runners in WPIAL history. He’s the only boy to win three WPIAL cross country championships — he did it his sophomore, junior and senior years — and has spent the past few years as one of the area’s top track performers.
However, one accomplishment that has eluded Skolnekovich is winning a WPIAL track championship. It very well could happen this season, though. Skolnekovich looks strong early, and ran a 4:21.13 in the 1,600 to claim first-place honors at last Saturday’s Knoch Relays. The time was nearly identical to the 4:21.14 he ran at last year’s PIAA Class 2A championships. He took second place in the event at WPIALs and PIAAs. Skolnekovich has signed with William & Mary.
Butler
An athlete to keep an eye on in the throwing events this spring is Butler junior Jena Reinheimer, who was the only girls performer to win two individual events at the Knoch Relays. Reinheimer won the discus and shot put. Her throw of 128-1 in the discus was impressive, especially for so early in the season.
It’s the longest in WPIAL Class 3A and would have been good enough to win her a WPIAL title last season. She finished seventh with a heave of 111-9.