Mohawk distance runner Jaxon Schoedel, other record-breakers live up to hype at WPIAL meet
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Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 1:11 AM
Mohawak’s Jaxon Schoedel wins the 3200 meters in record time of 9:11.88 during the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Neighborhood Academy’s DeJuan Croumbles-Booker wins ahead of Serra Catholic’s D’Angelo Stewart and Beaver’s Amari Jackson during the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Fort Cherry’s Jonah Pfender throws 176-7 to win the discus and break the WPIAL record during the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Gateway’s Dino Nadarevic wins the shot put during the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Seneca Valley’s Darkari Payne wins the high jump during the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Laurel’s Alexis Geiwitz wins the shot put during the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Woodland Hill’s Scoop Smith edges Latrobe’s Preston Miller and New Castle’s Kaevon Gardner in the 100m during the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
Mohawk’s Jaxon Schoedel’s teammate turned into his hype man at the WPIAL track championships, shouting his name as the senior climbed atop the medals stand for the second time.
Schoedel could only laugh.
The Penn State recruit was understandably the center of attention after breaking WPIAL Class 2A championship meet records in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters Wednesday at Slippery Rock University.
“It has grown on me,” he said. “The attention that I get from my community is fantastic.”
The six-time WPIAL champion (including two cross country titles) pointed to a section of fans in the bleachers who’d stuck around late into the afternoon. The 3,200 meters is the second-to-last event on the track schedule.
“I’m looking up at a giant section of red,” Schoedel said. “Friends and family from my high school that are here not only to see their kids, but they’ve stayed past their events to see me. That means the world. … I’m going up there to hug them.”
In all, 11 WPIAL meet records fell.
• A Class 2A boys record set in 2007 by Rochester’s Derek Moye was broken by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jerry Davis. He won the 400 meters in 48.32 seconds. Moye’s record was 48.63.
• Fort Cherry’s Jonah Pfender threw the discus 176 feet, 7 inches to break the Class 2A boys record. Shenango’s Will Patton held the previous record (171-2) in 2022.
• Laurel sprinter Tori Atkins won the 800 meters in 55.34 seconds to better the 2A girls record she set last year (55.54).
• Winchester Thurston’s Alexis Bansah broke a 2A girls record in the triple jump. Her 40-foot, 2-inch leap broke a record set in 2009 by Union’s Cameron Lewis (39-4¾).
• Quaker Valley’s Davin Gartley won the 300-meter hurdles in 38.15 seconds, bettering a 2A boys record set in 2012 by Washington’s Dustin Fuller (38.50).
Four relay teams set records.
• The Quaker Valley boys broke the 2A record in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:22.36. The foursome included record-setting hurdler Gartley along with James Irwin, Jackson Pethel and Clark Lalomia. Riverside set the previous mark (3:24.26) in 2018.
• Quaker Valley’s Pethel and Lalomia also teamed with River Capek and Jonah Montagnese to break the 3,200-meter relay in 7:51.89. The Quakers had also set the old record (7:57.16) in 2012.
• The North Catholic girls’ time of 48.07 seconds broke the 400-meter relay record in 2A. The winning runners were Seava Cresta, Daphne Flerl, Anna Lazzara and Audra Lazzara. The previous best was 48.51 seconds run by Quaker Valley in 2007.
• Butler’s team of Regan Peth, Aaron Stebick, Jace Gratzmiller and Carter Ekas broke the 3A boys record in the 1,600-meter relay in 3:17.49. Penn Hills set the previous record (3:17.83) in 2010.
Schoedel was the only athlete to break two individual meet records, but he said that didn’t top his to-do list.
“The No. 1 focus was qualifying for the state championship,” he said. “The second focus was defending my title for myself and my school district.”
He defended his 1,600 title in a blistering pace that allowed the top three finishers to all beat the previous WPIAL record. Schoedel won in 4 minutes, 11.04 seconds, ahead of Freeport’s Michael Braun (4:12.67) and Montagnese (4:12.80).
They broke a record set in 2015 by Beaver Falls’ Dominic Peretta (4:15.43).
In the 3,200, Schoedel again outran Braun and Montagnese for the gold medal. Schoedel’s time of 9 minutes, 11.88 seconds bettered his WPIAL-winning effort from a year ago (9:16.03).
Braun was second (9:23.52) and Montagnese was third (9:33.17).
“You need to be extremely aware of what your competitors have run throughout the day,” Schoedel said. “And extremely aware of what your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses are. You’ve got to focus on that the whole time.”
Schoedel said he focused on race strategy over chasing a time.
“There are no numbers in my head,” he said. “Only medals.”
He’ll next try to defend his state title as the reigning PIAA champion in the 3,200. The state meet is May 23-24 in Shippensburg. He placed third last year in the 1,600 meters.
Still the fastest
Woodland Hills’ Scoop Smith defended his title as the WPIAL’s fastest athlete by winning the 100-meter title for the second year in a row.
The junior won the Class 3A title in 10.72 seconds, outrunning New Castle senior Kaevon Gardner, the 2023 champion. The field included 12 sprinters who’d qualified with a time faster than 11 seconds.
Only four ran a sub-11 time in the finals.
Joining Smith and Gardner (10.90) were Latrobe’s Preston Miller (10.92) and Elizabeth Forward’s Connor Stokes (10.96). Pine-Richland’s Jay Timmons was fifth at 11.07 seconds.
Gardner later won the 200-meter title in 22.02 seconds, edging McKeesport’s Javien Robinson (22.13). Smith didn’t compete in the 200.
Neighborhood Academy senior DeJuan Croumbles repeated as the 100-meter champion in 2A boys, winning in 10.93 seconds. Atkins (12.07) in Class 2A and Upper St. Clair’s Sadie Tomczyk (12.25) in 3A won the girls titles.
Back for more
A dozen defending WPIAL champions won again this year. They were:
• 3A boys: Smith (100) and Penn-Trafford’s Logan Kerstetter (javelin).
• 3A girls: Butler’s Aubrey Rock (pole vault).
• 2A boys: Croumbles (100), Schoebel (1,600 and 3,200), Gartley (110 hurdles), Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jerry Davis (400) and California’s Lee Qualk (long jump).
• 2A girls: Atkins (200 and 400), Trinity Christian’s Eilidh Edgar (800), Mohawk’s Ellie Whippo (300 hurdles) and Freeport’s Mackenzie Magness (pole vault).
Derry’s Sophia Mazzoni won the 3A girls javelin title after winning in 2A last year.
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: Butler, Greensburg C.C., Laurel, Mohawk, North Catholic, Quaker Valley, Winchester Thurston
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