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Saturday, April 6, 2024, TRIB-LIVE
Fox Chapel track coach Tom Moul enjoys having a few dual meets in the run-up to the major invitationals during the outdoor track season. The invite season traditionally kicks off at Butler High School, and that event will be April 19.
In those dual meets, the Foxes boys and girls teams swept North Hills but fell to Butler. Moul said the Fox Chapel is focused more on the athlete’s development than coming away with victories in the team score portion of the event.
“Depending on the event, we want to beat the teams that we are on par with,” Moul said. “We’re looking for the kids to get better with each meet. We’re looking for the kids to show grit and be competitive.”
Fox Chapel has seen plenty of improvement from key contributors early in the season. David Black finished the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 32 seconds to set a personal best in the event.
Running that time against Butler, which has a strong group of distance runners, was a good result for Black.
“It’s always good to go up against top competition and see where you stack up,” Moul said.
Elliott McCann was another top performer for Fox Chapel in the dual meet. He picked up two first-place finishes in the triple and long jumps aginast North Hills. Claire Conti made a clean sweep of the throwing events, winning the javelin, discus and shot put.
Conti, a sophomore, is looking to build off an impressive freshman season. Conti qualified for the PIAA Class 3A championships in the discus last season. She is one of two returning Fox Chapel athletes to do so, along with Anna Troutman.
Isabella Barbour picked up points for Fox Chapel in the high jump and long jump against North Hills. Fox Chapel senior distance runner Rowan Gwin also turned in a strong performance.
The Foxes will likely split their team again for the Butler Invitational. Last year, Fox Chapel sent some of its freshmen and sophomores to Seneca Valley on the same day.
That is the location of the Marcie Peaco Freshman/Sophomore Invitational, a spot to get younger athletes in a competitive environment with less pressure.
Moul said he thinks Fox Chapel is on the right path toward being ready for the invitationals.
“I’m happy with the progress of the team so far,” Moul said.