Gateway track and field has had a season full of big moments and top finishes at dual meets and invitationals, and many of the top Gators athletes tested their mettle at the 52nd Baldwin Invitational on May 1.
The prestigious annual meet often sets the stage for the WPIAL finals with top teams from all over the region gathering to see who has the right stuff.
Gateway brought home a dozen top-eight finishes from Baldwin, including a first-place victory from the 400-meter relay quartet of Aaron Staley, Trenton Perry, Nazir Diggs and Jayden Stammer (42.80 seconds).
The boys 1,600 relay of Michael Howard, Michael Byrd, Tashon Gowder and Isaiah Kelley came close to a win. They took second in a time of 3:28.34.
Both teams are looking for big things at WPIALs along with Stammer in the 100 dash.
Stammer has run one of the fastest 100 times in the history of Gateway boys track and field. He is battling back from a hamstring injury suffered in a practice.
Daysaun Spencer, last year’s WPIAL and PIAA Class 2A champion in the triple jump as a sophomore at Brentwood, captured gold at the Baldwin Invitational as his top leap of 23 feet, 1.5 inches in the long jump bested the field and now ranks No. 2 on the Gateway all-time list for the event. Montae Nicholson owns a top mark of 24-5 set in 2014.
Spencer added a fifth in the triple jump (40-11).
The Gateway girls were led at Baldwin by the third-place 1,600 relay (4:15.73). Depth in the relay has been key with Jahnye Bryant, Kalee Hellman, Kailee Allen, Rikkia Chase, Jace Smith and Londyn Coleman all factoring into the lineup.
The girls 400 relay of Bryant, Kellman, Coleman and Smith captured fourth (51.24) at Baldwin.
Kellman, fourth in the 100 hurdles at Baldwin (16.19) is gearing up for a strong run at WPIALs, as is Piper Munyon in the 3,200.
Munyon set a school record in the two-mile run at Baldwin with a time of 11:25.06 which placed her sixth overall.
Gateway athletes hoping to improve their standing or solidify a spot in the WPIAL field were able to do so Thursday at one of two last-chance meets in the area, either at West Mifflin or Pine-Richland.
More than a dozen, Gateway coach Brent Rogus said, were on the bubble in their events. The top 24 individuals in each event, based on times, heights and distances recorded at dual meets and invitationals during the regular season, earned berths to the WPIAL championships at Slippery Rock.
Youth showing out for Gateway softball
Gateway softball has experienced a rough stretch in recent years, but coach Ashley Banner hopes the program is turning the corner.
The Gators, 4-13 last year and 1-16 in 2024, were 7-10 overall through a competitive 5-4 loss to Mt. Lebanon on May 5.
Gateway started the season 0-4 in Section 2-5A against the top teams in the section. But Game 5 in the section slate was cause for celebration.
The Gators topped McKeesport, 6-3, on April 6, and the victory snapped a section losing streak which dated back six seasons to 2019.
Freshman pitcher Brianna Banner picked up the win, surrendering just three hits while striking out 16.
Senior catcher Malia Clemens hit a three-run homer as part of a four-run seventh inning which broke a 3-3 tie.
Gateway had nine hits total with junior shortstop Ryley Beavin collecting two hits and two RBIs.
Freshman right fielder Sienna Boden doubled twice and scored two runs, and freshman left fielder Grace Burelson also added a pair of hits.
Gateway finished 3-9 in the section with a sweep of McKeesport and a 6-3 triumph over Franklin Regional on April 15.
The youthful Gators added nonsection wins over Woodland Hills twice, Penn Hills and Carrick.
Banner led Gateway at the plate against Mt. Lebanon with three hits, including a home run and two RBIs.
Senior duo reaches WPIAL doubles semis
Gateway’s Logan Memije and Troy Boden teamed up to capture the Section 1-3A doubles championship and earn a spot in the WPIAL doubles tournament.
The pairing was seeded fourth for WPIALs, a slot that didn’t quite sit well with Gators coach Matt Stockunas who felt the duo deserved a better seeding.
But Memije and Boden were able to claim a pair of victories in the tournament, topping the 13th-seeded entry from Bethel Park, 10-8, in the first round before stopping the Fox Chapel team of sophomore Frank Siegel and junior Grant Fenton, 10-3, in the quarterfinals.
Their run came to an end in the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 loss to the North Allegheny No. 1 seeded pairing of junior Ashwin Sudhakar and senior Matt Kampi.
Memije and Boden then scored a walkover win by injury default in the consolation finals. However, only the top two teams qualified for the PIAA tournament.
Memije hoped for a third straight trip to states. He and graduate Zidaan Hassan teamed to win WPIAL doubles titles last year and in 2024.
