Heard Around the Track

November 4, 2001
 

Madia, Mazzocco take home PIAA titles

By JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, November 4, 2001

HERSHEY - They both won PIAA cross country championships, but North Allegheny's Stephanie Madia needed a photo finish while Baldwin's Dan Mazzocco had time to pose for pictures after his runaway victory.

Madia, a senior, beat Jess Cickay of Council Rock by five-tenths of a second in one of the closest finishes in state history on the 3.1-mile course Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium, White Field.

Mazzocco didn't want to wait until the last minute to make his move toward a state title. His time of 16 minutes, three seconds in the boys AAA race was 23 seconds faster than second-place finisher Dorian McDonald of Liberty.

Madia trailed Cickay on the straightaway in the final half-mile, then crept up and passed her two steps from the finish line to record a winning time of 19:04. Cickay barely made it across the finish line at 19:04.5, and nearly collapsed.

Given their race history, Madia said she knew Cickay would start out fast but not be able to finish as strong.

"God has given me the ability to run fast," Madia said. "This is my senior year, and as I approached the finish line, my four years of high school flashed before me. This was my goal, and I wanted to rely on God and use his strength to win a state championship."

Yesterday was the second time Madia had come from behind to beat Cickay. Madia used a similar strategy in the 1,600-meter run at the PIAA track and field championships last spring. Madia was in third place but sprinted toward the end of the race to finish first by five-hundredths of a second.

Her coach didn't get to see her either time.

"I saw she was in second (yesterday) and so I turned my back to look at my other runners," said North Allegheny coach Bob Austen, who plans to retire from coaching cross country at the end of the school year. "I keep missing her. But it is great that she won. She really wanted this. She has been hyped up all week. I had a hard time keeping her calm."

Baldwin coach Rich Wright can relate to Austen because there were times last season that Mazzocco was too eager. He would pull ahead too early and not be able to finish strong, as evidenced by his 226th-place finish last year.

Not this time.

"I choked last year," said Mazzocco, who went undefeated as a senior. "So, this means a lot. This year, I told myself I was going to do it. I knew I could do it whether anyone believed I could or not."

Wright counted himself among the believers. That's why he told Mazzocco to stay with the front pack for the first mile, take off strong in the second and use his speed in the third mile.

"We felt he could keep the lead because he has been strong at the end of races," Wright said. "We knew his foot speed would enable him to keep his lead."

Mazzocco more than kept his lead. He led by 13 seconds at the second-mile mark and upped it to 17 seconds on the downhill prior to the straightaway finish. Baldwin coaches credit Mazzocco's change of diet for his success. He was a vegetarian last year, but has eaten more meat this season. Mazzocco, however, attributes his success to being stronger mentally.

"It is important what's in your head and your heart," Mazzocco said. "I used to get really nervous, but I try to look more at the positives. If I lose, I can't let that crush me. I have to feel that I did my best for myself and for God."

In girls AAA, Peters Township's Jessica Perry finished fourth in 19:21.1, Hempfield junior Lauren Bricker, a three-time WPIAL champion, was fifth (19:23), and West Allegheny's Christine Taranto was seventh (19:27.7).

In boys AAA, Mt. Lebanon senior Shawn Cavanaugh, the defending PIAA cross country champion, finished fifth in 16:30.1. Shaler's Sam Bair, who took second at the WPIAL championships, placed 39th.

Allentown Central Catholic finished first in the Class AAA girls team division with 143 points. North Allegheny was third with 192. Cedar Cliff won the Class AAA boys team crown with 87 points. Shaler finished seventh with 258.

In the Class AA girls race, Jesi Christiansen from Greenville won in 19:17.1. Washington's Anna Beck was 14th (20:08.1) and WPIAL champion Maxine Markfield of Quaker Valley was 15th (20:11). Wyomissing won the Class AA girls team title with 72 points. Quaker Valley was second with 118.

Andy Weilacher of Eisenhower won the boys Class AA race in 16:05.5. Quaker Valley's Zach Thomas was 23rd (17:15.2), and WPIAL champion Dan Erny of Brentwood was 26th (17:20.4). Scranton Prep captured the Class AA boys team championship with 87 points. Quaker Valley took fourth with 213.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop can be reached at jharrop@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7889.

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