2026-2027 Game Summaries
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.
Tigers Participate In PIAA Foundation Meet
North Allegheny traveled to Big Spring High School on Saturday for the PIAA Foundation Invitational, taking on a large field of teams from across Pennsylvania on the same course that will host the PIAA State Championships later this fall. The Tigers were greeted with ideal racing weather, but the state championship course provided a challenging test with its constantly rolling terrain and numerous hills throughout the 5K. Both NA squads responded with strong performances against the deep AAA fields, as the girls finished 4th out of 31 teams and the boys placed 6th out of 32 teams.
Girls – 4th Place (197 points)
The North Allegheny girls finished 4th with 197 points in a competitive 31-team AAA field. Sophomore Samantha Strelick led the Tigers with an outstanding 8th-place finish in 18:51.0. Senior Gabriela Pizon followed in 33rd at 20:17.3, with junior Lydia Stuart (42nd, 20:33.7) and sophomore Elizabeth Richmond (45th, 20:36.0) crossing just over two seconds apart. Junior Leila Nocera completed NA’s scoring five in 69th at 21:10.4.
North Allegheny Varsity Finishers
8th – Samantha Strelick (So.) – 18:51.0
33rd – Gabriela Pizon (Sr.) – 20:17.3
42nd – Lydia Stuart (Jr.) – 20:33.7
45th – Elizabeth Richmond (So.) – 20:36.0
69th – Leila Nocera (Jr.) – 21:10.4
155th – Madeleine Jablonski (Sr.) – 22:55.9
Boys – 6th Place (208 points)
The North Allegheny boys earned a 6th-place finish with 208 points in a 32-team AAA field. Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the Tigers in 17th place with a time of 16:16.1, followed by junior Denny Smith in 28th at 16:38.0 and senior Wyatt Case in 39th at 16:57.3. Senior Ethan Voll (61st, 17:15.5) and junior Jack Pfeiffer (63rd, 17:18.8) finished just three seconds apart to round out the Tigers’ scoring five.
28th – Denny Smith (Jr.) – 16:38.0
39th – Wyatt Case (Sr.) – 16:57.3
61st – Ethan Voll (Sr.) – 17:15.5
63rd – Jack Pfeiffer (Jr.) – 17:18.8
70th – Sam Patterson (Jr.) – 17:28.2
140th – James Kelly (Sr.) – 18:37.5
Denny Smith sets new course record at Section 3 Preview
by: Cross Country Contributor
North Allegheny turned in a strong showing at the WPIAL Division I, Section 3 Preview, highlighted by a boys team victory and a new course record from junior Denny Smith.
The NA boys captured 1st place with 36 points, finishing ahead of Seneca Valley (49) and Mars (63). Junior Denny Smith delivered the performance of the day, winning the race in 16:37.68 — a new course record. Senior Wyatt Case gave NA another top-five finish, placing 5th in 17:13.14. Senior Andrew Morton finished 8th in 17:29.54, followed by sophomore Holden Kerzmann in 10th at 17:31.33 and junior Nathan Hou in 12th at 17:36.54. Senior David Ochoa placed 14th in 17:39.98, while freshman James Christian rounded out the Tigers’ top seven in 15th at 17:42.25.
The NA girls placed 3rd with 79 points, behind Pine-Richland (43) and North Hills (75). Freshman Sydney Burgbacher led the Tigers, placing 10th overall in 21:17.20. Sophomore Sedona Brown followed in 15th at 21:23.80, with freshman Nora Mountain close behind in 16th at 21:26.20 and freshman Margaret Coffman in 17th at 21:28.80. Sophomore Olivia Romanow finished 21st in 21:45.90, freshman Avalyn Yurky placed 24th in 21:51.90, and freshman Allison Ryan rounded out NA’s top seven in 25th at 21:53.10.
The boys used impressive depth to take the team title, putting all seven runners inside the top 15, while Smith led the way with an individual victory and course-record 16:37.68. On the girls’ side, NA packed its first four runners within just 12 seconds, with all seven Tigers finishing inside the top 25.
Cross Country Wins Team Titles at Boardman Invitational
North Allegheny had a big day at the 2026 Boardman Spartan Invitational, with both the girls and boys coming away with team victories.
The NA girls captured 1st place with 40 points, edging Stow-Munroe Falls (47) and Perrysburg (64). Sophomore Samantha Strelick led the Tigers with a 2nd-place finish in 19:19.2. Senior Lily Ries placed 5th in 20:06.1, and senior Gabriela Pizon followed in 7th at 20:13.6. Junior Lydia Stuart gave NA a fourth top-10 finisher, taking 10th in 20:41.1. Sophomore Elizabeth Richmond completed the scoring five with a 16th-place finish in 21:09.7. Senior Madeleine Jablonski finished 17th in 21:10.3, while freshman Sydney Burgbacher rounded out the Tigers’ top seven in 19th at 21:16.6.
The NA boys followed with a team victory of their own, scoring 47 points to finish ahead of Stow-Munroe Falls (63) and Perrysburg (64). Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the way with the individual victory, taking 1st overall in 16:04.5. Junior Denny Smith followed with an outstanding 3rd-place finish in 16:31.7, while senior Wyatt Case gave NA three runners in the top five, placing 5th in 16:44.2. Junior Sam Patterson finished 18th in 17:15.3, and senior Ethan Voll completed the scoring five in 20th at 17:17.9. Junior Jack Pfeiffer placed 25th in 17:29.3, while freshman James Christian rounded out the top seven with a 28th-place finish in 17:37.5.
It was an impressive team sweep for North Allegheny, with the girls placing four runners in the top 10 before the boys answered with three runners in the top five. Hirwani’s individual victory highlighted a day in which both NA squads combined strong front-running with excellent depth to take home two team titles from Boardman.
NA boys place third at Red, White & Blue Invitational; Girls take fourth
by: Cross Country Contributor
North Allegheny turned in a pair of strong performances at the Red, White & Blue Invitational, with the boys finishing 3rd in the AAA team standings and the girls placing 4th.
The NA boys scored 117 points, averaging 16:31 across their scoring five. Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the Tigers, placing 9th in 15:52.0, followed by senior Wyatt Case, who finished 13th in 16:10.0. Junior Denny Smith placed 22nd in 16:36.0, senior Ethan Voll was 34th in 16:53.4, and junior Jack Pfeiffer finished 39th in 17:03.6 to complete NA’s scoring five. Senior James Kelly placed 59th in 17:24.0, while junior Sam Patterson rounded out the varsity seven, finishing 65th in 17:30.4.
The NA girls placed 4th with 180 points, led by sophomore Samantha Strelick, who finished 6th overall in 18:27.9. Senior Lily Ries placed 31st in 19:51.6, followed by senior Gabriela Pizon, who was 48th in 20:35.2. Sophomore Elizabeth Richmond finished 49th in 20:36.2, and junior Leila Nocera placed 51st in 20:44.0 to complete the scoring five. Junior Lydia Stuart finished 54th in 20:50.1, while senior Madeleine Jablonski rounded out the varsity seven in 69th place at 21:10.6.
The day was highlighted by two top-10 individual finishes, with Strelick taking 6th and Hirwani 9th, along with 3rd- and 4th-place team finishes for the boys and girls, respectively.
