Multi-tasking

By MIKE KILROY Eagle Staff Writer

May 07, 2008 Last Updated: May 07, 2008 02:40 PM High School

Seneca Valley’s Cam Stauffer breaks ahead of the field on his way to winningthe boys 1,600-meter event during the WPIAL Northern Qualifier held Tuesdayat Butler’s Art Bernardi Stadium

Cress role model and teammate, practice partner for kid sister

BUTLER TWP — Allyson Cress rested her left elbow on the shoulder of her big sister, Carol, and leaned against her.

"I've had a good role model," Allyson says, smiling.

But Carol Cress, a senior thrower for the Knoch girls track and field team, has been more than just a role model for her sophomore sis.

She has been a teammate, a practice partner and biggest competition.

"We cheer each other on a lot," Carol said. "We go in the yard and practice. Sometimes Allyson will get frustrated and I'll say, 'Hey, Allyson, don't get frustrated. It's just one throw. Keep throwing.' She's the same way for me. She's there for me."

Next week at the WPIAL Class AAAChampionships, the sisters will be together again in Baldwin, competing against the best throwers in the WPIAL — and each other.

At the Class AAA Northern Qualifier Tuesday at Butler High School, Carol won the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, 7 inches. Allyson wasn't far behind, unleashing a career-best toss of 35-1¼ to finish third.

Cress also qualified in the discus (second place) and the javelin (third place).

During the discus event, the sisters kept themselves entertained between throws by goofing around — a usual display at meets.

It keeps them loose — but don't be fooled. When it is time to throw, the sisters turn serious.

"We push each other," Carol said. "If she ever gets close to me, I say, 'No way! My little sister is not gonna beat me.'"

Allyson desperately wants too, however. She may not beat her head to head, but with two more years left, Allyson would love to eclipse some of Carol's records.

"I'm going to be better," Allyson says with a wry smile.

"Oh, she's really pushing it now," Carol replies, giving her sister a nudge, then gets serious. "She works really hard. If she keeps working the way she is now, she could be really, really good. She cares about it as much as I do."

Other highlights from the Northern Qualifier:

n For much of the season, Butler's Mike Martin has been battling a strained hamstring.

No more.

Martin finished first in both the long jump (22-4½) and the triple jump (44-4½) and was fifth in the high jump to advance to the WPIAL championships.

"It was really frustrating for him because the meet before he got hurt, he had big jumps, but barely fouled. Then he got hurt the next day in practice," said Butler boys track and field coach Rick Schontz. "You don't know how someone is going to respond to an injury like that."

Martin, a senior, wasn't sure how he was going to respond, either.

Even Tuesday, he felt sluggish.

"I was actually surprised, to tell you the truth," Martin said. "I had no adrenalin in me and I felt slow, then I go out and hit a 22-4½. The hamstring still isn't 100 percent."

Martin injured it while practicing the 300 hurdles. The injury forced him to shelve that event and focus on the jumps.

• Matt Cooper of Butler won the shot put and also qualified in the discus and the javelin, but decided to opt out of the discus next week at Baldwin.

n Erin Lopresti of Seneca Valley had a big day, winning the 800 and running the second leg of the Raiders' 1,600-meter relay that also earned the top spot.

• Banged up Logan Renwick won the 110-meter hurdles and finished second in the long jump and the triple jump.

Renwick jammed his knee and gashed his ankle at the Baldwin Invitational last week and wasn't competing at full strength, taking just one jump in the long and triple jumps to advance.

"He just did what he needed to do to advance," Schontz said.

