May 14, 2025 3 min read

By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@obserer-reporter

SLIPPERY ROCK – The baton that made the trip around the track at Slippery Rock University on this humid Wednesday did its job.

That’s the way the members of the South Fayette 3,200-meter team saw it. The girls weren’t going anywhere without that lucky charm baton. At least five times, the team that carried that baton set school records in the 3,200. The Lions did the trick, blowing the competition away with a time of 9:18.66 in the WPIAL Class 3A Track & Field Championships. The Lions, who finished second last year in this event, were more than six minutes better than second-place Seneca Valley and more than seven minutes better than North Allegheny.

It was a golden afternoon for South Fayette, which saw the 3,200-meter relay team cross first and Delaney Schumaker winning both hurdles. She won the 100 in 14.45 and the 300 with a personal best 43.13. She needed the PR because she caught Abby Satina of Pine-Richland at the finish line. Satina crossed in 43.38, just .25 behind Schumaker.

Sofia Holmes hit a personal best 127-00 to win the Class 2A javelin. She hit two feet longer than Peyton Mermon of Burgettstown.

“This is the closest I’ve ever come to that mark,” said Holmes. “I’m just so proud of myself. My previous personal best was 116.”

Holmes, a junior, took up throwing two years ago after hurting her hip.

“I just excelled in it,” she said. “I tried the discus and shot but I’m not real strong in the shot.”

South Fayette had three of the four runners returning this season. But confidence is high for Angela Zeng, especially since she had a best time running the anchor on the team. She finished in 2:18.847. She also was third in the 1,600 run.

“We got second last year so we came back to get first this year,” said Nina DiMartini, who ran the lead leg and gave the Lions a large lead with a time of 2:20.02.

There were some unnerving times with the baton. Assistant coach Scott Litwinovich accidentally left the baton in a box of track stuff and stored it in his classroom. A thorough search produced nothing. Not until Litwinovich found the baton in the box and took a picture of it to send to the Lions track athletes could breathing return to normal.

For this meet, Siya Joshi was in charge of the baton’s safe keeping.

“I babysat it last night,” said Joshi, who ran the third leg in 2:18.902.

So how will the girls celebrate this impressive win?

“Coach said we’re going to Panera.” said DiMartini.

Other local girls state qualifiers included Peyton Mermon, who turned in a 58.65 in the Class 3A 400 and Ella Sammel of Trinity finished eighth in the 3A 300 hurdles but bettered the state qualifying time of 46.25 by half a second. She also took second in the high jump with a 5-5 effort. Peters Township’s Kaitlyn Devine qualified with Sammel, reaching 5-2. Fort Cherry’s Emily Frankovic took second place in the 3,200 run with a time of 11:29.91 Frankovich’s teammate Julie Kolose was fifth in the shot put at 33-7. Ellen Neil of California hit 5-2 in the high jump. Canon-McMillan’s Abby Tucker was third in the javelin with a 135-0 effort.