Fox Chapel track team takes lessons from state meet

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, May 31, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Fox Chapel track and field coach Tom Moul said the experience gained at the PIAA Class 3A championships at Shippensburg will serve the program well in the future. The Foxes would have liked to have brought home medals but saw the benefits of having underclassmen get some time at a big meet.

“Certainly we would have liked to have a medal or two,” Moul said. “We took a big group out there, more than I might have predicted. When it came time for the district championships, those kids stepped up to the plate and performed.”

Foxes junior Claire Conti made her third appearance at states and qualified in two events — the shot put and the discus — for the first time. Conti won the WPIAL championship in the discus after overcoming two early fouls on throws.

At states, Conti finished 13th in the discus with a throw of 120 feet, 6 inches. She placed 15th in the shot put with a throw of 36-3 ¾.

Moul believes Conti will learn from this experience and finish strong next season. Conti had a memorable junior year, picking up school records during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

“She’s dedicated to improving physically as well as mentally,” Moul said. “I’m confident she’ll get there. She a competitor and a hard worker.”

Ethan Vaughan was the Foxes’ only male individual qualifier. He finished 14th in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 9 minutes, 26.55 seconds.

Both of Fox Chapel’s 3,200-meter relay teams also qualified and competed. Moul said he thought it was the first time since he took over the program in 2008 that it happened.

The Foxes boys team — David Black, Michael Costello, Nolan Gwin and Vaughan — finished 18th with a time of 8:09.46.

The girls’ team — Marin Airik, Maya DiPasquale, Cecilia Ressler and Ella Shevchuk — placed 24th with a time of 10:04.40.

“Getting the experience was huge,” Moul said. “We’ve never had both distance relays make states before. A few kids will graduate, but qualifying for states should make them hungry for next year.”

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