Butler’s Drew Griffith leads 2023 PTFCA all-state honors as indoor track athlete of the year

By: Chris Harlan
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 | 12:05 PM

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Butler junior Drew Griffith, one of the state’s top distance runners, was named the boys indoor track athlete of the year by the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association.

The statewide honor was the second this school year for Griffith, who received the Gatorade Award as Pennsylvania’s top boys cross country runner in January. This latest award comes after he won the state title in the mile at the PTFCA indoor championship Feb. 26.

Along with Griffith, three WPIAL girls also were named first-team all-state: Mt. Lebanon’s Logan St. John Kletter (mile), Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo (3,000 meters) and Hempfield’s Liz Tapper (shot put).

St. John Kletter was second team in the 3,000.

Canon-McMillan’s Rose Kuchera (girls 60-meter hurdles), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s Antonio Votour (boys 60 hurdles), Ringgold’s Ryan Pajack (boys 3,000) and Waynesburg’s Andrew Layton (boys pole vault) also earned second-team honors.

Montour’s Harley Kletz (girls mile), Pine-Richland’s Natalie McLean (girls 3,000) and Norwin’s Ashley Laukus (girls high jump) were named to the third team, along with the South Fayette boys 3,200-meter relay and the Butler boys distance medley relay.

Sprinter Avery Lewis of Friends’ Central earned the girls athlete of the year award. West Chester Rustin’s Jim Collins and Episcopal Academy’s Zach Richards were named the top coaches.

Girls all-state

First team

60: Avery Lewis, Friends’ Central

60 hurdles: Macaela Walker, Oxford

200: Avery Lewis, Friends’ Central

400: Kaddel Howard, Cedar Crest

800: Alli DeLisi, Penn Charter

Mile: Logan St. John Kletter, Mt. Lebanon

3,000: Jolena Quarzo, Brownsville

Shot put: Elizabeth Tapper, Hempfield

High jump: Sara McConnell, River Valley

Pole vault: Katie Urbine, Solanco

Long jump: Avery Lewis, Friends’ Central

Triple jump: Taylor Forbes, North Penn

800 relay: Chester

1,600 relay: J.P. McCaskey

3,200 relay: J.P. McCaskey

Distance medley: Haverford

Boys all-state

First team

60: Evan McCracken, Richland

60 hurdles: Darion Baumgartner, Chambersburg

200: Conor McFadden, Central Bucks West

400: Tyler Abraham, Abington

800: Michael Woolery, Episcopal Academy

Mile: Drew Griffith, Butler

3,000: Brian DiCola, Hatboro Horsham

Shot put: Brady Mider, Berks Catholic

High jump: Xavier McGreal, Kennett

Pole vault: Logan Gossard, Richland

Long jump: Luca Bertolasio, Hickory

Triple jump: J.J. Kelly, Chambersburg

800 relay: Central Bucks West

1,600 relay: Abington

3,200 relay: Episcopal Academy

Distance medley: Haverford

2023 PTFCA Indoor All-State Teams

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Brownsville, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Hempfield, Montour, Mt. lebanon, Norwin, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Pine-Richland, Ringgold, South Fayette, Waynesburg