Fox Chapel track goes above and beyond at WPIAL meet

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, May 25, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Anna Troutman could have made a few more attempts to extend her winning height at the WPIAL Class 3A championships. But with Troutman as the only competitor left and the rough conditions that day in Slippery Rock, she was halted at 5 feet, 5 inches, which gave the Fox Chapel senior her first WPIAL championship.

Troutman will be headed to states for the second straight year after qualifying in the 100 hurdles last season.

“Everything clicked up for her,” Fox Chapel coach Tom Moul said. “She had been somewhat frustrated in the high jump and hadn’t been able to get the height she hoped for. Even at the WPIAL meet, she missed once at 4-11 and we were thinking, ‘I wonder if she is going to do well enough to be one of the top kids.’ After that miss, she didn’t miss at all.”

Fox Chapel sent a large contingent of athletes to states this year. Few may have been as surprised as Anna Kintner. Moul said his goal with all of the kids who compete at the WPIAL or PIAA championships is to beat their seed.

Kintner exceeded that baseline. She set a school record with a long jump of 17 feet, 11 inches. When Moul was looking at seeding for who would qualify for WPIALs, he wasn’t sure Kintner was going to make the cut. She was seeded 24th and was on the cutline for the last few weeks of the season.

“She came out of nowhere,” Moul said. “We were thinking she wasn’t going to make it (to WPIALs). We were happy she made it. Her goal was to jump well and to try and outperform her seed. Next thing you know, she’s almost 18 feet and is in third place.”

Kintner and Troutman also teamed up with Alyssa Quackenbush and Taylor Wilkinson to set a school record in the 400-meter relay, placing seventh and qualifying for states with a time of 49.5 seconds.

Troutman had a busy day, also finishing in fourth place in the 100 hurdles and sixth in the long jump. Claire Conti also qualified for states for the second straight year in the discus, placing second with a throw of 119-2.

Rowan Gwin punched his ticket to states by finishing fourth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:11.51. He also placed fourth in the 3,200 with a time of 9:12.37.

Mason Miles finished second in the shot put with a throw of 57-0¼. Moul was excited to see how the group would fare at states.

“We were super excited,” Moul said. “We had high hopes going into the season. To get that many medals at WPIALs and have so many kids go through to the state meet. I don’t want to say it’s surprising, but it was satisfying.”

Tags: Fox Chapel