North Allegheny cross country teams to test course at Tri-State championships

By: Karen Kadilak
Friday, October 11, 2019 | 12:01 AM

After passing one test with flying colors, the North Allegheny girls cross country team will face another in the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championship meet Thursday at Cal (Pa.).

The Tigers took first place in the girls varsity Class AAA race in the PIAA Foundation Invitational Sept. 21 in Hershey. The meet was held on the course the PIAA championship will be Nov. 2.

At the TSTCA meet, the Tigers will run at the site of the WPIAL championship Oct. 24.

They are defending WPIAL and PIAA Class AAA champions.

“Seeing the course, we will be able to get comfortable,” Tiger coach John Neff said.

Senior Hannah Lindgren (18 minutes, 40 seconds) led the Tigers with a second-place finish in the PIAA Foundation Invitational.

Also competing were junior Keeley Misutka, freshman Alexa Sundgren, sophomore Maura Mlecko, senior Caroline Daggett, senior Jenna Mlecko and sophomore Kara Mihm.

Earlier, the Tigers came in first in the Red, White & Blue Classic in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park and the Boardman Spartan Invitational in Ohio.

They were 6-2 overall and 5-2 in Section 3-AAA in dual meets. Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley handed them their only losses.

On the boys side, the Tigers placed second in the PIAA Foundation Invitational despite a did-not-finish from senior Dan McGoey.

McGoey, the defending WPIAL Class AAA individual champion, came back to compete in a meet several days later.

Junior Andrew Kollitz (17:34, 33rd place) was North Allegheny’s top performer.

Junior Connor Foody, senior Stephen Nalepa, sophomore Graham Wolfe, sophomore Ryan Podnar and senior Kabilan Balasubramani competed.

McGoey said the team is just as good, if not better, than last season, when it won WPIAL and PIAA titles.

“With a young team comes inexperience, and that’s where I and a few others have really tried to fit them into the team and instill the same mindset to accomplish our goals,” McGoey said. “We are all very excited for the year.”

The Tigers placed second in the Red, White & Blue Classic and fourth in the Boardman Spartan Invitational. They were 7-1, 6-1 in dual meets, losing only to Butler.

Tags: North Allegheny