WPIAL cross country: OLSH girls claim third title in six years
For the third time in the last six years, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart raced to a title Thursday in the WPIAL Class A Girls Cross Country Championships, held at White Oak Park in McKeesport.
The Chargers’ girls team, which won the WPIAL meet in 2021 and 2024, claimed four of the top five spots to easily outdistance runner-up Winchester Thurston, 23-53.
All seven runners who scored Thursday for OLSH will advance to the PIAA Meet, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 7, at Big Springs High School in Newville.
Also qualifying for the Class A state meet from the West Hills were two runners on OLSH’s boys team – Landon Bell and Sydney McLaughlin – and Carlynton’s Ethan Moldovan. Moon Area’s Sonya Taylor and Montour's Andrew Ludwick were the lone West Hills runners to qualify in the Class 3A meet.
Currence Bigham of Winchester Thurston won the girls Class A meet with a time of 19 minutes, 17.6 seconds, but OLSH’s Hannah Hayes was a close second, finishing less than two seconds behind her in 19:19.0.
“Hannah had an impressive kick at the end,” Chargers coach Jim Hamilton said afterward. “If the race was longer, she could have ...