Adkins is dual threat for Washington
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter McGuffey's Rachel Czulewicz competes in the javelin event. Czulewicz qualified in four events (javelin, discus, 400 and 1,600 relay) for next week's WPIAL Championships.
Washington’s Aliyah Moye crosses the finish line after competing in the 100-meter dash.
Monessen’s Andrey Bolton, left, crosses the finish line first just ahead of Washington’s Dequay Isbel and Kurt Adkins in the 100- meter dash at the WPIAL Class AA Southern Qualifier Thursday at South Side Beaver.
Bentworth’s Brenna Cavanaugh clears the last hurdle and finishes first in her heat of the 100-meter hurdles Thursday at the WPIAL Class AA Southern Qualifiers at South Side Beaver. Cavanaugh recorded personal bests and set school records in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
HOOKSTOWN – Richie Barnes can’t remember the last time it happened and he has been coaching track at Washington High School for the past 14 seasons.
Kyle Winters tried it but didn’t last long before pulling a hamstring muscle. Andy Molinaro did it but that was in the 1996 season.
In the era of specialization, Kurt Adkins is proving he is the rare athlete who can balance more than one sport. He plays third base on the Wash High baseball team and on a hot Thursday afternoon at South Side Beaver High school, Adkins competed in the WPIAL Class AA Southern Track Qualifier.
Compete might not be the right word.
Try excelled.
Adkins, a junior, ran a 10.9 in the 100-meter dash and a 23.0 in the 200 dash to qualify in both events for the WPIAL Championships at Baldwin Thursday.
The top three runners in the two semifinal heats plus the next two best times qualified in the dashes and hurdles. The top eight finishers in all other events qualified for the finals.
Results were not available last night because of computer problems at the field.
“I talked with my parents first about coming out for track,” said Adkins. “I wanted to talk to them first because of the homework I needed to do. (Athletic director Joe Nicolella) approved it, so I came out.”
Adkins’ finishes in the dashes were impressive, considering he had little time to work on his technique.
“I wanted him to come out,” Barnes said. “I had him in football and I knew he could run. Track and football go hand-in-hand (at Wash High). I got him in between baseball.”
There was only one conflict during the season – last Monday when the Prexies were competing in the WPIAL Team Tournament and also had a regular-season baseball game.
“Our baseball coach (Rocky Plassio) allowed me to go to the track meet,” Adkins said. “It was hard to do.”
The Prexies were playing Chartiers-Houston in a game that would determine second place in the section.
“I knew he wanted to go (to track),” Plassio said. “He’s been a good player for us. He’s naturally an outfielder but we were overstocked there. We needed someone to play third and he said yes.”
Adkins enjoys both sports and welcomes the opportunity to compete. The baseball team tied Waynesburg for second place in Section 2-AA with a 9-3 record. The Prexies earned a playoff berth and will learn their first-round opponent today when the WPIAL pairings are released.
In other selected track results:
• DeQuay Isbell of Washington qualified in the dashes, turning in a 10.7 in the 100 and a PR of 21.8 in the 200.
• Brenna Cavanaugh of Bentworth qualified in both hurdles, winning her heat in each of the semifinal races. The freshman handily won each of the heats and set PRs and school records when she crossed the finish line in 15.2 in the 100 hurdles and 49.3 in the 300 hurdles.
“Gymnastics got me started in the hurdles,” said Cavanaugh. “I’m used to going over things.”
Cavanaugh also competes in the long jump and qualified for the finals with a seventh-place finish at 15-7.
The hurdles are her strength.
“I felt comfortable,” she said. “I got good starts.”
• Koryn Jozwiakowski, a junior at Fort Cherry, won the triple jump with a leap of 37-10 1/2 and the long jump at 16-9.
“I wanted to break 38 feet in the triple jump and I wanted to break 17 in the long jump,” said Jozwiakowksi. “Now, I’m going to use this week to work on my technique in the and work on my (jumping) phases in the triple jump.”
• Rachel Czulewicz of McGuffey qualified in four events: the javelin, discus, 400 relay and 1,600 relay. She was second in the javelin (127-9) and discus (103-9).
“It was a good day,” she said. “I was trying to get to 130 in the javelin but 127-9 was pretty good.”
Teammate Katie Demi was third in the javelin.
• Aliyah Moye of Washington qualified in the dashes, crossing in 26.5 in the 200 and a PR 12.3 in the 100.
“It’s definitely good times so I’m happy,” said Moye. “If I run the times I think I can get then that’s important. I was surprised at my 100 time.”