Sewickley Academy, Shady Side Academy runners crowned WPIAL Class A cross country champs
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Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 9:11 PM
Sewickley Academy sophomore Zachary Sharara and Shady Side Academy junior Charlotte Barker took top honors in Class A at the WPIAL cross country championship Thursday at White Oak Park.
Sharara breezed to the title, running a 15:41.60. Mohawk senior Scott McConnell was second and Riverview junior Ashton Saunders was third. Winchester Thurston’s Jack Iyer, who won the Tri-State title a week ago, finished fourth.
“I was confident I was going to win,” Sharara said. “I have not been beaten by any Class A runners this season.
“I had trouble breathing during the race, but I was able to fight through.”
Saunders finished strong but just missed earning a silver medal.
“I am semi-pleased,” Saunders said. “I was hoping for second place.
“It was kind of a weird race, but it ended up being good at the end. I thought the pace would be a lot harder and it was not.”
Barker edged freshman teammate Josephine Lenart by more than a second. Barker ran a 18:38.50 and Lenart a 18:39.70.
Winchester Thurston senior Abigial Weinstein was third.
Shady Side Academy (35) edged Winchester Thurston (48) for the team title.
Also qualifying for the state meet were Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (64) and Eden Christian (121).
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.
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