Gateway’s Kiki Pitts, Daniella Gardner taking on hurdles together

By: Michael Love
Sunday, April 9, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Kiki Pitts and Daniella Gardner form a formidable 1-2 hurdles punch for the Gateway girls track and field team, and both hope to make an impact over the next several weeks leading up to the WPIAL Class 3A championship meet.

Both say the support and push each gives the other is a big part of what drives them to excel among the best hurdlers in the region.

“It is the best feeling in the whole world to have someone with the same goals that also wants the best for you,” Pitts said.

“When we’re in the same heat, it’s a lot of fun and also pretty competitive. Daniella is one of my best friends, so it helps that dynamic and also helps us with our desire to help the team overall. We want the others on the team to feed off of the energy we have.

“Kiki is like my ride or die,” said Garner, also a Gators soccer standout who earned numerous all-section laurels and will play in college at Division II Tiffin (Ohio).

“I love her so much. She motivates me in unbelievable ways. She is so passionate about what she does on the track. I feed off her motivation and her drive to want to be the best out here.”

They were together last year in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles at the prestigious Baldwin Invitational. Gardner placed third, while Pitts took fifth.

“That was such a great race for both of us,” Pitts said. “It was so special.”

Gateway was one of only two schools (South Fayette) to have two competitors in the finals.

Pitts entered this season hoping to build on the 2022 WPIAL championships at Slippery Rock which saw her earn an eighth-place medal in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles. She clocked a 17.18, a little slower than her personal best of 16.34 set in the preliminaries earlier in the day.

“The way I ran (the 100 hurdles) last year at WPIALs was OK, but I definitely felt I had more in me,” Pitts said.

“This year, if I make it (back to WPIALs), I want to give my best performance. I know what it takes to get there and what it will take to be my best that day.”

Pitts slipped to 23rd in the 300 hurdles at WPIALs.

“I was tight. I thought I warmed up well for it, and I felt good,” Pitts said. “Coming off the last hurdle, I hooked it, and I fell. By the time I got up, I knew my time was going to be slower. That was a tough one.

“This year, I am going to make sure I have my head on straight, drinking lots of water, and I will be mentally prepared for that race.”

Garner and Pitts also were part of the Gateway girls 1,600 relay which took 20th at WPIALs last year (4:17.75) and dropped nearly two seconds from its seed time.

Pitts said training and conditioning over the winter, in addition to her work with the Gators girls basketball team, helped her prepare well for the outdoor track season.

“I didn’t compete in (indoor track), but I worked with coach LaBuff and worked with coach Jackie (Smith) a lot to make sure I was ready,” Pitts said.

“It was so important to get that extra work.”

Pitts said work with coach Marcus Robinson on things such as hurdle flexibility and better snapping of her trail leg over the hurdle has given her an edge as she hopes to excel at big meets such as Friday’s Tri-State Coaches Invitational at West Mifflin as well as invitationals at South Fayette and Baldwin.

“The big thing has been working on endurance with bikes, treadmills and inclines,” Pitts said.

“I felt more prepared this year than in previous seasons. With all of that work, I am really excited to see what I can do over the next couple of weeks against some really good competition leading to WPIALs.”

Pitts said running a 16.9 in the 100 hurdles in the season opener against McKeesport gave her a lot of confidence for the season.

“I want my performances on the track to inspire others,” Pitts said.

Garner said she started her final track season on the slower end of things. But she hopes to pick it up over the next couple of weeks as she too has big goals for upcoming invitationals leading into WPIALs.

“I know where I want to be,” Garner said.

“I know what it takes to get there. Honestly, I am excited to continue to put the work in to reach my goals. The dual meets and invitationals, it’s simply exciting to be able to run against some extremely good competition and test myself and my limits.”

Garner plans to make it back to WPIALs where she hopes to improve on last year’s 18th in the 300 hurdles and 20th in the 100 hurdles.

“WPIALs last year continued to open my eyes to the sport and what you need to do to be among the best,” said Garner, who also took advantage of winter training and conditioning to prepare of for the outdoor season.

She also got a taste of competition with a run in the 100 hurdles at the third Tri-State Coaches indoor meet Jan. 28 at Edinboro.

“With soccer being my main sport, I chose track to help improve myself physically,” Garner said.

“It’s crazy to think how far I could go and how I could develop my talents.”

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.

Tags: Gateway