High school track notebook: ’Tis the season for large invitationals

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, May 1, 2025 | 8:12 PM

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This is the time of the year to which athletes competing in track and field look forward.

It is a weekend when the athletes start measuring themselves against some of the best in the state and WPIAL.

There are three big invitationals Friday — at Baldwin, Pine-Richland and Altoona.

The 51st Baldwin Invitational is considered to be the most competitive with 61 teams including Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, Hempfield, Norwin, Penn-Trafford and South Fayette. The events begin at 12:30 p.m.

Getting just as big is the Pine-Richland Invitational, which has grown to more than 75 teams including Butler, Seneca Valley, Greensburg Salem, Greensburg Central Catholic, Shaler, Latrobe, North Hills, Franklin Regional and Kiski Area. Action starts at 10:30 a.m.

“We’ve been coming to Pine-Richland for years, and it is a lot of fun,” Franklin Regional coach Bob Ralston said. “They treat you well. There is a lot of parking compared to Baldwin, and coaches get unlimited access. It gets better every year.”

Ralston said his athletes will be focused on climbing the WPIAL performance sheets.

Derry and Ligonier Valley will be headed to the mountains for the Altoona Mountain Lion Classic, where they split the competition between large schools and small schools.

WPIAL team finals set

The WPIAL team championship semifinals were delayed by severe thunderstorms Tuesday moved to Wednesday.

The boys teams advancing to the WPIAL Class 3A finals are North Allegheny, Norwin, Butler and Mt, Lebanon. The finals are set for 3 p.m. on Tuesday at West Mifflin.

North Allegheny defeated Knoch, Baldwin and New Castle. Norwin breezed past Plum and Ringgold. Butler, the returning champion, beat Penn-Trafford, Moon and Kiski Area, and Mt. Lebanon edged Franklin Regional, Trinity and Connellsville.

The Class 3A girls teams advancing were North Allegheny, Norwin, Butler and South Fayette.

North Allegheny toppled Hempfield, Upper St. Clair, Knoch and Blackhawk. Norwin was too much for Pine-Richland, Plum and Laurel Highlands. Butler beat Moon, Kiski Area, Beaver and Belle Vernon. South Fayette defeated Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley and Franklin Regional.

In Class 2A, the boys teams moving on to the finals at 3 p.m. at Peters Township are Shenango, Mohawk, Beaver and Quaker Valley. Shenango defeated Riverview, Shady Side Academy and New Brighton. Mohawk took down Greensburg Central Catholic, Fort Cherry, Apollo-Ridge and Trinity Christian. Beaver beat California, Mt. Pleasant and South Park. Quaker Valley handled Waynesburg, South Side and The Neighborhood Academy.

The Class 2A girls teams advancing were North Catholic, Laurel, Carlynton, and Quaker Valley.

North Catholic defeated Shenango, Shady Side Academy and New Brighton. Laurel needed a tiebreaker to beat Greensburg Central. It also topped Fort Cherry and Trinity Christian. Carlynton bested Freeport, Southmoreland and California. Quaker Valley downed Winchester Thurston, Brownsville and South Side.

Last-chance meets

The WPIAL individual championships are May 14 at Slippery Rock University.

Athletes have a week to meet qualification standards.

They can do so at last-chance meets at Norwin and Pine-Richland on May 8 and at West Mifflin on May 9.

City League championship

The City League championship will be May 3 and May 10 at Oliver High School.

The field events will be at 10 a.m. on May 3, and the running events at 10 a.m. on May 10.

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.

Tags: Baldwin, Pine-Richland