North Allegheny cross country traveled to Hershey, PA for the PIAA Foundation Invitational, a preview of the state championship course. The Lady Tigers earned a strong 3rd place finish out of 36 AAA teams, while the boys placed 7th overall in a deep field of 35 teams.

The girls raced in the cooler morning conditions (Sunny, 70 degrees, dewpoint 52). Freshman Samantha Strelick ran with poise and stayed close to the leaders the entire way, finishing just seven seconds behind the winner in 3rd overall (19:06.4). Junior Gabriela Pizon delivered a steady performance in 23rd (20:47.1), and sophomore Lydia Stuart added valuable depth at 36th (21:09.7). Senior Teresa Pagnotto ran a strong race with a 49th-place finish (21:27.9), while senior Elinor Handel closed out the scoring five in 63rd (21:45.8). Sophomore Leila Nocera (86th, 22:11.3) and junior Juliet Forrest (105th, 22:32.0) completed the top seven.

By the time the boys raced, temperatures had climbed to 75 degrees (dewpoint 54). Senior Andrew Peigh turned in an outstanding effort to place 7th overall (16:27.8) against some of the state’s best. Freshman Gatik Hirwani came through in 29th (17:11.4), while junior Wyatt Case was next across in 54th (17:41.1). Senior Jack Curren had a strong finish to secure 62nd (17:45.5), with freshman Colin Clarkson closing the scoring in 78th (17:56.1). Sophomore Sam Patterson (112th, 18:32.9) and sophomore Denny Smith (114th, 18:35.5) rounded out the varsity lineup.

Complete results can be found here:

https://www.runhigh.com/2025RESULTS/R092025DA.html

NAXC returns to action on Tuesday, September 23rd, traveling to North Park where North Hills will host a section tri-meet against North Allegheny and Seneca Valley.