Hello, Neighbor
BUTLER TWP — A “COVID era meet.”
That's how Butler boys track and field coach Mike Seybert described Saturday's first-ever Butler County Classic at Art Bernardi Stadium.
Eight Butler County schools — totaling 310 athletes — comprised the all-county meet. Team scores were not kept because of the discrepancy in sizes of schools and rosters.
“It was a big meet, yet something small enough we could do,” Seybert said.
“These kids got a chance to talk to other kids from nearby schools, meet new friends,” Butler girls coach John Williams said. “With no outdoor season last spring and not much of an indoor season this year, these kids just wanted some competition.
“It was a beautiful day and they took advantage of it.”
Indeed they did.
- Slippery Rock's Maryann Ackerman won the girls shot put, discus and javelin, becoming the lone three-event winner of the day.- Butler's CJ Singleton and Knoch's Mike Formica both set school records in the 1,600 meters while eclipsing the previous fastest time in the state.- Karns City's Ashley Fox shattered the school record in the javelin while finishing second to Ackerman.- Butler's Guinness Brown broke his own school record in the 200 meters and snapped a 24-year-old school mark in the 400.Fox and Brown didn't even anticipate competing in their respective events. Fox also plays softball for the Gremlins and had a game Saturday morning.“I wasn't planning on coming to the meet because I couldn't get there for the girls javelin,” Fox said. “Then I found out they would let me throw with the boys and use my score for the girls, so I hurried over there.”Fox tossed the javelin 129 feet, 9 inches. The previous school record was 120 feet.Brown figured on running only the 400 Saturday. He won that event in 48.60 seconds, snapping the school record of 48.80 held by Mark Harvey (1975) and Josh Dumbaugh (1999). He broke the Golden Tornado's 100 and 200-meter records earlier this spring.His time of 21.43 in the 200 Saturday broke his own record.“I wasn't planning on running the 200 today,” Brown said. “But Colton Timmons got hurt running the 100, so we had a spot open.“I pulled out of the 4x100 relay so I could run the 200. I knew North Catholic's Trevor Paschall was running that event and he's really good. I wanted to be pushed and I was.”Singleton felt the same way about the 1,600 meters. He decided to enter that event Saturday to have a chance to run against Formica. Both were WPIAL cross country champions, Singleton in 3A, Formica in 2A.“CJ runs at a whole different level from anybody around here,” Formica said. “We train together sometimes and he's great. This was our only chance to run against each other in a meet.”Singleton won the event in 4:11.9, breaking Noah Beveridge's previous school mark of 4:12. Formica took second in 4:16.72, snapping the Knights' previous school record held by Kevin Doyle.The fastest outdoor 1,600 run in the state before Saturday was 4:19.“Show me another county meet anywhere with the first and second place times like this,” Formica said of the 1,600. “You won't find one.”Singleton's previous best time in the mile was 4:30.“Everything was right today,” he said. “The weather, the competition, everything. It all came together.“I couldn't pass on this opportunity. I was pretty pumped.”Ackerman flexed her muscles in sweeping the girls throwing events.“It does mean a lot to me, doing it here at a meet with so many WPIAL schools,” Ackerman said. “We're the only District 10 team here and I feel like we represented ourselves well.”Rocket teammate Anna Kadlubek won the 100 and 200 meters on the girls side.“This was fun ... great competition,” she said. “We got to run against other kids from the county and we don't normally get to do that. That made this pretty special.”Other double-event winners on the boys side were Seneca Valley's Aiden Kutchma in the hurdle events, Knoch's Josh Rohland in the shot put and discus, Slippery Rock's Ethan Folmer in the high jump and long jump.On the girls side, Butler's Emma Lehman won both hurdle events and Jennifer Cichra the 800 and 1,600 meters.
