Alaysia Bell
School: Kiski Area
Class: Sophomore
Sport: Track and field
Claim to fame: Bell earned MVP honors at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association (WCCA) meet April 23. She placed first in the triple jump with a distance of 37 feet, 7 inches, which was a personal best at the time. Bell placed second in the long jump with a distance of 17-8. She also took first in the long jump (17-9) and triple jump (37-5) at the Slippery Rock Invitational on April 17. At the Baldwin Invitational on Friday, Bell took first in the triple jump with a new personal best of 37-8.5 and was third in the long jump (18-3).
What was your reaction to finding out you had earned MVP honors at the WCCAs?
I was very excited because last year I didn’t place in the long jump and finished eighth in the triple jump. It was a huge leap for me from last year to this year.
How were you feeling going into that competition?
I was the top seed, so I was really confident and just believed in myself.
You finished second in the long jump; how close were you to the top spot?
I was 3 inches away.
How were you feeling after you took first in the triple jump?
I was feeling good. Last year I placed eighth, so it was big to come back and win that event. I couldn’t believe I was a county champion.
How and when did you get started in long and triple jump?
I started in seventh grade. I had no clue what it was, but once I started doing it, I realized I was pretty good at it.
Which jump is more difficult?
Definitely triple jump because there are three phases to do.
What was your reaction to finishing first in your events at Slippery Rock?
In my long jump event, it was pretty cool. I was the second seed and there was a girl ahead of me who had jumped a farther distance during the year. She ended up having a bad day and I didn’t. I ended up hitting a PR and I was so happy. I didn’t know I had it in me and thought that the other girl would beat me, but she didn’t. In triple jump, I was the first seed and, because I’m so consistent in that event, I was able to hold on to the top spot.
What was it like to have the girls team finish third at the Slippery Rock Invitational?
It was awesome because everyone on our team is good in each event. We’re very consistent and show out as a team, which is what I like about track. Individuals are trying to beat their own marks, but are also doing so to help the team win as well.
What were you hoping to work on, or focus on, coming into this season?
I wanted to focus on being more confident in myself and worrying about my distances and not what the other competitors do. I also wanted to jump farther this year than I did last year.
Do you hold any school records?
Yes. I broke the school record with my 18-3 in the long jump at the Baldwin Invitational. It was held by my aunt.
Did you call your aunt and break the news?
Yeah. She said I am glad to pass the baton off to you.
How close are you to breaking the triple jump record?
My jump is 37-8.5 and the record is 38 flat.
Do you participate in any other track and field events?
I used to run, but my coach took me out of any running because he said I’m a valuable jumper and he didn’t want my legs to hurt.
What was your reaction to the girls team going undefeated and winning the section for the second straight year?
It was pretty cool. We won last year, did very well. We earned the top spot again because we’re very consistent.
Do you participate in any other sports at Kiski?
I play volleyball and basketball.
What position do you play in basketball?
Forward.
What gets you in the zone prior to a meet?
I listen to my Spotify playlist on the bus.
Any particular song that focuses you?
To calm down I listen to a lot of Olivia Dean. Before I jump, I also pray to God to give me the strength to jump longer distances.
What is your favorite subject in school?
English. I really like to write essays.
What other hobbies do you enjoy outside of sports?
I participate in my church choir, and I like spending time with my family.
Brayden Mell
School: Burrell
Class: Senior
Sport: Baseball
Claim to fame: In Monday’s Section 3-3A matchup against Deer Lakes, Mell went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs as Burrell came away with a 14-5 win. Then in the second game against Deer Lakes on Tuesday, Mell tossed seven no-hit innings and struck out seven and scored the winning run off a sacrifice fly as the Bucs (9-7, 7-5) won 1-0 and clinched a playoff berth.
How did you drove in those two runs on Monday.
I got up in my first at-bat of the day and we had runners on second and third. The pitcher, I knew he liked to go to his fastball a lot. He started me off with a curveball and I assumed he wasn’t going to double up on that pitch, so I waited to get a fastball and I drove it the other way. The infield was playing in to try and prevent the run and I ended up scoring both runs. My other hit was a line-drive single up the middle.
Where do you typically hit in the order?
I bat third.
Do you feel any pressure hitting out of that spot?
