Hurdler repeats in 300, adds 110, long jump

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ayden Owens’ muscles strained as he pushed across the 300-meter hurdle finish line. More than a second later, his competition followed.

It was the second time Owens won by more than a second at the WPIAL track and field championships Thursday at Baldwin High School. The North Allegheny junior earned another WPIAL (3A) gold medal with his 14.19 finish in the 110-meter hurdles, and another gold in the long jump with a 23-5¾.

“I knew I had the capability of taking home three,” Owens said.

In the 300 hurdles, Damion Reed of Gateway followed with a 39.18 and Arlen Hooks of Baldwin placed third with a 39.79. In the 110 hurdles, Cameron Drake of Central Valley placed second with a 15.29 and Mike Yakich placed third with a 15.36. Owens had previously run a 37.56 at the Baldwin Invitational in the 300 hurdles.

It was his last event, and Owens was starting to feel winded. He surged ahead early, despite hitting a few hurdles, and will work on staying ahead while running around the curves of the track in preparation for the upcoming state meet, he said.

Owens will compete in all events he won at the WPIALs — 110 and 300 hurdles and long jump — at the state level. He won WPIAL and PIAA titles in the 300 hurdles last year.

This year, though, he’s heading to the state meet confident in what he could achieve.

“I feel a little bit mature,” Owens said. “I kinda feel a little more confident and a little more ‘I know what I can do.’ I’ve been there and I’ve done that so I’m going in with bigger goals instead of just the 300 hurdles, and the 200 I guess, but I definitely feel like I’m better prepared this year than I was last year.”

Now that he’s gaining a reputation as one of the best hurdlers in the state, the target on his back motivates him to keep training.

“I know that people are right there on my back trying to catch me every day,” Owens said.

Milliner’s reign continues

It’s fitting that Anthony Milliner, the two-time defending WPIAL 2A champion and reigning PIAA triple jump champion, broke the WPIAL triple jump recordThursday. The previous record had held since 1991. The New Brighton senior placed first with a 477½.

Confidence-building gold

Le’Shawn Huff didn’t think he could do it.

A little under four and a half minutes later, the New Castle junior proved himself wrong. Huff won a WPIAL title in the boys 3A 1,600-meter run with a 4:24.18, beating South Fayette’s Sam Snodgrass

Aliquippasenior Antwan Brooks finished first in the 2A 100-meter dash with his teammate and cousin, sophomore Marlin Devonshire, right behind him with an 11.29.

The race felt normal for the pair, having played sports together since a young age.

“Today, it felt like practice … every day we run against each other,” Brooks said.

Brooks and Devonshire joined with teammates to repeat as 400 relay champions with a time of 42.86. Brooks nabbed another gold medal in the 200 with a 22.58.