Girls take fourth, Boys earn third at Red, White & Blue Classic
by: Cross Country Contributor
On Saturday, September 6th, the North Allegheny cross country teams traveled to White Oak Park to compete in the annual Red White & Blue Classic. Running under overcast skies in the upper 60s with a dew point of 54 degrees, the Tigers turned in strong performances against elite competition from across Pennsylvania and beyond. The girls finished fourth of 27 teams in the AAA race, while the boys placed third among 34 teams.
The Lady Tigers were paced by freshman standout Samantha Strelick, who took second overall in 18:04. She worked her way up with poise and patience, sitting 16th at the half-mile, ninth at the mile, and fourth by two miles before closing hard over the final stretch to secure runner-up honors. At the half-mile mark, NA sat in seventh place as a team, but steadily moved forward, climbing to sixth at the mile, fourth by two miles, and holding that spot to the finish. Behind Strelick, junior Gabriela Pizon was 26th (19:31), sophomore Lydia Stuart was 30th (19:41), freshman Elizabeth Richmond was 48th (20:14), and junior Juliet Forrest anchored the top five in 64th (20:41). Senior Elinor Handel (66th, 20:44) and junior Abby Gordish (76th, 20:59) provided valuable displacement. NA scored 157 points, finishing behind the Norwin Knights (55), South Fayette Lions (129), and Morgantown Mohigans (129).
In the boys race, North Allegheny placed third overall with 142 points, trailing only the Hempfield Spartans (68) and University High Hawks (127). The Tigers came out strong, sitting second at the half-mile, then third at the mile, and they remained solidly in the top three the rest of the way. Senior Andrew Peigh led the charge in 9th (16:06), with junior Wyatt Case close behind in 15th (16:28). Freshman Colin Clarkson (35th, 16:49) ran an outstanding race for his varsity invitational debut, turning in one of the fastest freshman times of the day. Senior Jack Curren (39th, 16:52) and sophomore Sam Patterson (44th, 16:58) joined Clarkson to complete the scoring five. Sophomore Jack Pfeiffer (55th, 17:13) and senior Justin Peoples (65th, 17:26) added depth and pushed back opposing scorers.
Complete results from all races can be found by clicking here.
The Tigers will return to action on Tuesday, September 9th, when they travel to face the Mars Fightin’ Planets in Adams Township for their first section contest of the season.
