Fox Chapel indoor track coach Tom Moul has a good problem. The Foxes’ girls 3,200-meter relay team has five athletes capable of competing in the event.
When Fox Chapel went to Youngstown State on Feb. 7 to compete, the Foxes continued what has been a winter of records by placing third in the 3,200 relay with a time of 9 minutes, 54.10 seconds to set a school record.
Claire Loiudice, Cecilia Ressler, Bridget Hemingray and Ella Shevchuk ran the event during the Youngstown meet. Sydney Kimmons, who placed 13th in the 800 run with a time of 2:29.60, will serve as the alternate at the Tri-State Championship meet.
“If we have all five available, the girls know going into the meet we are going to take the runners with the top four times,” Moul said. “We always look at it from a time standpoint. There may not be someone available for the next meet, you never know. We’re lucky to have a strong alternative.”
Ressler, Loiudice and Hemingray also placed 11th, 12th and 13th in the 3,200 run, all finishing within 70 seconds of each other.
Moul said he’s been happy seeing a number of school records be set this winter. Claire Conti, who broke her own shot put record earlier in the season, had a strong performance at Youngstown.
She grabbed a pair of top 10 finishes. Conti was eighth in the shot put with a throw of 35 feet, 6.5 inches. She also placed second in the weight throw with a distance of 38-4.
Harrison Parker qualified for the TSTCA meet in the 800 run, placing fifth with a time of 2:01.19. Asher Eckel also grabbed a high finish, placing sixth in the 3,200 run by finishing in 9:43.85.
Moul said he’s excited to see this group going to the Tri-State meet.
“It’s the culmination of the indoor season,” Moul said. “We look forward to going up there and trying to get as many medals as possible.”
Fox Chapel would like to use the last few indoor meets to help bridge the gap to the spring. Moul thinks it is a good boost, considering the early part of the outdoor season is often plagued by the inconsistent weather.
“This gives them good momentum,” Moul said. “It gives them some confidence. The outdoor season can start kind of slow. It can be hard in March and April when the weather is cold. We have been able to compete at a high level and that keeps them motivated for April and May.”