Gateway’s Robinson sprints to berth at PIAA championship meet

By: Michael Love
Sunday, May 22, 2022 | 9:01 AM

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Next spring, Amaya Robinson hopes to make an impact on the track at Slippery Rock University as a member of The Rock women’s track and field team.

She got one final tune up for future success there last week as she ran both the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the WPIAL Class 3A championships.

Running in cool conditions and in on-and-off rain showers, Robinson earned a pair of medals and also punched her ticket to this weekend’s PIAA championships with an automatic berth in the 100 dash.

She placed fourth in the 100 prelims and maintained that with a fourth in the finals (12.78) and the automatic bid that goes to each top-four finisher in Class 3A.

“My start can be a little better, but technique-wise, I did pretty good,” said Robinson after descending from the 100 medals podium.

“That first step off the block is so crucial, and I feel I needed to be more powerful with it. I am happy to have one more chance to run at states. I feel I can do some damage. I just need to go back to the drawing board and work on my starts. I think I can do really well. It’s really cool to be able to say I am a state qualifier.”

Robinson, sixth in the 100 at WPIALs last year, was the lone Gateway athlete to come away from WPIALs with a trip to states.

“It was a great feeling to be here and compete at this big event, but I also knew that I was possibly competing for the last time with my teammates who I have known since elementary and middle school,” Robinson said.

“We’ve been running together for a really long time.”

Robinson added an eighth in the finals of the 200 (27.30). It was a 12-place improvement from last year.

“(The finals race) wasn’t as good as I thought it would be,” said Robinson who was sixth after the prelims.

“I think it was more of a mental thing, trying to get through it and aim for fourth again. But I think it still was a pretty good end to the season for the 200.”

Sophomore Kierra Pitts also brought home a medal as she finished eighth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.18. It was a 10-place improvement from 18th at WPIALs last year.

Seeded 15th coming in, Pitts moved up seven spots in the preliminaries with a personal best of 16.46.

“I thought I could’ve done better,” Pitts said. “I was a little nervous, and I hit a couple of hurdles. But I got a medal, and I am happy with that.”

Junior Chris Livsey had a day of almosts as he finished just shy of a medal on the track in the 200 and also in the long jump.

In the 200, he took ninth with a time of 23.03, just nine one-hundredths of a second away from eighth.

He leaped 20 feet, 5½ inches in the long jump, good for 10th overall.

Livsey also teamed with seniors Cooper Hayes and Michael Stuckey and freshman Kenny Lewis on the 400 relay which placed 13th (44.68).

“Chris was really ready, and he had a good day,” Gateway coach Tom LaBuff said.

“He didn’t have great times, but they still were good. It was one of those near-miss days for him. It’s been that way for him all year. He’s been right on the bubble a number of times. He had a terrific lead off in the 4-by-1.

“It was one of those things with Chris and all the other athletes there, you can’t control (the weather), but you have to go with it and prepare the best you can.”

Senior Meredith Geno capped her WPIAL career with a 10th-place finish in the pole vault, successfully clearing 10 feet.

“Meredith was vaulting so well going in,” LaBuff said.

“Her clearance at 10 feet was huge, and she was so ready to go for 11-6 or more. I don’t know if she got pumped up too much, but she was flying so fast down the runway, she was getting a little too deep with her plant. That’s one of the toughest things for a vaulter.

“She turned an ankle in the middle of the season, but she was able to come back from that. She had a really good season.”

LaBuff also noted the performance of Daniella Gardner, a junior making her WPIAL debut.

She finished 18th in the 300 hurdles (49.84), 20th in the 100 hurdles (18.21) and anchored the girls 1,600 relay, with junior Marina Grado and seniors Emma Sandor and Megan McFetridge, to 20th overall (4:17.75).

“She turned an ankle two days before, and it was disappointing, but you will never hear her use that as any excuse,” LaBuff said.

“There was just a little stumble off the first hurdle (in the 100), and it got her off her rhythm. It was too bad. But she had such a great season.”

Earlier in the day, Grado, McFetridge and Emma Sandor joined senior Kiyara Sawyers on the 17th-place 3,200 relay (10:19.01).

Lewis also made his WPIAL individual debut in the 100, and he took 20th overall in 11.78.

Sophomore Kefimba Cisse finished his season with a 20th in the 3,200 (9:59.72).

“His goal was to get into the 9:40’s, and he gave it a legitimate shot,” LaBuff said.

“It was the first time he’s been in that type of competition at that level. Making that next break will be big for him, but he’s had such a great year.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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