Creehan leaps way into SV Hall of Fame
This is the first in a series of articles profiling the 2011 inductees into the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of FameBLACKSBURG, Va. — With so many events, track and field is all about finding one’s niche.Kari (Bonomo) Creehan had little trouble doing just that.The Zelienople native and 1994 graduate of Seneca Valley High School was first exposed to track and field as a seventh-grader in the spring of 1989.“I started out as a middle-distance runner, but one day I showed up at practice and Coach (Sue) Ennis said she was looking for volunteers to compete in the high jump,” said Creehan, now living in Virginia.Her success in the high jump through four years of high school has earned Creehan a spot in the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame. She will be one of seven people inducted at a ceremony Sept. 24 at the high school.Even before she joined SV’s varsity girls track and field team, Creehan displayed certain qualities.“She was a leader at a young age,” said Ennis. “She was a quiet kid, but led by example and was so consistent.”Creehan introduced herself to the WPIAL track and field scene by winning the Class AAA girls high jump title as a freshman.“I enjoyed it,” said Creehan of the district title, “but being a freshman, I really had no clue what it meant to accomplish something like that.”She would go on to qualify for the WPIAL meet all four years of high school and made it to the PIAA event her freshman, junior and senior seasons.Creehan set a new program record of five feet, 5Z\x inches as a junior in 1993. The effort eclipsed Patty Brain’s standard of 5-5, set in 1986.“I had the junior high record at one point,” Creehan said. “Getting the varsity record was definitely a goal of mine.”Creehan’s mark stood for 12 years before Chelsey Pavlick leaped 5-6 in 2005. Da’Lynn Mills took over the top spot (5-7 in 2007).“I thought for a long time that Kari would have the record as long as I was coaching,” said former SV jumping coach Dan Sample, who also coached Pavlick and Mills. “Kari had such a unique approach during her jumps and it didn’t change much even after she went to college.“She had a special talent and was a great kid to work with,” he added.After high school, Creehan spent two years at Allegheny College in Meadville. She was named an All-American during both indoor and outdoor track seasons with the Gators and won an outdoor conference title in the high jump (5-6½) in 1996.“Then I found out they were letting my coach (Ralph White) go,” said Creehan. “Track and field was the biggest reason why I went to Allegheny and with my coach no longer there, I decided to transfer.“I visited the University of Virginia, but did not like it all that much. I was on my way back home and decided to stop at James Madison.”Creehan ended up spending her junior and senior seasons at JMU, though her jumping career was slowed by injuries.Creehan now works as a learning specialist at Virginia Tech. She still has fond memories of her days at Seneca Valley.“It was a great place to grow up,” she said. “There was a great range of kids and that’s what high school is all about, finding something that interests you.”Kevin and Kari Creehan have been married for nearly 10 years. They have three children — Ryan, Carson and Evelyn.For more details on the SV Sports Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony, call 724-452-6040.
