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Sports

CV Track Teams Heading in Right Direction

Both the boys and girls track teams have an opportunity to improve this season.

The senior girls on the Chartiers Valley track team are in a position to accomplish something that no class in school history has done; win four consecutive section titles.

In fact, prior to the class of 2011 entering as freshmen, the Colts women hadn’t won a section title since 1974. And while the Colts graduated plenty of seniors from last season’s undefeated Section 7-AAA championship team, coach Lori Poe sees no reason that her girls can’t make history this year.

“Overall, we have a very talented team,” Poe said. “Although we have an experienced team in terms of playoffs, we have a lot of young girls this year that need to step up.”

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And while Poe acknowledged the fact that younger girls must step up, she can lean on the senior leadership of Amanda Mazur and Angie Hartz, both whom run on the four-by-one relay team. Mazur is ranked in the top 10 in the WPIAL in both the 100 and 200-meter sprints, while Hartz is the top ranked 100-meter hurdler and the second-ranked 300-meter hurdler.

Their experience, as well as the other seniors, will be invaluable according to Poe.

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“Track is an individual sport, yeah. But our seniors understand the team aspect as well,” she said. “They all understand how important winning the section is, and they’ve basically put track on the map at Chartiers Valley.”

But as the expectations for the girls team are rising, the boys are in more of a rebuilding mode. The boys’ team is coming off of a season in which the Colts won only two meets, and are still inexperienced in an extremely strong section.

“We were fairly strong on the track last year and inexperienced in the field,” Poe said. “We’re kind of the reverse of that this year, as we have some experience in the field, but we’re very young on the track.”

Poe does have optimism for her boys as the number of male athletes coming out for the team is growing. She believes it is an asset that many of her male performers are more than just strictly track athletes and can bring experience in other areas rather than just on the field.

“A lot of our athletes specialize in basketball or football,” Poe said. “They bring a lot to the table not just in terms of talent, but also in leadership they have from other sports.”

And while Poe isn’t sure if the boys team can contend for a section title this year, she believes next season could be a realistic opportunity for the guys to bring home their first section title since 2000.

The boys and girls track teams from Chartiers Valley both competed in the Big Eight Invitational on Friday, and now will play host to McGuffey and Ringgold high schools on Tuesday.

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