Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area runners win county cross country meet with personal bests
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Wednesday, October 13, 2021 | 9:08 PM
Kiski’s Eliza Miller out in front of the pack during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Greensburg Salem’s Jacob Smith won the WCCA boys cross country championship.
Ligonier Valley’s Tucker Klotz leads eventual winner Jacob Smith of Greensburg Salem during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Kiski’s Eliza Miller gave it her all as she drops to all fours after winning the girls event during the WCCA cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Penn Trafford’s Jacob McGee, right, finishes third during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Corinn Brewer finishes fifth during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Penn-Trafford’s Chloe Bonson takes second during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Kiski’s Eliza Miller wins going away during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
The start of the boys WCCA cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Ligonier Valley’s Tucker Klotz finishes second during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Franklin Regional’s Nicolas Provenzo, left, and Andrew Moore finish sixth and seventh during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Penn-Trafford’s Chloe Bonson in front of the pack during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Penn-Trafford’s Amelia Barilla finishes third during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Greensburg Salem’s Jacob Smith wins the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Hempfield’s Owen DeMatt finishes fifth during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Greensburg Salem’s Charles Johnson finishes fourth during the WCCA boys cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Derry’s Jane Huss finishes sixth ahead of Franklin Regional’s Paityn Blakley during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
Latrobe’s Emerson Skatell finishes third during the WCCA girls cross country championships Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021 at Westmoreland County Community College.
There is nothing like running your best and an achieving a goal.
That’s what Greensburg Salem senior Jacob Smith and Kiski Area sophomore Eliza Miller did Wednesday at the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association’s cross country championships at Westmoreland County Community College.
Both breezed to wins and set personal records in doing so. Miller also set a course record for girls: 18 minutes, 8.3 seconds.
Smith ran his first sub-17-minute race, crossing the finish line at the relatively flat WCCA layout in 16:59.5 to edge Ligonier Valley senior Tucker Klotz (17:05.5). Penn-Trafford freshman Jacob McGee (17:10.9) was third.
“Winning this means a lot,” Smith said. “This is my final year, and I hadn’t really won a lot of things. I’ve always been the three or four guy on the team, and last year wasn’t a good year for me. To finally win this race is pretty special for me.”
Smith said starting fast was the key for him, and he was able to stay ahead of the pack.
“Quintin Gatons (2021 graduate) inspired me to do better,” Smith said. “We played baseball when we were young, and I learned a lot from him. He made me a better runner.”
Klotz said he attempted to start fast, and he held the lead until they reached the hill. That’s when Smith edged ahead.
“The Greensburg Salem runner was able to pass me on the loop,” Klotz said. “He got ahead and he extended the gap.”
Klotz also ran a personal best.
McGee was pleased how he finished. He, too, set a personal record by more than a minute.
He was able to keep pace with Hempfield’s Owen DeMatt and passed him late.
“I’m pleased with the way I ran,” McGee said. “Hopefully, I will continue to improve.”
DeMatt finished fourth followed by Franklin Regional senior Nicolas Provenzo and junior Andrew Moore. Greensburg Salem junior Aaron Tressler placed eighth.
Norwin’s Noah Wilson finished ninth, and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Nick Szekely was 10th.
Miller, who finished second as a freshman to Greensburg Central Catholic’s Corinn Brewer, then a junior, bettered her time by nearly a minute (19:13.6). She finished more than a minute ahead of Penn-Trafford senior Chloe Bonson (19:18.3) and sophomore Amelia Barilla (19:31.5). Brewer, a three-time champion of the county race, finished fifth behind Latrobe’s Emerson Skatell.
Rounding out the top 10 were Derry freshman Jane Huss, Franklin Regional’s Paityn Blakely, Hempfield’s Lily Murphy, Latrobe’s Lexie Planinsek and Norwin’s Audra Fedor.
Miller is one of the top runners in WPIAL Class 3A. She looks a lot stronger than she did a year ago.
“Last year it was real windy,” Miller said. “There was no wind this year and that made a big difference. My training is a lot better and we’ve been training hard.
“I know the competition is good. The Cal U course is really difficult, and it will be exciting to see how I do there.”
The Penn-Trafford duo was pleased with their run.
“I did pretty good-place wise. My time could have been a little better,” Bonson said. “I believe I was 30 seconds off my PR, but I was happy with my place compared to last year when I didn’t run well.”
Barilla was happy she was able to get under 20 minutes for the first time.
“I used Chloe as someone to push me,” Barilla said. “I never had people to run with, so I used her as a pacer.”
The top 15 finishers were awarded medals, which were presented by WPIAL Hall of Famer and four-time WPIAL and WCCA champion Natalie Bower Toman.
Greensburg Salem’s boys and girls teams grabbed the Class 2A-A team titles, and the Hempfield boys and the Latrobe girls won the Class 3A titles.
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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