Sophomore Nadia Rawhouser contributed three wins Wednesday when visiting Pittston Area opened the girls track and field season by knocking off defending District 2 Class 3A and Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 champion Dallas 78-72.
Dallas won the division with a 6-0 record last season. Pittston Area went 4-2 to finish third, behind Hazleton Area.
Rawhouser won the 400 meters by more than six seconds. She also ran the leadoff leg of the opening 3200 relay and closing 1600 relay.
Pittston Area used its depth to make up the 10-point edge Dallas had by winning two more events.
The Lady Patriots took second-place points in 10 of the 15 individual events, including three by hurdler and triple jumper Leah Drozginski.
Freshman Alexis Drozginski (100 hurdles), Annika Lien (100), Olivia Scalese (3200), Paige Bittman (high jump) and Ellie Schardien (pole vault) were the other individual winners for Pittston Area.
Michaelea Walsh, another freshman, joined Rawhouser on both relay wins. Cambrie Dougherty and Bella Dessoye were both on the 3200 relay and Adaja Burgette and Maggie Grbuer completed the 1600 lineup.
Girls season outlook
Pittston Area lost district 100-meter dash champion Ali Butcher to graduation and multi-event district medalist Emmy Savakinas to an injury.
The Lady Patriots, however, feature a large roster with several experienced athletes who created the depth that helped a team that was just 10th in District 2 Class 3A a year ago beat the defending champions head-to-head in the opener.
Seniors Paige Bittman, Ellie Schardien, Annika Lien, Leah Drozginski and Olivea Scalese lead the list of returnees.
Bittman was third in the district high jump last season. Schardien was seventh in the pole vault and part of a fourth-place 400 relay team along with Lien.
Junior Bella Dessoye was eighth in the district 3200.
Gianna Martinelli, another junior, and sophomores Maggie Gruber and Nadia Rawhouser are the other top returnees.
Dallas 101, Pittston Area boys 44
Jacob Ivey won the 400 and led off the winning 1600 relay as Pittston Area’s top performer during Wednesday’s loss to host Dallas in a WVC Division 1 opener.
Boys season outlook
Katie O’Boyle takes over as head coach in place of Jason Mills, who will remain with the program as a volunteer assistant.
O’Boyle has been boys cross country coach for seven years and has assisted the girls track and field team for 16.
The Patriots are led by the return of distance runners Caden Boettger, Brady Tucker and Jake Mead, along with thrower/jumper Lucas Lo Presto and hurdler Nick Logan.
