On day one of the 2021 Butler Invitational on Friday, the Butler boys dominated on their way to winning the team title at the event — one of the largest annual high school meets in the state.
On Saturday, it was the girls’ turn to shine — and the Golden Tornado girls did not disappoint in front of their home fans. Led by track MVP Emma Lehman and her four-medal performance, Butler captured its fifth consecutive Butler Invitational girls team title on a calm, cloudy day at Art Bernardi Stadium.
Not bad for a basketball player. Mohawk’s Hannah McDanel takes first place in the 100-meter dash here on day two of the Butler Invitational with a time of 12.53, narrowly beating out Central Valley’s Paige Drake (12.60): pic.twitter.com/pg0iHy9PMI
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) April 24, 2021
“We try to emphasize the team, but obviously we know the individuals make the team,” said Butler girls track coach John Williams. “[Lehman] is pretty unassuming. She just gets out there and gets it done.”
After starting her day with a second-place finish in the 100 hurdles, Lehman claimed a trio of gold medals in the 300 hurdles, the 400 relay and 1,600 relay. The junior posted a time of 45.09 in the 300 hurdles, believed to be one of the top-five times in the state so far this year.
Lehman anchored the 400 relay team, which finished with a time of 50.14, and she ran the first leg of the 1,600 relay, which posted a time of 4:09.41.
“I’m so happy right now, just to be done and seeing all the awards I got,” Lehman said. “I’m just glad I could be a part of the team to help win for all the relays and keep the team title for Butler.”
While Lehman took home MVP honors for the track portion of the event, Hampton senior Hannah Schepner earned field MVP honors for her impressive showings in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Schepner finished in fourth place in the high jump with a mark of 5-1, then took third place in the triple jump with a mark of 36-11. She then finished off her day with a mark of 17-5.75 in the long jump for a first-place finish — and she set new school records in the triple jump and long jump in the process.
“That was just my goal, to beat those [school records],” Schepner said. “Coming out with the win was just the cherry on top.”
Another outstanding performer on the day was Mohawk senior Hannah McDanel, who starred as one of the “big three” on the Warriors’ basketball team that won back-to-back WPIAL titles and reached the state championship game.
McDanel, who will run track at Robert Morris next year, took home first place in the 100 meters with a time of 12.53 and narrowly missed out on another gold medal in the 200, finishing in second place with a time of 26.13. Shaler’s Eloise Facher won the 200 with a time of 26.09 while running in a separate heat.
Along with her gold and silver medals for her individual events, McDanel anchored Mohawk’s 400 relay and 1,600 relay squads, which finished in second and seventh place, respectively.
“There are so many people here who push you that you don’t get experience within your section,” McDanel said. “I was not even expecting to get first, honestly. I was just coming out here to be pushed by other girls.”
A pair of meet records fell on Saturday, as Moon junior Mia Cochran shattered the previous meet record in the 3,200 meters by nearly 15 seconds with a time of 10:28.03 — the fastest time in the state so far this year and one of the top 25 in the country. McDowell’s Kalli Knott was the other record breaker, clearing a mark of 12-5 in the pole vault.
Quaker Valley senior Claire Kuzma earned a gold medal in the discus with a mark of 123-5, and also finished in second place in the shot put with a mark of 35-1. Other individual winners included Norwin junior Bernadette Zukina with a time of 58.82 in the 400 meters, and Franklin Regional senior Rayna Todero with a mark of 38-1 in the triple jump.
Steve Rotstein: srotstein@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SteveRotstein.
First Published: April 25, 2021, 12:49 a.m.
