Westmoreland high school athletes of the week for April 19, 2025: Hempfield’s Allie DeMatt and Mt. Pleasant’s Gage Sowers

By: Bill Beckner Jr. And Brennan Valladares
Monday, April 21, 2025 | 12:33 AM

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Allie DeMatt

School: Hempfield

Class: Senior

Sport: Track and field

Claim to fame: DeMatt, a Bucknell commit, recorded three top-three finishes at the 33rd Lady Spartan/22nd Wildcat Invitational at Latrobe. She won the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 7 inches, placed second in the long jump (17-3) and was third in the high jump.

DeMatt, who also plays lacrosse for the Spartans, had three top-three spots at the South Hills Classic.

Hempfield defeated Penn-Trafford (82-63) and Indiana (105-43) in cold, windy conditions Tuesday as DeMatt won all three jumps.

Last season, she was the field MVP at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet, which is Friday this week.

What did you do that impressed you at the 33rd annual Lady Spartan/22nd annual Wildcat Invitational?

I was most impressed with my long jump performance. I jumped a personal record of 17-3, earning me a second place finish. I was especially impressed because I accomplished this despite the cold and wet conditions.

What kept you from winning multiple events at the meet?

The only event I was favored to win at the invitational was the triple jump, so my competitors’ ability prevented me from winning all my events. In high jump, I had a lot of misses on early heights preventing me from being part of the 2-way tie for second. I was still incredibly happy with my runner-up finish in long jump and fourth-place finish in high jump.

How would you rate your season so far?

This season has been nothing short of incredible. I have set at least one new personal record at every meet, excluding the dual meet against Latrobe and the meet against Indiana and Penn-Trafford. I am incredibly excited to see how I will perform later this year seeing as the weather hasn’t been ideal for any of the meets.

What is your favorite event?

Definitely the triple jump, mostly because I excel most at it. I also love the complexity within the event and athleticism that triple jump requires. It also isn’t an event that anyone can do as it can be very intense on the legs.

What initially made you want to compete in track?

My mom was a track and cross country runner at Greensburg Salem and Washington & Lee, so I wanted to follow in her footsteps. My first time competing in track and field was when she signed me and my brother up for a one-week-long track camp when I was in elementary school. I instantly fell in love with the events.

How much time do you spend a week training on each of your events?

I am in a difficult situation. … I miss a decent amount of practices due to lacrosse games. I would guess I spend around two hours a week at each event. Luckily, my coaches understand this and try to be helpful and “share” my time.

Why is Hempfield a perennial contender in track and field?

Because our coaching staffs belief is working hard will benefit us. As coach (LaRoyal) Wilson will tell you, “The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.” I think that this mindset keeps us in the WPIAL championship conversation.

What event are you secretly good at but don’t compete in?

I’m secretly pretty decent at javelin. When I brought up doing javelin for outdoor earlier this year, my coaches quickly shut it down saying that I am already running around enough with my three jumping events and am too much of an asset in those events to drop them. I can’t wait to see what I can do in college with javelin.

What event would you like to try?

There aren’t many events I haven’t tried, but I’d be interested to see what I could run in the mile because that is my brother’s primary event at Colgate.

How many goals do you have in lacrosse this season?

I only have one goal this season in lacrosse. I am typically a defender, but I am sometimes thrown in at attack and scored that goal off an 8-meter shot. If I am honest, my shooting is not very good.

How do you manage two sports in the same season?

It is definitely difficult to juggle lacrosse and track. My schedule after school begins with track from 3-6 (p.m.) followed by lacrosse from 7-9. I usually do homework in my car while eating a snack between practices. If a meet and game overlap, I go to the meet, but before I knew I wanted to focus on track I would go to the track meet then my parents would drive me to the game.

Have you been following Bucknell’s progress in track and field this season?

I was just up at Bucknell watching the Bison Outdoor Classic. I am excited to be a part of the team and hope I can contribute to their success.

What did you do during your week off for “spring break”?

I spent a lot of time cleaning and doing some school work. I have done yoga every morning and think it’s super helpful for recovery from my long days of activity.

What do you like most about Easter?

I love talking with and playing games with my family, and my parents make the most delicious food for Easter.

Were you the kid who found all the hidden eggs?

I remember being very competitive with my brother about finding eggs, but I think he usually beat me. Coach Wilson always has an egg hunt for the track team the Saturday morning before Easter, and I usually get three or four eggs and share with my teammates who didn’t find any. It’s funny how competitive some of my teammates are when it comes to the egg hunt.

What is your favorite subject in school?

My favorite subject is probably math. I am currently in AP calculus, but my favorite class in high school was probably physics, which helped me in my choice of biophysics for my major at Bucknell.

