Numerous athletes looking to defend titles at WCCA meet

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 | 4:07 PM

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The best of Westmoreland County will descend on Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium Saturday for the running of the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association track and field championship.

This is the 99th year for the boys and 42nd for the girls.

Numerous returning champions are back trying to defend their titles.

Heading the list are Greensburg Central Catholic seniors Corinn Brewer and Joe Blahovec and Latrobe senior Brennan Campbell. Brewer was a triple winner last year, winning the 800- and 1,600-meter runs and the pole vault.

Blahovec won the 200 and 400, and Campbell won the 110 high hurdles and 300 hurdles.

Other returning champions include Ligonier Valley senior Miles Higgins (javelin), Greensburg Salem junior Aaron Tressler (3,200), Greensburg Salem senior Donavin Waller (triple jump), Norwin senior Bernadette Zukina (400), Kiski Area sophomore Eliza Miller (3,200), Norwin senior Layla Robertson (300 hurdles), Norwin junior Ashley Laukus (high jumper) and Hempfield senior Capri DeCaro (triple jump).

Hempfield junior Liz Tapper is be the favorite in the shot put and discus and will challenge Brewer for the pole vault title. Tapper finished second in all three events last season.

Tapper is No. 1 in the country in the discus with a throw of 163-9. The state record is 168-11 by Greensburg Central Catholic’s Colleen Rosensteel in 1984.

The first flight of field events will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the running preliminaries at 10:45 a.m. The running finals are slated to begin at 1 p.m.

The girls 400, 1,600 and 3,200 runs are loaded with returnees. The top nine finishers in the 400 are back, the top 19 are back in the 1,600 and the top 16 in the 3,200.

Slippery Rock Invitational

Three Hempfield athletes and two relay teams took first place at Slippery Rock University. Tapper won the discus (157-08), Caleb Prola won the 200 (22.96), Daniel Sierk took first in the discus (155-09) and the team of Alicia Weimer, Lily Murphy, Julia Snider and Cydney Blahovec took the 3,200 relay and the 1,600 relay.

Campbell won the 110 hurdles (15.06) and finished second in the 300 hurdles (40.44). Southmoreland’s Olivia Cernuto won the triple jump (35-05.5).

Hempfield senior Noah Ser finished second in the high jump (6-2). Sierk finished second in the shot put (49-8.5) to Penn Hills senior Angelo Allen (59-8.5).

Cydney Blahovec, a junior, also placed second in the 800 (2:21.00). Derry freshman Jane Huss placed second in the 3,200 (11:51.79).

Hempfield junior Lindsay Simmons finished third in the 100 hurdles (17:00), and Latrobe freshman Brylee Bodnar placed fourth (17.12). Bodnar placed second in the 300 hurdles (49.02) and Simmons third (49.41).

Hempfield junior Giana Torri placed third in the high jump (4-10), Cernuto was fourth in the long jump (16-9.25) and Tapper placed second in the pole vault (11-6) and shot put (46-8.24),

Butler Invite

Greensburg Salem senior Dwight Sarver took first place in the discus with a throw of 146-1.

Indiana junior Abbie Huey won the 200 (25.36) and 400 (57.90).

Norwin senior Layla Robertson won the 300 hurdles (45.10). Teammate Bella Brozeski, a junior, placed fifth (48.23). The Norwin 1,600 relay team breezed to a win (4:02.16).

Calendar

Here is a list of track meets this weekend:

• Mars Invitational (33 teams) Friday

• Fayette County Coaches Association Championship (seven teams) Saturday at Uniontown Area High School

• Indiana County Principal’s Track Championship (eight teams) Saturday at Marion Center

• South Fayette Invitational (29 teams) Saturday

• Tri-County Championship (five teams) Saturday at Shenango

• Washington-Greene County Championship (10 teams) Saturday at Peters Township

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Kiski Area, Kiski School, Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Valley, Yough