Jaden McCray ruled the javelin runway at the Pine-Richland Invitational on May 1, winning the event with a top distance of 174 feet, 10 inches.
The Apollo-Ridge senior finished 10 feet clear of the field, and his personal-best that day set him up for a defense of his WPIAL Class 2A title Thursday at Slippery Rock University.
McCray said he’s feeling good and ready to go as the No. 1 seed.
“I am still looking to hit another big PR and defend my title,” said McCray, who also will compete in the shot put as the No. 15 seed (43-11.25).
“I felt really good (at Pine-Richland), and we were on grass, and it was wet, so I knew I could do more on a runway. I am excited to get on the runway at Slippery Rock and see how much further I can throw. It will be dry, too, so I know I will be able to get a little more speed. I feel like I will do better.”
The WPIAL on Tuesday consulted with the National Weather Service and decided a forecast of rain throughout Wednesday necessitated the championships be moved to Thursday. It is expected to be dry Thursday afternoon and evening but cooler with highs only reaching the low 50s.
McCray said the motivation naturally was there for him to come back and better his top heave of 164-0 in winning last year’s WPIAL title. He went on to throw 164-10 at states and place ninth.
“When I won WPIALs last year, I wasn’t as happy and excited as I thought I would be because I knew I had more in me than what I showed. Then I wish I had placed higher at states. The goal is to win WPIALs again and then place higher at states and get a medal.”
McCray and everyone else in Class 2A will have to place fifth or better for an automatic berth to the PIAA meet May 22-23 at Shippensburg University. For those in Class 3A, a top-four finish again is needed to secure an automatic spot at states.
The rest of those in the top eight who meet the state qualifying standard for their event also will head to the PIAA meet.
The Alle-Kiski Valley was well represented on the medals podium last year at Slippery Rock with Freeport junior Mackenzie Magness (Class 2A pole vault) and Fox Chapel senior Claire Conti (Class 3A discus) also having gold medals placed around their necks. Like McCray, Magness and Conti are back to defend their titles.
Magness was one of a select number of athletes to win four WPIAL medals last year. Her second WPIAL title in the pole vault (12-4) highlighted the day for the Yellowjackets standout that included a fifth in the long jump, a seventh in the triple jump and a fifth as part of the 1,600-meter relay.
She again is the hunted as her season best of 12-7 in the pole vault has her as the top seed. The WPIAL record is 12-7, and she missed in her attempts at 12-8 last year.
“The goal is always to PR, so a PR would also give me the record,” said Magness who is seeded fifth in the long jump (18-2.25), third with the 1,600 relay (4 minutes, 8.84 seconds), and sixth with the 400 relay (50.58).
“A goal is to also make it back to defend my state title. I just want to clear my first bar height and see where it goes from there.”
Magness said it was a little chaotic last year, running back and forth to complete each event.
“Being able to run the 4×4 with my teammates last year (senior Pavana Bhat, junior Madison Sleppy and graduate Grace Kristine) and make it to states with them was the cherry on top of the whole meet. I am excited for this year to see what the 4×4 does but also what the 4×1 does. We have a great shot to make states in both relays. I am excited for that.”
Conti seeks to compete at states for a fourth consecutive season. Last year, she was in two events at Shippensburg for the first time.
Second in the discus at the 2024 WPIAL meet, there was no one better than Conti last year as she won with a top toss of 137-0, 12 feet better than the runner-up, North Allegheny’s Audrey Maxwell.
Conti also was third in the shot put (37-10.5).
She is seeded third in the discus Thursday (127-10) and ninth in the shot (35-3.5).
“Honestly, I am a little nervous, but some of the pressure has been taken off me now being committed to college (Allegheny),” Conti said.
“But I am really excited to try and qualify (for states) for a fourth year in a row. I am really hoping I get there again.
“I had been a little iffy at points in the season with not being in the right headspace, but I have felt that I am getting back to a good place, and I have had a couple really good days of practice with reps before (Thursday).”
A-K Valley athletes own a total of six top seeds among the more than three dozen seeded in the top eight.
Owen Proskin, the versatile Plum senior who claimed a national indoor pentathlon title in March, will go after gold as the top seed in the Class 3A boys 110 hurdles (14.06) and high jump (6-10).
He also is the third seed in the long jump (22-5) and will run as part of the second-seeded Plum 1,600 relay (3:22.92) with senior Luke Hoberg and juniors Niko Burrell, Eli Matolcsy and Kent Holmes.
Proskin was third in the 110 hurdles (14.62) at WPIALs last year and fifth in the high jump (6-5) and 300 hurdles (38.99).
Deer Lakes senior William Bagley was the fourth-best Class 2A boys 300 hurdler at WPIALs last year (41.15), but he has his sights set higher Thursday. He hopes to hold off the field as the top seed in the 300.
Bagley recorded a season-best and school-record 40.48 in taking sixth at the Butler Invitational on April 18. The record of 40.78 stood for 20 years.
Kiski Area sophomore Alaysia Bell has produced some eye-popping distances in the jumps this season, and she hopes to do more as a favorite in the Class 3A girls long jump and triple jump.
She is seeded first in the triple (37-8.25) and third in the long (18-3.5).
Last year, in her WPIAL debut, Bell took 12th in the triple (34-11). She didn’t qualify in the long.