Eliza Miller leads Kiski Area girls cross country team back to section top spot
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Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | 9:14 PM
Kiski’s Eliza Miller with her first place medal after winning the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Plum’s Connor Pivirotto takes sixth in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Chapel’s Rowan Gwin brings it home to win the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Plum’s Nate Mienke edges Kiski Area’s Samuel Plazio for fourth place at the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Chapel’s Rowan Gwin celebrates winning the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Champel’s Ethan Vaughan takes third in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Gateway’s Kefimba Cisse takes second in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Chapel’s Rowan Gwin jump out to the lead in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 boys meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Chapel’s Marin Airik takes fifth in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Kiski’s Sydney Heinack takes sixth in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Fox Chapel’s Clara Kelley takes fourth in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
Kiski’s Tatiana Holt takes third in the WPIAL Division I, Section 4 girls meet Wednesday at Northmoreland Park.
For the first time since 2015, the Kiski Area girls cross country team is section champion.
The Cavaliers placed three runners in the top six, including the individual champion in junior Eliza Miller, to hold off the challenge of Fox Chapel, Franklin Regional and Gateway under sunny skies at Northmoreland Park.
Kiski Area went 6-0. It edged the runner-up Foxes, 25-30, taking the top two spots. Tatiana Holt was third overall in the individual standings (20:49.6) behind Miller and Woodland Hills’ Annabel Johnson (18:53.5).
“We knew Fox Chapel was going to be tough challenge,” Kiski Area coach Tom Berzonsky said. “They’re always one of the better teams in the WPIAL. But I felt we had a good shot to go 1-2 with the way Tatiana was training with Eliza. Freshman Sydney Heinack had one of her better races. They all stepped up under pressure.”
Heinack was sixth overall (21:19.9), while Kiski junior Ellie Hecker took 11th (23:21.1).
Fox Chapel’s Clara Kelley, a junior, placed fourth for the second year in a row, and freshman Marin Airik rounded out the top five with a time of 21:12.4.
The top 15 individuals for both the boys and girls earned medals. For Miller, it was her third individual section title in as many attempts.
She crushed her own course record of 18:55 set Sept. 16 at the Kiski Invitational. She ran to a winning time of 18:41.6.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win it again, especially since I knew the Woodland Hills girl was going to run so well and go for it,” Miller said. “To do it three times in a row is awesome.”
Johnson also was second at the Kiski Invite. Her time of 18:53 was two seconds faster than the course record, but Miller was at her best and used her signature kick in the final mile to bring the win home.
While happy with her own accomplishments, Miller said she was proud of the way the whole team stepped up and ran for each other to claim the title.
“We had been thinking about this race for a long time,” she said. “We were missing a girl (freshman Addison Tursky), so everyone stepped up and worked hard. To see that happen is amazing.”
On the boys side, Fox Chapel captured its fourth straight section title. The Foxes placed all five of their scoring runners in the top 15 and four in the top 10.
“We had a goal to go out and get five in that top group, and we did that,” Fox Chapel coach Tom Moul said. “I was happy with the way they competed, with the way they prepared and how they raced. There was great competition, as we expected, and the teams are so well-coached. I was proud of what the guys did today.”
Junior Rowan Gwin has a knack for running well on the Northmoreland Course. The individual boys champion at the Kiski Invitational did it again and captured the section title in a time of 16:53.9.
Gwin’s Foxes teammate, sophomore Ethan Vaughan, took third overall for the second year in a row.
Gateway junior Kefimba Cisse, who didn’t run the Kiski Invite, challenged Gwin before settling back in second with a time of 17:01.1.
Plum senior Nate Mienke (17:16.0) was fourth, and Kiski Area’s Samuel Plazio, who led the Cavaliers’ runner-up (5-1) effort, landed in fifth (17:16.2).
“The weather was decent, a little bit sunny, but overall, it was pretty good conditions to run,” said Plazio, who missed the Kiski Invite while recovering from an Achilles strain. “I feel good about my race. I felt I could’ve hit the hill harder, but overall it was a good showing.
“I think the whole team performed pretty well. It was a great thing to see for where we’re at in the season. We’re a strong team, and I think we’re only going to get stronger for WPIALs.”
Joining Plazio in the top 10 for Kiski was sophomore Justin Gross (17:43.5).
Plum took third as a team, going 4-2. Mustangs senior Connor Pivirotto finished one spot away from the top five in sixth (17:39.9).
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: Fox Chapel, Kiski Area
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