Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Greensburg Salem’s Aaron Tressler

By: Anthony Difilippo
Monday, November 14, 2022 | 3:58 PM

Purchase Photo Options

When the WPIAL Class 2A cross country championships began Oct. 27 at Cal (Pa.), 231 boys from across the district were in the field.

Greensburg Salem’s Aaron Tressler finished ahead of all but 14 of them.

Tressler, who turned in a time of 17 minutes, 22.80 seconds, mostly was satisfied with his performance, especially because he was sick at the time.

“I’m pretty happy,” Tressler said. “I’m excited and looking forward to states with a healthy race.”

Tressler bested his time from the year prior by about 30 seconds (17:52.90). He finished eighth in that race.

He also shaved nine seconds off his time from the Tri-State meet on the same course the week prior.

“I did start out slower, and I was in a position where I was really far back,” Tressler said. “Once I saw what position I was in, that was motivation.”

The one thing all runners who tackle the course at Cal (Pa.) must contend with is the hill that challenges the field.

Tressler described what that obstacle is like and his plan of attack.

“For me, it’s just about staying steady up that hill,” Tressler said. “For me, I don’t really hammer that hill. It’s about staying steady where I’m at.”

Tressler was a part of a Greensburg Salem team that won a WPIAL team title when he was a sophomore.

“That was definitely my best running memory so far, because that team bonding experience was great,” Tressler said. “That meant a lot to be able to get out there as the underdogs.”

Tressler is undecided about his future college plans, and he still is looking at a range of universities. He wants to run in college.

This week, Tressler took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with cross country?

My dad ran a little. He did some marathons and 5Ks. My older sister ran in high school and college. I was around it. I ran track in middle school, but then I played football my freshman year of high school. After that, I went back to track and figured out I was kind of good at it. I decided to stick with that.

Was the competition stiffer in this year’s WPIAL race?

The course wasn’t great last year. It was definitely worse, but not 30 seconds worse. The conditions weren’t great, but the competition in the WPIAL is getting so much better and it’s very competitive. There are so many great athletes. I expected that, and I knew what was to come.

What are some tips for people looking to get into running?

I’d probably say just consistency for the average person. Just trying to get better every time you get out there and not giving up is probably the biggest part. A lot of running is just mental, so you need to get out there and tough it out. You’ll make gains quickly if you can be consistent.

What is one thing that people may not know about you?

I never planned to run cross country in high school. I planned to play football the whole time, and that changed during track.

Tags: Greensburg Salem