Trio of local athletes highlight potential state champions at PIAA meet
It has been years since Quaker Valley senior Nora Johns finished anywhere but first in the 300 hurdles.
According to the seedings for the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University this weekend, that record could be facing a challenge.
The defending WPIAL and PIAA champion is seeded second for the championships, .61 seconds behind Camryn Pyle of Midd-West as she prepares to defend her title as the only local defending champion.
However, it would be wrong to consider Johns an underdog, despite the seeding. The seedings are based on results at the district championships and that is not always a complete picture.
Johns defended her WPIAL title despite a pulled hamstring that had her wearing a sleeve on her leg.
“I just wanted to qualify,” said Johns after the race. “I’m honestly pleased with my time.”
While Johns may be second seed because of some unexpected circumstances, two local athletes are top seeds and for good reason. Both Jacob Puhalla of Moon in the 800 meters and Antonio Votour of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the 110 meter hurdles are WPIAL champions and WPIAL record holders. Both are seniors.
Puhalla, who finished fourth at the PIAA last year behind three seniors, sits atop a strong field that has the top four runners all within one second of each other.
Votour finished fifth last year behind three seniors but enters the state competition coming off a record performance at the WPIAL meet, where he reset the record twice – first in the prelims and then again in the finals. He will run at High Point (NC) next year and enters the competition .2 seconds faster than the second seed – 14.3 to 14.5.
Puhalla, Votour, and Johns are the only local athletes to be one of the top two seeds but nine other individuals and four relay teams are seeded among the top eight.
Seeded third are a pair of throwers – junior Mikayla Anderson of Beaver Falls in the shot put and senior Alex MacDonald of Quaker Valley in the discus.
The Quaker Valley boys’ 3200 relay team is seeded fourth.
Earning fifth seeds are the Quaker Valley girls’ 3200 relay team, sophomore Jay Olawaiye in the girls’ triple jump, Hopewell senior Dom Flitcraft in the 3200 meters, and senior Joe Reed in the javelin. Reed is another one of the athletes seeded lower than expected because of the results of the district championship – his personal best would have seeded him third – and will use the result as motivation.
“I can’t wait for Shippensburg,” said Reed after the WPIAL meet. “I’ve been preparing for this for three years.”
Local sixth seeds are the Hopewell girls’ 400 relay team, Ellwood City sophomore Delaney Sturgeon in the high jump, West Allegheny senior Kaitlyn Eger in the pole vault and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart senior Maxwell Hamilton in the 800 meters.
Seeded seventh in the long jump is senior Matt Essey of Hopewell.
Three local girls are seeded ninth – just one spot from a medal. They are senior Lexi Fluharty of Riverside in the 1600, Quaker Valley sophomore Kwilai Karto in the 100 hurdles, and sophomore Emma Palmieri of Hopewell in the 400.
In total, 43 local athletes will be competing in 51 individual events along with 11 relay teams.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Trio of local athletes highlight potential state champions at PIAA meet
