North Allegheny Cross Country sweeps WPIAL Division I Section 3 Championships
by: Cross Country Contributor
North Allegheny turned in a championship performance Tuesday at North Park, with both the girls and boys sweeping every Section 3 opponent to claim WPIAL Division I Section 3 titles. The Tigers combined strong front-running with outstanding depth, as the girls went 6–0 and the boys finished 7–0 in dual-meet scoring.
Girls
The North Allegheny girls completed an undefeated afternoon against Section 3 competition, going 6–0 in dual-meet scoring.
Samantha Strelick (So.) led the Tigers with a runner-up finish in 18:21.1. Lily Ries (Sr.) followed with a fourth-place finish in 19:47.0, while Gabriela Pizon (Sr.) placed sixth in 19:52.6. Lydia Stuart (Jr.) finished 10th in 20:19.3, and Sydney Burgbacher (Fr.) completed the Tigers’ top five in 17th at 20:37.9.
North Allegheny Varsity Finishers
Samantha Strelick (So.) – 2nd – 18:21.1
Lily Ries (Sr.) – 4th – 19:47.0
Gabriela Pizon (Sr.) – 6th – 19:52.6
Lydia Stuart (Jr.) – 10th – 20:19.3
Sydney Burgbacher (Fr.) – 17th – 20:37.9
Margaret Coffman (Fr.) – 18th – 20:39.4
Ellie Smith (Fr.) – 22nd – 20:50.9
The closest matchup came against Mars, where the Tigers earned a hard-fought 27–30 victory. North Allegheny also defeated Pine-Richland 18–41, Butler 20–41, Seneca Valley 16–47, Oakland Catholic 15–50, and North Hills 18–40 to complete the sweep.
Boys
The North Allegheny boys were equally impressive, sweeping all seven Section 3 opponents. Gatik Hirwani (So.) delivered
the performance of the day, winning the individual Section 3 championship in 15:57.1 and smashing the North Park course record of 16:37. Hirwani lowered the previous mark by nearly 40 seconds. Wyatt Case (Sr.) gave the Tigers two of the first three finishers, taking third in 16:09.2. Denny Smith (Jr.) placed eighth in 16:40.1, followed by Jack Pfeiffer (Jr.) in 14th at 17:02.7 and Nathan Hou in 15th at 17:05.1.
North Allegheny Varsity Finishers
Gatik Hirwani (So.) – 1st – 15:57.1 – COURSE RECORD
Wyatt Case (Sr.) – 3rd – 16:09.2
Denny Smith (Jr.) – 8th – 16:40.1
Jack Pfeiffer (Jr.) – 14th – 17:02.7
Nathan Hou (Jr.) – 15th – 17:05.1
Sam Patterson (Jr.) – 17th – 17:08.5
David Ochoa (Sr.) – 19th – 17:12.8
The Tigers defeated Pine-Richland 19–44, Butler 21–38, Seneca Valley 19–41, Shaler 15–50, Pittsburgh Central Catholic 17–46, Mars 21–40, and North Hills 19–42, completing a perfect 7–0 championship meet.
Both North Allegheny teams leave North Park as WPIAL Division I Section 3 Champions, highlighted by an undefeated sweep of the section and Gatik Hirwani’s record-breaking 15:57.1 performance.
