Schnur off to fast start
BUTLER TWP — It certainly didn't take long for Annessa Schnur to make a big impression.
Schnur, the first-year coach of the Butler girls track and field team, saw her squad capture five events and a pair of second-place performances as the Golden Tornado won the ninth annual Butler Invitational Friday at Art Bernardi Stadium.
Butler tallied 112 points, defeating Erie McDowell (89), North Hills (68) and Penn Hills (62), who were the top squads in the 24-team field.
The meet opened with sunny weather before the event was hit with a heavy thunderstorm and gusty wind.
"I'm so proud of them," said Schnur, a 2000 Butler graduate and an athlete whose name is scattered throughout the Tornado's record books. "Really, as a runner I didn't get nervous, but as a coach I'm freaking out.
"These girls, they just responded," Schnur added.
In the field events, Paige Rittelmann (high jump, 5 feet, 2 inches), Bri Lumley (shot put, 39-7Z\x) and Marina Gracik (javelin, 109-3) each came away with the victory.
On the track, Tara Lowe took a victory in the 100 (13.1), and the 3,200 relay team of Emily Petrak, Danica Snyder, Trisha Brandt and Katresa Savisky (9:53.86) won as well.
"Tara's been hurt for three years and, finally, in her senior year, we've been babying her to get her healthy," Schnur said.
"It was a great moment to see her win the 100," Schnur added.
Lumley won the event last year and entered the meet with the highest seed, but she didn't quite reach her best effort, which was 40-0Z\x last year.
"My goal was to beat my record," said Lumley. "I'm getting close. ... I got (the winning throw) on my last attempt before the finals."
Gracik was a bit off her best of 122-4 from last year, but it's all about making progress through the year.
"When I throw, I always want to beat my best," said Gracik.
Butler's second-place showings came from Jasmine Bailey in the 400 and Meghan Studds in the long jump.Also in the girls meet, Seneca Valley pulled out a pair of victories by defending champion Erin Lopresti in the 800 (2:20.71) and Alexa Baron in the 300 hurdles (48.97). while Knoch's Gina Robb won the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.78.Knoch's Allyson Cress placed in the top three in two events — second in the discus and third in the shot put — to help the Knights secure eighth place.In the boys meet, some of the athletes from smaller schools came up big.A-C Valley junior Evan Wagner eked out a victory in the javelin (166-3), beating McDowell's Jon Pohl by 1Z\x inches."Really, I was just worried about my technique," said Wagner. "I just tried to nail it and get a good throw."Wagner, who thought he might be able to rip off a better distance, hopes to ride that momentum throughout the season."It makes me feel confident for the bigger meets and now I won't be as nervous," Wagner noted.Freeport senior Darius Frantz had a 6-3 effort in the high jump last week, but he needed only a 5-10 to win in the wet, slick conditions."I knew I had a chance to win," said Frantz, who will play football at Slippery Rock University this fall. "With the conditions we had, I was lucky. ... I felt, with the surface they used, if you used spikes, you're feet would be all right."Moniteau's Jacob Boy also was a big winner in the discus with a toss of 137 feet, which was two inches better than Ellwood City's Bobby Hozick.Seneca Valley's P.J. Blinn won the 100 (11.4) and Butler's Eli Christy took the 400 (51.04), just nipping the Raiders' Hunter Williams (51.08)."Everyone had to run under the same circumstances," said Blinn, who placed third in the WPIAL Class AAA finals last year and advanced to the state meet. "I wanted to go right with it."Christy's winning time in the 400 was comparable to his time as the opening leg of the 1,600 relay, which placed fourth."We put four seniors in there (Christy, Corbin Seezox, Tyler Jaillet and C.J. Burger). "I wanted to give them an opportunity to run together.," said Butler coach Rick Schontz.The Tornado's Dylan O'Donnell finished second in the shot put while Freeport's Nick Gentile was second in the 800.