Memije, who also finished fourth in the WPIAL singles tournament after claiming section singles gold, went 12-2 in playoff tennis this spring. He capped his third and final varsity season 14-1 overall in singles matches and 6-1 with Boden in doubles.
Boden, Gateway’s No. 2 singles player, went 9-3 in singles matches.
Memije and Boden helped Gateway finish 7-3 overall and 7-1 in section matches with its lone section loss coming against section champion Franklin Regional, 3-2. The Gators scored section wins over Hempfield (5-0), Connellsville (5-0), Latrobe (5-0), Plum (4-1), Penn-Trafford (4-1), Norwin (3-2) and Kiski Area (5-0)
Memije was the lone Gator to score a victory in the team’s 4-1 WPIAL first-round loss to No. 8 Peters Township. Boden, Wasay Syed and Abuzar Hameez also played their final varsity matches against the Indians.
Boys volleyball in postseason mix
Gateway boys volleyball started the season 0-3 with 3-1 losses to Franklin Regional, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and Upper St. Clair in nonsection play.
But the Gators soon found themselves in the win column, and seven victories in Section 4-3A — 3-1 wins over North Hills and Central Catholic twice, a pair of 3-0 wins over Penn Hills, and close 3-2 triumphs over Plum and Fox Chapel — clinched a spot in the WPIAL playoffs.
North Hills topped Gateway, 3-1 in their section rematch. A 3-0 loss to Plum last Tuesday followed by the victory over Penn Hills the next day put the Gators in a first-place tie with North Hills at 7-2 with one game to go in the section.
Gateway was to conclude its section schedule at Fox Chapel last Thursday.
Gateway also found out its playoff fate as the WPIAL boys volleyball committee released the playoff pairings Friday.
In addition to its stretch run in section play, the Gators fared well at the Plum tournament April 25.
Gateway beat Penn-Trafford, 25-23, in the quarterfinals before losing to Class 3A power Seneca Valley, 25-23, in the semifinals.
A pair of Gators seniors, setter/outside hitter Dan Bozicevic and outside hitter Toktobek Kubanychbekov, each earned Player of the Week recognition this season from the Western Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.
Mbandi represents Gateway at NFL Draft
WPIAL schools with NFL draft picks in their history had a current player represent them at the NFL Draft last month on the North Shore.
Gateway has had several players selected in past drafts, and senior offensive tackle Kaiyen Mbandi joined numerous other WPIAL standouts on stage just outside of Acrisure Stadium.
The players wore their game jerseys and received a football with their school’s draft picks stamped on the side.
More than 60 schools were represented as players were part of a tribute to the legacy of WPIAL football.
Gateway’s most recent draft pick, defensive back Jaquan Brisker, played four seasons with the Chicago Bears before signing a one-year contract with the Steelers in March.
Other former Gators drafted by NFL teams were Montae Nicholson by the Washington Commanders in 2017, Justin King by the then St. Louis Rams in 2008, Bob Buczkowski by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986 and Joel Williams by the Miami Dolphins in 1987.
Mbandi earned Big East second team honors at offensive tackle as a senior in 2025 as he helped Gateway average 23.9 points a game.
The Gators finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Big East with Armstrong and Kiski Area.
Gateway lost out on tiebreaker for one of the WPIAL Class 5A wild card berths.
Brown, Adams, Holl set for Big 33
Gateway flag football senior Izzy Brown, Gators flag football coach Haley Adams, and Gateway tackle football coach Don Holl are gearing up for the Big 33 Classic Memorial Day weekend at Cumberland Valley in Mechanicsburg.
Brown, one of two seniors on the Gators flag team this spring, will represent the Steelers/WPIAL team as a defensive back in tournament games May 23 and 24 against teams representing the Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.
Brown has been a key contributor on both sides of the ball for Gateway the past four years with her speed utilized at running back.
She is the second consecutive Gateway player selected to take part in the Big 33 tournament. Gators 2025 graduate KC Glaze, now a freshman at Cal (Pa.), was a big part of last year’s Steelers Big 33 team which fell to the Eagles team in the championship game.
Adams will serve as an assistant coach on the team which features players from Sto-Rox, Ellis, Shaler, Oakland Catholic, North Catholic, Kiski Area, North Allegheny, Carrick, Moon, Obama Academy, Woodland Hills, New Castle and Uniontown.
Holl will serve as the head coach for the Pennsylvania team in the 69th Big 33 game, and the veteran Gators mentor got a chance to look at his players with the first series of practices April 26.
Players from Pine-Richland, Moon, Aliquippa, Avonworth, Fox Chapel and Central Catholic will represent the WPIAL in the all-star game against Maryland at 6:30 p.m. May 24.
Holl previously coached in the 2007 East-West all-star game, was the offensive coordinator for the Big 33 Pennsylvania team in 2012 and served as an East-West head coach in 2021.