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Saturday, May 17, 2025, TRIB-LIVE
Claire Conti knows what the issue is when her progress stalls out in the thrower’s circle. The Fox Chapel junior has to find a way to get out of her own way.
Conti showed she is more than capable of defeating her own self doubt during the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships May 14 at Slippery Rock University.
After fouling on her first two throws, Conti followed up with a school-record toss of 137 feet to claim her first WPIAL championship in the discus.
“The problem is I overthink things,” Conti said “All of my coaches, including my private coach, say I get in my own way. My private coach, Jayne Beatty, says the biggest problem I have is the six inches between my ears.”
Conti needed plenty of toughness in that area to punch her ticket to states.
Of the fouls, she described her second attempt as a “spectacular” one that went sailing well left, landing in the reeds that line the course.
“Going into the third throw to try and make it to the finals was the most stress I ever felt in my life,” Conti said. “I had to calm down, breathe and be in the moment.”
Fox Chapel coach Tom Moul said Conti has the makeup to handle tough moments.
“That’s a tough thing to do,” Moul said. “You are down to your last throw. She’s mentally tough and is a gamer and she works hard. She summoned that up and had a great third throw. Then she went out in the final and blew the lid off the thing.”
Conti felt immediate relief when her third throw went 120 feet and immediately qualified her for states in the event. She also placed third in the shot put with a throw of 37-10 1/2, allowing her to qualify for states in two events for the first time.
“It was a little frustrating because I threw great in warmups,” Conti said. “It felt amazing going to the finals.”
Fox Chapel will have a big contingent of athletes at the PIAA meet in Shippensburg. Ethan Vaughan placed second in the 3,200 with a time of 9:23.38.
The 400 relay team — consisting of Alyssa Quackenbush, Anna Kintner, Ella Shevchuk and Taylor Wilkinson — finished sixth and set a school record with a time of 49.32 seconds. Fox Chapel’s 3,200 boys and girls relay teams also qualified for states.
The Foxes boys team — David Black, Michael Costello, Nolan Gwin and Vaughan — finished fifth with a time of 7:59.23. The girls team — Marin Airik, Maya DiPasquale, Ceilia Ressler and Shevchuk — placed fourth with a time of 9:42.78 to punch their ticket.
“They ran out of their minds,” Moul said. “We talked about what they needed to do with their legs. They ran the best race of the season.They pulled each other along and had great camaraderie and teamwork.”
Conti is happy to have a large contingent of teammates joining her on the journey to Shippensburg. She’s hoping they will return with souvenirs.
“I’d love to come back home with a medal,” Conti said. “Last year, I got ninth. Only eight get medals. That was tough. It wasn’t a great performance.”