I’m pretty confident out of that position. I like being able to hit in the first inning, especially after one of the best hitters on our team, Trey Coury, who is having a great year, is on base a lot of the time, and he gives me confidence to get up and drive him in a lot of the time.
How were you feeling heading into the game on Tuesday? What was your mindset?
This was my most comfortable start in a while. I sprained my ankle earlier in the year, so I didn’t play against Mt. Pleasant and Ligonier Valley on the mound. This was my first start back, and I was feeling pretty comfortable. I was back to 100% that day. I was throwing my bullpen with catcher David Kleckner and everything seemed to be working in that session, and I could tell it was going to be a good day.
When did you realize that you had a no-hitter in the works?
It’s actually funny. I gave up a line drive in the third inning, I believe, to our rightfielder. Unfortunately, he and our centerfielder collided on the play. We thought our rightfielder caught it, but it was ruled a no catch. Our scorekeeper marked it as a hit. I came into the dugout in the fifth inning and my coach said each team had only one hit. I looked over confused, believing Deer Lakes didn’t have a hit.
Were any of your teammates talking to you in between innings?
Eventually they found out that the official scorekeeper, which was the home team, Deer Lakes, had it as an error. There’s a rule in the dugout that you’re not allowed to say anything. I actually had a no-hitter through five innings last year at Highlands in the last game of the year and someone said something and I lost it.
Were there any other plays in the game that you were worried that might end the no-hitter?
Our shortstop Rayden Shirey made some big plays to keep the no-hitter alive for sure. I give credit to Deer Lakes’ leadoff hitter, Charlie Cook, because he hit a couple good line drives off me, but they were straight to Coury. A lot was going well for me. A lot of routine groundballs for my fielders.
You said you had a good bullpen before the game, but which pitches were you using most often that day?
I throw a sinker, slider, splitter, changeup. We realized pretty early that my sinker had a lot of run back inside, and I was going to get a lot of guys looking at the outside corner. My splitter also was going to get a lot of guys as well. Then we used my slider to counteract that inside movement and get some swings and misses.
When did you know for sure that it was an official no-hitter?
My coach came up to me after the game and asked me if I knew what it wound up being. I asked was it a no-hitter and he said yeah. In my head, I thought it was a no-hitter figuring that the collision in right would be scored an error.
Do you think that were you aware that you had a no-hitter, would you have been more nervous or focused on getting the no-hitter?
Any honest man will admit that it’s a big dream to throw a no-hitter in a section game to clinch a spot in the playoffs. That’s a big deal. Had I known, it might have been in my head a little bit more, but I don’t think I would have changed my approach on the mound. I was pitching pretty efficiently that day and was feeling very good about my stuff.
You finished with seven strikeouts. What’s the most you’ve ever recorded in a game?
I hit double digits with 10 a couple of times.
Last year, your team won the section, but this year you finished third, but are still headed to the playoffs. What’s the message moving forward?
We’re a senior-led team; we have nine or 10 seniors, and we’re hungry. It’s the last time we get to play together and I think all of our guys understand that. We don’t have anything to lose, so we’re going to go in knowing we’ll be a nine- or 10-seed and won’t get a home playoff game. Just looking forward to being the underdogs, stealing a few games and making a deep run like we did my sophomore year.
What goals did you set for yourself prior to the season?
One of my big goals, which ended up getting squashed because of my injury, was to get 100 career strikeouts. I’m sitting around 75 right now, but we’ll see how the rest of the season goes. My other goal was to be a consistent three- hitter and drive in a lot of runs.
Do you play any other sports at school?
This year I did not. But throughout my high school career I played basketball and football.
Favorite hobbies?
I like golf, I bowl a lot and I enjoy going to the gym and getting lifts in.
Favorite subject in school?
Statistics. I took that this year and really enjoyed it. I plan on majoring in data science next year.
What are your plans after you graduate?
I’m attending Saint Vincent College and will play baseball.
What advice would you want to leave your teammates before you leave?
My biggest message would be that baseball is a hard sport. What I wrote for my senior night was that the most important pitch is always the next one. You can’t go back and fix what you did on the last pitch. You’re going to fail more times than you’re going to succeed on pitches, you just need to focus on the next pitch every time.