High school track and field notebook: Strong field headed to Butler this weekend

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 6:53 PM

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The 57th annual Butler Invitational will be held over two days this weekend.

The girls take the track Friday and the boys Saturday. There are 48 teams entered in the meet.

The invitational will feature some of the top athletes in Western Pennsylvania.

“It’s a time to measure yourself against some of the best,” Greensburg Salem senior Donavin Waller said. “I’m eager to see how I do.”

Waller competes in the triple jump, long jump, high jump and one of the sprints for the Golden Lions.

After winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association meet April 14 at West Mifflin, Ringgold sophomore Ryan Pajak is also eager to see how he fares at Butler.

“I just want to keep improving,” Pajak said. “Every meet prepares you for the WPIAL and PIAA meets. I look forward to the competition. Butler will be a challenge.”

Up the road at Slippery Rock, 48 teams are entered in the high school event Saturday.

Greensburg Salem dedicating track

Greensburg Salem School District will name the school’s track facility The Steven E. Snider Track and Field Complex at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when the team plays host to rival Hempfield.

Snider died March 1 from heart complications. He was 72.

He coached the Greensburg Salem cross country and track teams. He also coached at Saint Vincent College and recently helped his son Nathan with the Greensburg Salem Middle School cross country team.

Snider developed a great program at Greensburg Salem, which was highlighted by a PIAA championship by the girls team in 1993. He was in attendance when the Greensburg Salem boys team, coached by Nathan, duplicated the feat in 2018.

Snider’s grandson Luke Snider and granddaughter Julia Snider are on the Hempfield team. His son Matt is a Hempfield coach and his son Nathan is the Greensburg Salem cross country coach and girls track coach.

Greensburg Salem athletic director Frank Sundry said a sign will be unveiled before the meet. He said all are welcome and numerous alumni are scheduled to attend.

Tapper soaring

Hempfield junior Elizabeth Tapper recently opened some eyes when she tossed the discus 163 feet, 9 inches.

It’s not only a school record and a personal record, it’s the second-best toss ever in the state. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Colleen Rosensteel set the state record of 168-11 in 1984. The WPIAL meet record is 167-7 and the PIAA meet record is 165-2.

Tapper’s throw is currently the best in the state this season and second-best in the country.

She also owns the school record in the shot put at 46-11.5. She’s also vaulted 12-2 in the pole vault.

Watch out for Wiltrout

In 2015, Connellsville’s Madison Wiltrout set the national high school record with a throw of 185 feet, 8 inches in the javelin at the WPIAL Eastern Qualifier at Norwin.

Later that season, the then-sophomore broke the PIAA Class 3A championship meet record with a throw of 182-8.

Before this weekend, Wiltrout’s best throw in college was 182-5.

Well, the North Carolina graduate student had the best throw of her career, 187-4, in placing first at the Tom Jones Invitational at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. It’s the best throw in college this season.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Butler, Connellsville, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield