Section 4 cross country teams to face off at Northmoreland Park

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | 3:52 PM

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Cross country titles will be on the line Wednesday afternoon when the Division I, Section 4 teams gather at Northmoreland Park.

The one-day championship meet will feature Armstrong, Central Catholic/Oakland Catholic, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Indiana, Kiski Area, Penn Hills, Penn Hills, Plum and Woodland Hills.

Individual and team crowns will be on the line as the squads kick off the month of October with the WPIAL championships at Cal (Pa.) just three weeks away.

“Everyone is getting into championship mode,” Kiski Area coach Tom Berzonsky said. “This is a unique meet in the WPIAL, and the coaches and runners seem to like it and want to keep it going.”

The teams have been focusing on training and invitationals over the past several weeks leading up to Wednesday’s meet.

Several the teams and runners were able to get a refresher three weeks ago as they ran the Kiski Area Invitational at Northmoreland Park.

“Everyone knows the course from past races, and I think it’s fair for everyone,” Berzonsky said.

The Indiana boys and the Fox Chapel girls are the defending team champions.

Both teams, along with the Oakland Catholic girls, went on to represent the section at the state meet.

Fox Chapel senior Christian Fitch returns as the defending individual boys champion.

Grace Sisson, a senior at Fox Chapel, finished second in last year’s girls race to Oakland Catholic graduate Hannah Shupansky, a member of the women’s cross country team at Yale.

Oakland Catholic and Plum join Fox Chapel as top challengers in the girls race, while Indiana, Fox Chapel and Kiski Area are among those hoping to fend off other teams for the boys title.

The varsity boys race kicks off at 3 p.m., followed by the varsity girls race at 3:30. A combined junior varsity race will be at 4.

“Some of the best athletes the WPIAL has to offer are in this race,” Plum coach Adam Molinaro said. “It will be a great test for everyone.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Armstrong, Central Catholic, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Indiana, Kiski Area, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Plum, Woodland Hills