2026-2027 Game Summaries
NA Boys Finish Runner-Up; Girls Place Fourth at WPIAL Championships
by: Cross Country Contributor
The North Allegheny cross country teams turned in strong performances at the WPIAL Class AAA Championships on Thursday, October 29, highlighted by a runner-up finish from the boys and a fourth-place showing from the girls.
The NA boys finished second among 33 teams with 94 points, securing a berth in the PIAA State Championships. Norwin captured the district title with 45 points, while Mt. Lebanon finished third with 140.
Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the Tigers with an outstanding third-place finish, covering the 5K course in 15:44.2. Senior Wyatt Case joined him in the top 10, placing 10th in 16:08.5. Junior Denny Smith gave North Allegheny a third top-20 finisher, crossing the line in 18th place with a time of 16:26.6.
Sophomore Colin Clarkson finished 28th in 16:38.4, while senior Ethan Voll rounded out the scoring five in 35th place with a time of 16:51.3. Junior Jack Pfeiffer (56th, 17:14.8) and senior Andrew Morton (66th, 17:23.6) completed the Tigers’ varsity lineup.
In the girls’ race, North Allegheny placed fourth out of 32 teams with 163 points, falling just two points shy of the final
team qualifying position for the state championships. Norwin won the district title with 86 points, followed by Fox Chapel (92) and Peters Township (161).
Sophomore Samantha Strelick led the Tigers with an impressive sixth-place finish in 18:11.4, earning an individual berth in the PIAA State Championships. Senior Lily Ries followed in 24th place with a time of 19:30.9, also securing an individual qualifying spot for the state meet. Fellow senior Gabriela Pizon finished 30th in 19:43.6.
Juniors Leila Nocera and Lydia Stuart completed NA’s scoring five, placing 53rd (20:32.8) and 54th (20:35.6), respectively. Sophomore Elizabeth Richmond finished 68th in 20:57.4, while freshman Sydney Burgbacher rounded out the lineup in 70th place with a time of 21:01.0.
Both North Allegheny squads showcased the depth and determination of the Tigers’ program. With the boys advancing as a team and Strelick and Ries qualifying individually, NA will look to carry its WPIAL success into the PIAA Class AAA Championships.
NA Boys Capture TSTCA Title; Girls Finish Third
by: Cross Country Contributor
The North Allegheny cross country teams delivered another impressive performance Thursday afternoon at the TSTCA Cross Country Championships at White Oak Park. Competing against some of the top programs in Western Pennsylvania, the Tigers brought home the boys’ team title, while the girls earned a third-place finish.
Boys – 1st Place (70 Points)
The NA boys claimed the team title in a tightly contested battle with Mt. Lebanon, outscoring the Blue Devils 70–79. Greater Latrobe finished a distant third with 162 points.
Sophomore Gatik Hirwani led the Tigers with an outstanding performance, winning the individual title in 15:52.18. Senior Wyatt Case followed with a sixth-place finish in 16:18.70, giving North Allegheny two runners among the top six finishers.
Junior Denny Smith placed 15th in 16:35.79, joining Hirwani and Case as individual medal winners, with medals awarded to the top 20 finishers.
Junior Jack Pfeiffer finished 21st in 16:40.50, while senior Ethan Voll rounded out the Tigers’ scoring five with a 27th-place finish in 16:57.64.
Sophomore Colin Clarkson (29th, 16:58.26) and senior Andrew Morton (31st, 17:00.90) completed NA’s top seven, demonstrating the Tigers’ impressive depth with all seven finishing among the top 31 runners in a field of 288.
Girls – 3rd Place (123 Points)
The NA girls also turned in a solid performance, finishing third with 123 points. Fox Chapel captured the team title with 68 points, followed by Cathedral Prep with 116.
Sophomore Samantha Strelik led the Tigers with an outstanding third-place finish in 17:54.61, earning an individual medal and establishing herself among the top runners in the field.
Senior Lily Ries was NA’s second finisher, placing 14th in 19:20.58, while senior Gabriela Pizon finished 20th in 19:29.95. Both runners also earned individual medals for their top-20 finishes.
Sophomore Elizabeth Richmond followed in 46th place with a time of 20:22.73, and freshman Avalyn Yurky completed the scoring five in 50th place at 20:24.91.
Sophomore Margaret Coffman (53rd, 20:27.83) and junior Leila Nocera (58th, 20:36.58) rounded out the Tigers’ top seven.
The girls demonstrated impressive depth, with just over one minute separating NA’s second through seventh finishers.
Up Next
The Tigers will return to White Oak Park next Thursday, October 29, for the WPIAL Cross Country Championships, competing on the same course at the same scheduled times.
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.