The top three placers in each event received a T-shirt. Those placers follow:<b>Boys</b>3,200 relay: Freeport (Isaac Linhart, Tyler Moretti, Ben Perka, John Rhoden) 9:03.30, Knoch, Seneca Valley; 110 hurdles: Aiden Kutchma (SV) 15.19, Alex Bell (M), Levi Prementine (SR); 100 dash: Tyler Yurich (SV) 10.88, Trevor Paschall (NC), Jack Fennell (NC); 1,600 run: CJ Singleton (B) 4:11.09, Mike Formica (K), Eli Dewitt (SV); 400 run: Guinness Brown (B) 48.60, Lucas Slear (B), Nick Hartman (SV); 400 relay: North Catholic (Jack Fennell, Luke Mager, Trevor Paschall, Kyle Tipinski) 43.98, Butler, Moniteau; 300 hurdles: Aiden Kutchma (SV) 39.14, Presley Ornelas(B), Michael Bell (M); 800 run: Skyler Vavro (B) 1:57.63, Noah Petersen (SV), Ben Perka (F); 200 dash: Guinness Brown (B) 21.43, Trevor Paschall (NC), Brayden Young (B); 3,200 run: Justin Domencic (SV) 10:30.31, Joe Harnanos (NC), Kenneth Bickel (SR); 1,600 relay: Butler (Guinness Brown, Charles Kreinbucher, Presley Ornelas, Lucas Slear) 3:33.53, Karns City, KnochShot put: Joshua Rohland (K) 52-01, Seaton Wozniak (SR), Nathan Waltman (KC); Discus: Joshua Rohland (K) 147-01, Seaton Wozniak (SR), David Stamm (M); Javelin: Josh Kingerski (SR) 183-0, David Stamm (M), Matt Laslavic (SV); High jump: Ethan Folmer (SR) 5-10, Jordan Stutz (B), Matt Laslavic (SV); Long jump: Justin Kabay (B) 20-06, Brayden Young (B), Levi Prementine (SR); Triple jump: Ethan Folmer (SR) 44-01, Matt Laslavic (SV), Ryan Porch (B); Pole vault: Tristan McGarrah (B) 14-0, Ryan Bernardi (B), Cade Savochka (B)<b>Girls</b>3,200 relay: Butler (Krislyn Green, Addison Thomas, Ava Brewster, Jennifer Cichra) 10:16.25, Knoch, North Catholic; 100 hurdles: Emma Lehman (B) 16.16, Kiersten Belt (SV), Julie Snyder (SV); 100 dash: Anna Kadlubek (SR) 12.93, Justin Forbes (B), Taylor Timmons (B); 1,600 run: Jennifer Cichra (B) 5:26.96, Alaina Hicks (NC), Tara Lucot (NC); 400 run: Rylie Smith (SV) 59.16, Taylor Timmons (B), Krislyn Green (B); 400 relay: Butler (Taylor Timmons, Alli Morrow, Justine Forbes, Emma Lehman) 50.67, Knoch, Karns City; 300 hurdles: Emma Lehman (B) 47.55, Avarie Smithco (SV), Lauren Bowden (B); 800 run: Jennifer Cichra (B) 2:29.28, Grace Bogacz (K), Ashley Shea (SR); 200 dash: Anna Kadlubek (SR) 25.93, Alli Morrow (B), Rylie Smith (SV); 3,200 run: Gabrielle Kutchma (SV) 11:52.66, Alaina Hicks (NC), Ava Brewster (B); 1,600 relay: Butler (Taylor Timmons, Emma Lehman, Justine Forbes, Krislyn Green) 4:17.23, Knoch, Karns CityShot put: Maryann Ackerman (SR) 36-0, Kenna Jackson (B), Sarayne Forbes (B); Discus: Maryann Ackerman (SR) 106-07, Sarayne Fobes (B), Andrea Jones (B); Javelin: Maryann Ackerman (SR) 136-0, Ashley Fox (KC), Jaylyn Gehm (SV); High jump: Alexia Mechling (B) 5-3, Gianna Bedel (SR), Katie Ban (B); Long jump: Alli Morrow (B) 16-7, Megan Baggetta (B), Ava Smith (NC); Triple jump: Megan Baggetta (B) 36-6, Macrina Robb (K), Bella Shook (B); Pole vault: Kiersten Belt (SV) 10-6, Samantha Penrod (B), Ashley Felitsky (SV)
