North Allegheny added more plaques, medals to trophy case during 2022-23 school year

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, June 24, 2023 | 11:34 AM

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This was another banner year for North Allegheny athletics with teams winning WPIAL titles, PIAA championships, and even a Gatorade Player of the Year award for the school’s top girls volleyball player.

Here’s a look back at the top North Allegheny sports stories from the 2022-23 school year:

Volleyball dynasty lives on

Sometimes, one strong graduating class can win a few titles in a row, but the girls volleyball team at North Allegheny has become a true dynasty.

The roster has turned over completely and the team even changed coaches two years ago, yet the Tigers’ statewide dominance has continued. They won their sixth consecutive state title last fall, a streak that ranks second in PIAA history behind only the nine won by the Norwin girls in 1976-84.

Second-year coach Russ Hoburg’s team defeated Garnet Valley, 3-1, in the Class 4A final this past season. North Allegheny setter Mia Tuman, who’ll be a freshman at Ohio State this fall, was named Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year for the second time.

The Tigers dropped the first game in the state final, but won the match 26-28, 26-24, 25-8 and 25-12 at Cumberland Valley.

“This is so special, to be able to win again with this group of seniors,” Tuman said after the Nov. 19 win. “We didn’t play well in the first game, but a bit of motivation from losing (to Pine-Richland) in the WPIAL championship was a reminder to us that we don’t like losing.

“We just kept talking about relaxing and playing our game. Once we did, we played well. The third game might have been our best game all season.”

Tuman, senior hitters Ella Deeter, Carissa Treser and Ella Zimmer and senior libero Caroline Curran earned all-state honors.

Football title worth wait

North Allegheny hadn’t won a WPIAL football title in a decade but the 10-year wait ended last fall.

Quarterback Logan Kushner contributed to three touchdowns, including two long passes to receiver Khiryn Boyd, that let North Allegheny claim a 35-21 victory over Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 6A final Nov. 19 at Norwin. The title was the team’s first since winning three consecutive 4A titles in 2010-12.

“Ten years,” NA coach Art Walker said afterward. “We’ve been in the (championship) game. We’ve been in the semis. For these guys to get a 6A — we’ve never had a 6A championship — these guys get to make history. Now they’ll be a team remembered.”

Kushner scored on a 54-yard run and threw touchdown passes to Boyd of 51 and 68 yards. Kushner and Boyd both were juniors.

Junior Daniel Sellers and senior Andrew Gavlik also scored touchdowns for the Tigers. The NA defense held Central Catholic scoreless in the second half.

Cross country streak at 5

The girls volleyball program isn’t the only dynasty.

The North Allegheny girls cross country team won its fifth straight state championship, this time behind sophomore Wren Kucler and junior Eva Kynaston, who both posted individual top 10 finishes Nov. 5 at Hershey. Kucler was third and Kynaston ninth.

The NA boys also came home with gold medals. They won a third consecutive state title and their fourth in five years.

Swimming sweeps WPIAL titles

North Allegheny continued its dominance in the pool by sweeping the WPIAL team titles for boys and girls swimming this past winter. The WPIAL girls title was the team’s 15th in a row, and the boys title was the 14^th in the past 18 years.

At states, senior diver Christina Shi won her third consecutive diving championship, helping the NA girls win their eighth PIAA team title.

Shi, a Harvard recruit, was the first WPIAL diver to win three consecutive PIAA Class AAA title since Chartiers Valley’s Maria Lohman (2013-15).

Dramatic finish for soccer

The most dramatic finish surely belonged to the girls soccer team, which survived two overtimes in the WPIAL championship before winning the title on penalty kicks.

Tied 1-1, North Allegheny outscored Peters Township, 3-2, in the shootout to win the WPIAL Class 3A title Nov. 4 at Highmark Stadium. The WPIAL title was North Allegheny’s third in the past four years.

North Allegheny’s Lucia Wells, Sophia Palermo and Riley Cerqua converted penalty kicks, while keeper Natalie Rak was in goal for the Tigers. Wells also scored the team’s only goal in regulation.

Golden season for track

The North Allegheny girls and boys swept the titles at the WPIAL team track championships May 9, and eight days later celebrated four gold-medal winning performances at the WPIAL Class 3A individual championships.

The team title was the 14th overall for the boys and 13th for the girls, who won for the second year in a row.

Individually, sophomore Isabella Costa won the girls 400 meters, senior Alaina Fantaski won the girls javelin and senior Owen Curran won the boys 110-meter hurdles. Costa, senior Arianna Tegtmeier, freshman Maya Currie and freshman Mackenzie Winning combined to win the girls 1,600-meter relay.

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.

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