What celebrity would you most like to meet?

Jasmine Moore, triple jump bronze medalist in Paris, because I sometimes watch her jumps before I compete to help me notice what I could improve in my jump.

Who is the best athlete you have competed against?

Destini Smith at indoor states the past few years. She is an incredible jumper and first in the nation in triple jump and nationally ranked for long jump and high jump.

Do you have any unique hobbies?

My favorite hobby is building Legos. If I were to guess I’d say I have over $1,000 worth of Legos, and they are my favorite gift to receive for birthdays or Christmas.

Do you prefer to shop online or in-person?

I like shopping in person much better than online. I like seeing how things fit, and I even love just window shopping and looking at what stores have.

Dunkin or Starbucks?

Definitely Starbucks. My go-to drink is an iced chai latte with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.

Sheetz or Get-Go?

Sheetz. I love their appetizer samplers, and for long meets I’ll bring their wraps.

What do you do more of, read books or scroll on your phone?

I spend more time scrolling on my phone. I wish I was the type of person who could sit and read a book, but I don’t really enjoy reading.

How did it feel to sign with Bucknell?

It felt so great. I’m so happy to say I’m officially part of the team.

Gage Sowers

School: Mt. Pleasant

Class: Sophomore

Sport: Track & field

Claim to fame: Sowers cleared an outdoor personal best of 13 feet, 7 inches in the pole vault at the Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational, securing a first-place finish and the top mark in Class 2A in the WPIAL this season.

How did you get into pole vaulting?

Well, my seventh-grade year, I started off playing baseball. And prior to that, I played baseball my whole life. I went out for baseball tryouts, and (the coaches) felt that I wasn’t good enough to play on their team, so they cut me and a few others. I was kind of devastated because I played baseball my whole life, and my dad suggested I go out and do track. So I emailed the track coaches to see if I would still be able to join because practices had already started, and he emailed me back and said that I’d be good to go. So I went out to my first practice, and I was just trying a whole bunch of events, seeing what I liked. And the pole vault coach, Mr. Barber, called me over to try it, and (I) picked up a pole, he showed me what to do, and I just been in love with it ever since.

What was it like when you got started? Did you have any nerves?

I was a little bit nervous. I didn’t want to get hurt. I didn’t really know much about it, but I just ran as fast as I could and jumped up, and I was a natural at it. … Pole vault is mostly a mental sport. Because if you’re thinking about it … then the chances are you’re not going to go up and jump.

What is your pre-meet routine?

Well, I always start off with certain stretches and always listen to music before I jump. I love rock music … like Staind and Tool.

What are some of the technical aspects of pole vaulting that people might not know?

There’s like a hole in the ground — it’s called a pit — so you just run as fast as you can, and you get to the pit, and you jump up, and with your right arm, if you’re a righty, you press the pole in, and with your top arm you just kind of press down towards your thigh to get inverted.

Last season, you finished sixth in WPIAL after vaulting 12-6. What has led you to make steady improvements this season, culminating in a personal best on April 11?

It’s just a lot of practice, consistent weight training and getting on bigger poles. My pole vault coach, Tim Tray (Vault Athletics), I go to him for practices, and he helps me with whatever I need. … Me and my father own a weightlifting facility. It’s called Big Dog’s Gym, and I’m over there constantly every day lifting.

What are your goals for this season?

Last season, I finished WPIALs in sixth, and I knew I had a lot more in me. I’ve just been training consistently. I want to win a WPIAL this year, terribly. I want to win that, place high in states and, hopefully, break my school record of 14 feet, 6 inches.

Do you participate in any other events?

Some meets, if our team needs points, I’ll go down to shot put. … I’ll run the 100 occasionally. I just haven’t done it in a while.

Do you prefer either track or field events?

I just prefer pole vaulting. … I just want to be the best as I can at the sport.

What are your hobbies outside of track and field? Do you have another sport you like?

I love sports. That’s what I do in my free time whenever I’m bored. … I played basketball my whole life also. I love basketball. (I) do a lot of fishing.

What are your favorite sports teams?

My favorite team for baseball would be the (Cleveland) Guardians. I like the (Los Angeles) Lakers and the (Cleveland) Cavaliers.

Do you have any professional athletes who you look up to?

In track and field, Armand Duplantis. He’s the world record holder in pole vault. … He broke his own world record multiple times. Now, he’s up to 20 feet, 6 inches.

What is your favorite class in school? Why?

My favorite class is probably biology. I just enjoy science. I would really love to be an anesthesiologist or anesthetist.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully, either competing in the Olympics or going to college to pursue something in the medical field.

Tags: Hempfield, Mt. Pleasant