Boys WPIALQualifiers3,200-meter relay: 2-Seneca Valley (Matt Davis, Cam Stauffer, John Kurlak, Matt Marchese) 8:16.2, 4-Butler (Lance Dugger, Jon Fleming, Nate Neff, Ben Porter) 8:31.7, 5-Knoch (K.J. MCrea, Paul Kletzli, Owen Venesky, Mike Fugale) 8:33.2;

110-meter hurdles: Logan Renwick (B) 15.1, 5-John Boyd (SV) 15.7;

100-meter dash: No qualifiers;

1,600-meter run: 1-Cam Stauffer (SV) 4:30.6, 4-Matt Davis (SV) 4:33.9, 8-Jon Fleming (B) 4:38.4;

400-meter dash: 3-Mason McLaughlin (B) 51.5, 6-Eli Christy (B) 52.7, 7-Mitch Shaw (K) 52.8, 8-Jeremy Taylor (B) 53.2;

400 meter relay: No qualifiers;

300-meter hurdles: 8-John Boyd (SV) 42.3;

800-meter run: 1-Brian Tackett (K) 1L57.7, 7-Ben Porter (B) 2:02.5, 8-Lance Dugger (B) 2:03.6;

200-meter dash: 2-Frank Campisino (SV) 22.8, 5-Mason McLaughlin (B) 23.1;

3,200-meter run: 2-Chris Cipro (SV) 9:50.8;

1,600-meter relay: 4-Butler (Tyler Jaillet, Eli Christy, Jeremy Taylor, Mason McLaughlin) 3:31.1, 6-Knoch (Mitch Shaw, Steve Snow, Tim McNerney, Brian Tackett) 3:35.8, 7-Seneca Valley (Kevan Kelleher, Cam Stauffer, Matt Marchese, Andy Skaggs) 3:40.8

High jump: 2-Conor Barrett (SV) 5-11, 2-John Boyd (SV) 5-11, 5-Mike Martin (B) 5-11, 6-C.J. Wise (K) 5-11;

Long jump: 1-Mike Martin (B) 22-4½, 2-Logan Renwick (B) 21-1¾;

Triple jump: 1-Mike Martin (B) 44-4½, 2-Logan Renwick (B) 44-0, 4-Zach Francis (SV) 42-5, 5-Conor Barrett (SV) 42-2½;

Discus: 6-Cory Kramer (SV) 134-8, *7-Matt Cooper (B) 134-7;

Shot put: 1-Matt Cooper (B)49-11½, 2-Dylan O'Donnell (B)48-1, 8-Mark Poydence (SV) 46-1;

Javelin: 1-Zac Gross (K) 162-1, 7-Matt Cooper (B)150-10;

Pole vault: 1-Adam Marzullo (B)13-0

Girls WPIALQualifiers3,200-meter relay: 2-Seneca Valley (Erin Lopresti, Kate Kelly, Jopelle Scarnati, Emily Wolfarth) 9:57.9, 3-Butler (Emily Petrak, Banika Snyder, Katressa Savisky, Amanda Malecky) 10:04.5;

100-meter hurdles: 3-Regina Robb (K)15.7. 6-Mandy Cerminara (SV) 16.3;

100-meter dash: No qualifiers;

1,600-meter run: 2-Megan Powell (SV) 5:19.8, 4-Alyssa Kunkel (K)5:20.7;

400-meter dash: 5-Kaitlyn Angeletti (M) 1:02.3, 7-Annie Philogene (SV) 1:02.9, 8-Emily Petrak (B)1:03.3;

400 meter relay: Seneca Valley (Grace Emmerling, Brianna Sieminsku, LoganGamelier, Anyelika Delerme) 51.4;

300-meter hurdles: 3-Eleva Baron (SV) 47.5, 7-Erica Miller (B)48.3;

800-meter run: Erin Lopresti (SV) 2:17.1, 4-Amanda Malecki (B) 2:24.9;

200-meter dash: No qualifiers;

3,200-meter run: 3-Jolene Kunkel (K)11:28.6, 8-Alyssa Kunkel (K)11:55.5;

1,600-meter relay: 1-Seneca Valley (Kate Kelly, Erin Lopresti, Annie Philogene, Jennifer Boyd) 4:03.4

High jump: 6-Olivia Bresnahan (B) 5-0, 7-Jennifer Boyd (SV) 5-0, 8-Sarah Robb (K) 4-10;

Long jump: 8-Jennifer Boyd (SV) 16-5¼;