achieving athletes
Anderson qualifies
Patrick Anderson finished in the top ten at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship (FLCCC) Northeast Regionals held Nov. 24 in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y.
Anderson excelled on the 5,000-meter course. Running under cloudy skies and in 43-degree temperatures, Anderson clocked a PR of 15:38.60 and finished sixth overall in the boys’ championship race.
Jack Stanley of Mendham, N.J., won the race in 15:30.2 while Lucas Aramburu of Brookline, Mass. followed in second place with a 15:37.10 time. Both Stanley and Aramburu are seniors.
As a result of his showing, the Mt. Lebanon High School junior earned an automatic invitation to the national finals set for Dec. 8 at Morley Field in Balboa Park in San Diego.
The top 10 boys and top 10 girls from seeded races from the Northeast, Mideast, South and West regionals will compete in nationals.
The race will be webcast live at www.footlockercc.com
Anderson is coming off a sensational scholastic cross country season. He captured the PIAA state championship to start November. He also was the WPIAL runner-up.
Anderson helped Lebo to an undefeated section title, a third-place showing in the district team championships and a fifth-place finish at states.
DiDonato named
Andrew DiDonato earned Presidents’ Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors.
The South Fayette product guided Grove City to an 8-3 overall record this season, including a 6-3 mark in conference play. The Wolverines closed the regular season with six straight wins, then defeated Morrisville State in the Eastern College Athletic Conference James Lynah Bowl, 56-48. That marked Grove City’s first-ever postseason victory.
Grove City’s record this season is the best for the Wolverines since the 1997 team went 9-2 overall. It is the sixth time in program history that Grove City has won eight or more games in a season.