As temperatures rise, records fall left and right at WCCA track meet
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Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 10:52 PM
Norwin’s Ryan Schiller beats Penn-Trafford’s Ekoulus Lett and Franklin Regional’s Sean Cartwright in the 100-meter hurdles during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Norwin’s Ryan Schiller beats Penn-Trafford’s Ekoulus Lett as Lett hits the last hurdle in the 300-meter hurdles during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Greenburg Salem’s Luke Rullo wins the triple jump during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Norwin’s Brandi Brozeski wins the 100 hurdles during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Eva Denis edges Norwin’s Melani Schmidt (center) and Kiski Area’s Ellieanna Arnold in the 100 meters during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Kiski Area’s Gianna Devito wins the high jump at the WCCA meet Thursday.
Derry’s Jeremiah Gess wins the pole vault during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Mt. Pleasant’s Bryson Bankosh takes second in the high jump during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Hempfield’s Tessa Trageser wins the pole vault during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Greenburg Central Catholic’s Eva Denis brings it home in the 400 relay during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Norwin’s Melani Schmidt wins with Ligonier Valley’s Katia Gunter (left) in second and Norwin’s Mia McCabe third in the 400 meters during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Latrobe’s Adam Piper edges Norwin’s Daniel Maddock in the 400 relay during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Ligonier Valley’s John Jablunovsky wins the high jump during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Latrobe’s Mia Klasnic wins the long jump during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Kiski Area’s Gianna Devito wins the high jump during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Derry’s Sophie Mazzoni wins the javelin throw during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Hempfield’s Tessa Trageser wins the pole vault during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Latrobes’s Preston wins in record time (10.74 seconds) past Norwin’s Daniel Maddock, Latrobe’s Adam Piper and Franklin Regional’s Loch Bresnahan in the 100 meters during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Greenburg Central Catholic’s Jerry Davis wins the 400 meters during the WCCA meet Thursday.
Penn-Trafford’s Jake McGhee beats Norwin’s Luke Simpson by a few yards in the 1,600 meters during the WCCA meet Thursday.
How did the runners, jumpers and throwers react to the hot weather that greeted them at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association Track and Field Championships on Thursday at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium?
Some turned in record performances.
Norwin senior Ryan Schiller broke the meet records and his own school records in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles. His performance earned him the MVP on the track.
Latrobe sophomore Preston Miller smashed the school, meet and stadium record in the 100-meter dash. He also won the 200.
Ligonier Valley senior Mark Jablunovsky broke two school records from the 1970s in winning the long jump and placing second in the triple jump.
Greensburg Central Catholic junior Jerry Davis broke a stadium record in winning his second 400-meter dash and senior Jonah Schneider smashed the school mark in the shot put.
Greensburg Central Catholic senior Eva Denis broke the stadium record that Norwin’s Melani Schmidt set in the preliminaries in the 100.
Derry senior Sophia Mazzoni set a meet record in winning the javelin for the third consecutive year.
Schiller edged out Miller for the track MVP honors. He picked up extra points in the 400 and 1,600 relays. Norwin won the 1,600.
“It was nice to have some great weather,” Schiller said. “It made it all that much better. I definitely feel all my hard work is starting to pay off now, and it is starting to show. I am really grateful.”
Schiller said the competition he gets from his teammates and the Penn-Trafford runners push him to be great.
Davis won the 400 for the second consecutive season. He said he was able to handle his business.
Mark Jablunovsky and his brother John (high jump) each won gold medals and helped Ligonier Valley edge Greensburg Central Catholic for the Class 2A team title. Both teams had two champions, but Mark’s second-place finish in the triple jump was the tiebreaker in determining the winner. John Jablunovsky also won the high jump in 2022.
“I did not perform well early, but my girlfriend got me to calm down and got back the feeling,” Mark Jablunovsky said. “I just tried my best.”
Penn-Trafford senior Logan Kerstetter was the field MVP. He won the javelin for the second consecutive season, finished second in the discus and fifth in the shot put.
Other boys to win gold were Penn-Trafford’s Jake McGhee (1,600), Franklin Regional’s Will Weaver (800), Norwin’s Tom Gaydos (3,200), Derry’s Jeremiah Gess (pole vault), Norwin’s Cullen Turner (discus) and Greensburg Salem’s Luke Rullo (triple jump) for the second consecutive year.
Norwin’s Jeremiah Francis did not win a event, but he did accumulate enough points to be the mixed (track/field) MVP.
The double winners in the girls meet were Norwin senior Brandi Brozeski (100 hurdles and triple jump), Norwin senior Annie Czajkowski (1,600 and 800) and Norwin’s Melani Schmidt (200 and 400).
Also winning were Hempfield sophomore Madison Altman (300 hurdles), Franklin Regional’s Caroline Shirley (3,200), Hempfield’s Katherine Dolinski (discus), Maddie Tulley (shot put) and Tessa Trageser (pole vault), Latrobe’s Mia Klasnic (long jump) and Kiski Area’s Gianna Devito (high jump).
Denis was the mixed MVP, Schimdt won track MVP and Dolinski and Tulley shared field MVP.
Norwin boys and girls won the Class 3A team title and Greensburg Central Catholic the Class 2A girls title.
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.
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