Cross Country Game Summaries

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.

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.

by: Cross Country Contributor

The North Allegheny cross country teams traveled to Peterswood Park on Wednesday afternoon for a dual meet against Peters Township, battling scorching temperatures in the 90s along with a long and hilly course. The Tiger boys came away with a 19-40 victory, while the girls fell to Peters Township by a 25-32 score.

The North Allegheny boys controlled the front of the race, sweeping the top three positions. Senior Wyatt Case led the way, capturing the individual victory in 20:00. Senior Ethan Voll followed in second place at 20:23, with junior Denny Smith just one second behind in 20:24 to complete the Tigers’ 1-2-3 finish.

After a pair of Peters Township runners crossed the line, senior James Kelly finished sixth overall in 21:02 and senior Jack Gordish followed in seventh at 21:14 to complete North Allegheny’s scoring five and give the Tigers 19 team points.

The Tigers’ depth was also on display just behind the scoring five. Junior Nathan Wach placed ninth in 21:18, while junior Sam Patterson finished 10th in 21:25. Their finishes displaced Peters Township’s fourth and fifth scorers to 11th and 12th place, helping secure the 19-40 victory.

On the girls’ side, freshman phenom Sydney Burgbacher led the Tigers with a runner-up finish, crossing the line in 25:00. Senior Gabby Pizon was the next North Allegheny runner across the line, placing sixth in 26:25.

From there, a young Tiger pack came through in quick succession. Freshman Allie Ryan finished seventh in 26:51, senior Madeleine Jablonski placed eighth in 26:56, and freshman Ellie Smith crossed ninth in 27:00 to complete North Allegheny’s scoring five.

Junior Leila Nocera followed closely in 10th place at 27:12, while freshman Avalyn Yurky was 11th in 27:16. The Tigers showed impressive pack running, with just 25 seconds separating their second through seventh finishers.

Peters Township placed four runners among the top five and used a ghost runner as its fifth scorer to earn the 25-32 victory.

Despite the extreme early-season heat and demanding terrain at Peterswood Park, the Tigers put together a strong afternoon highlighted by the boys’ sweep of the top three places and victory, along with an encouraging display of depth from a young North Allegheny girls squad.

The Tigers will return to competition at the Red, White & Blue Invitational on Saturday, September 12th.

by: Cross Country Contributor

The North Allegheny cross country teams opened their 2026 campaigns under the lights at the HOKA Night XC Showcase at SPIRE Academy in Ohio. Competing against large fields featuring many of the region’s top programs, the Tigers turned in a strong opening night, highlighted by a third-place team finish from the boys.

At 9:45 p.m., on a course illuminated by strings of lights, the boys got the showcase started with an impressive performance, placing third out of 48 scoring teams with 130 points, finishing just two points behind runner-up Mentor. Norwin captured the team title with 92 points. Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the way for the Tigers, racing to third place overall in 15:40.42. Senior Wyatt Case followed with an 18th-place finish in 16:06.57, giving North Allegheny two runners among the top 20.

The Tigers’ strength continued through the rest of the scoring five. Junior Sam Patterson placed 37th in 16:32.50, while juniors Jack Pfeiffer and Denny Smith finished just two spots apart in 41st and 43rd with times of 16:37.54 and 16:37.89, respectively. Senior Ethan Voll finished 106th in 17:19.57, and senior James Kelly completed the varsity seven in 124th at 17:26.77.

The High School Girls HOKA Showcase was the 14th and final race of the day. Starting at 10:10 p.m., North Allegheny placed seventh out of 43 scoring teams with 376 points. Sophomore Samantha Strelick paced the Tigers, finishing 33rd overall in 19:39.77. Senior Gabriela Pizon was next across the line, placing 52nd in 20:07.65, while junior Lydia Stuart finished 82nd in 20:36.67.

Senior Madeleine Jablonski finished 117th in 21:03.91, followed closely by junior Leila Nocera in 118th at 21:05.77 to complete the scoring five. Sophomore Elizabeth Richmond placed 123rd in 21:09.27, while senior Abby Gordish rounded out the varsity seven in 127th at 21:12.25.

For complete results for all races click here: HOKA Night XC Showcase Results⁠

With five scorers among the top 43 overall, the North Allegheny boys showed impressive depth in their third-place performance, while the girls put together a solid showing in a deep field. Both squads leave their season-opening trip to Ohio with a strong foundation to build upon as the 2026 campaign gets underway.

Tigers compete next at Peters Township on Wednesday, September 2nd.