North Allegheny Cross Country Meet Recap Mars Area vs. North Allegheny Tuesday, September 9, 2025 – Adams Township Community Park

Under sunny skies with a temperature of 75° and a crisp 49° dewpoint, the Tigers traveled to Adams Township Community Park to face the Mars Fightin’ Planets. The rough terrain and relentless climbs made for one of the most difficult courses of the season — with the net elevation gain to the finish, some joked it felt like scaling Olympus Mons just to complete the treacherous 5K. Despite the challenge, North Allegheny swept the top seven spots in both races and secured perfect scores of 15–50.

The girls set the tone in the opening race. Freshman Samantha Strelick claimed the individual title in 20:22, the only runner under 21 minutes on the hilly course. Junior Gabriela Pizon (22:16) took second, with junior Abby Gordish, sophomore Leila Nocera, and senior Teresa Pagnotto controlling places three through five. Senior Maya Currie (6th, 23:20) and junior Juliet Forrest (7th, 23:22) sealed another sweep of the top seven. Just as impressively, the North Allegheny girls went on to secure the top 14 finishers overall.

The boys followed with an equally dominant effort. Senior Andrew Peigh charged to victory in 17:12, followed by junior Wyatt Case at 17:58. Freshman Colin Clarkson continued his strong debut season in third, with senior Jack Curren and sophomore Denny Smith rounding out the scoring five. Sophomore Sam Patterson (6th, 18:34) and junior Ethan Voll (7th, 18:55) completed the Tigers’ top seven, while North Allegheny’s remarkable depth was on full display — the Tigers claimed the top 17 finishers overall.

It was a showcase of toughness and depth as the Tigers outpaced the Planets and mastered the Mars hills. Next up, North Allegheny will travel to Boardman, Ohio for the Spartan Invitational this Saturday — one of the most competitive meets of the year, where the Tigers will test themselves against top programs from across the region.