WPIAL notebook: Seton Hill to host softball title games; Cross country moves to Cal (Pa.)

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, March 19, 2018 | 10:04 PM

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The WPIAL softball and cross country championships are on the move.

The WPIAL board of directors voted Monday to move the softball finals to Seton Hill this spring and the cross country championships to Cal (Pa.) next fall.

The softball move is likely for only one season. The WPIAL needed a new venue because its longtime home at Cal is under renovation. The WPIAL also considered Pitt, but Seton Hill was a better fit economically.

“It's very nice,” said WPIAL executive director Tim O'Malley, who visited the school's Greensburg campus. “It's all turf. They don't have any permanent seating, but they're going to bring bleachers in. The sight lines will be equal to if not better than (California).”

Separately, the WPIAL board chose a new cross country course after Cooper's Lake Campground decided it no longer would host meets. WPIAL cross country runners had used the Butler County campground since 2005 with Slippery Rock University as host. SRU searched for alternatives, including possibly using the Lawrence County Fairgrounds, but the WPIAL liked that Cal already has a well-established course that also is used for the Tri-State Track Coaches Association meet.

The WPIAL made a two-year commitment to Cal.

Football stadium search

The WPIAL will start actively searching for a site to host its Class 5A and 2A football finals, the two championships not at Heinz Field.

The WPIAL board agreed Monday to split the two finals at different sites, if need be. The WPIAL used Robert Morris University the past two seasons and the Class 2A final could return there this fall, but there's concern that a 5A final won't fit at the 3,000-seat Walton Stadium.

O'Malley said the WPIAL this month will solicit bids from the area's small colleges and the nine Class 6A high schools.

One drawback with college fields is the lack of high school hashmarks and goal posts, O'Malley said. Robert Morris added appropriate hashmarks for the WPIAL finals but used NCAA goal posts.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.