North Allegheny notebook: Tigers cross country takes 5th at nationals

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, December 9, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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North Allegheny’s girls cross country team capped off its season with a fifth-place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals on Dec. 2, in Portland, Ore.

Wren Kucler led the way for the state champion Tigers, placing 38th with a time of 18 minutes, 29.7 seconds.

Robin Kucler (18:40) and Eva Kynaston (18:53) finished 58th and 65th.

Erin McGoey (19:05) was 84th and Kendall Lucas (20:03) took 157th. Elizabeth Pizon (20:23) and Camille Swirsding (20:25) were 177th and 180th.

The Tigers won a sixth straight PIAA Class 3A championship last month in Hershey, the 10th overall for the program.

Volleyball players honored

WPIAL players were well-represented on the all-state girls volleyball teams released Nov. 5, by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.

North Allegheny placed four on the Class 4A team — senior libero Avery Butcher, senior outside hitter Marin Dunaway, senior right side Jamie Frisco and senior outside hitter Kyra Schmidt.

The Tigers (20-1) swept District 1 champion Unionville on Nov. 18 at Cumberland Valley to claim their seventh consecutive PIAA crown. They also won the WPIAL championship.

NA boys fall to Mt. Lebanon

Riley Farabaugh scored 32 points to lead Mt. Lebanon to a wild 83-80 victory over North Allegheny in three overtimes in nonsection boys basketball Dec. 5.

North Allegheny’s Anthony Sciote hit a shot from half-court to tie the game at the end of regulation and Tigers teammate Ty Iwanonkiw hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie at the end of the first overtime. Mt. Lebanon’s Liam Sheely hit a putback to tie as time expired at the end of the second overtime.

Sciote made six 3-pointers and finished with 26 points. Iwanonkiw hit four 3s and had 18 points for the Tigers (0-1).

Girls basketball opens with 2 wins

Senior guard Caroline Henderson poured in 26 points and hit eight 3-pointers to lead tournament host North Allegheny (2-0) to a 54-44 victory over Penn Hills on Dec. 2.

Kellie McConnell and Lydia Betz each had eight points.

In the season-opener, North Allegheny beat Altoona, 48-46.

Henderson made three 3-pointers and scored 14 points while McConnell added 13.

NA hockey routs Cathedral Prep

Marc Joyson had a goal and three assists, and Luke Walkauskas had a goal and two assists to help North Allegheny’s ice hockey team beat Cathedral Prep, 6-1, on Dec. 5.

Evan Perrotte (2), Travis Lamark and Owen Logan also scored, and Andrew Long made 17 saves for the Tigers, who improved to 7-2 and are in first place in the PIHL Class 3A standings.

Swimmers win State College Invitational

North Allegheny’s boys and girls swimming and diving teams opened the season with victories Dec. 2 at the State College Invitational.

The NA boys team broke pool records in all three relays.

The 200 medley relay featured William Gao, Gus Miller, Riley Williams and Grant Regule (1:34.66).

Zachary Totin, Miller, Gao and Regule won the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.12).

The winning 400 freestyle relay included Gao, Totin, Regule and Danny Lesinski (3:35.50).

Regule also won the 50 freestyle (21.13), Gao won the 100 butterfly (49.77) and Totin won the 100 freestyle (48.22).

Earning first-place finishes for the NA girls were Dani Hinkson in the 100 butterfly (57.97) and Tori Tieppo in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.70).

Tags: North Allegheny