PUP track notebook: Stars in other sports giving track a try this spring — and are excelling

McKeesport football star Kemon Spell continues to put in a lot of time in the weight room and on the field, things he hopes will put him on the fast track to earning early playing time when he arrives at Penn State two years from now.

Spell is now banking that track and field will help him in that pursuit, too.

Spell, considered one of the nation’s top sophomores, is one of several WPIAL athletes known best for their excellence in other sports who have taken their talents to the track for the first time this spring. Avonworth senior Rowan Carmichael and Beaver senior Brady Mayo are two others. Carmichael led all WPIAL basketball players in scoring this past season. Mayo ranked second and is a Bucknell football recruit.

“I’ve just been working on my 40, my speed, trying to get my numbers up for my 40-yard dash for football,” said Spell, who is ranked the No. 1 running back in the country and No. 7 player overall in the sophomore class by On3.

Spell said he has run a 4.4 in the 40 but wants to eventually get into the 4.3’s. He’s been competing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well as the 400 relay.

Carmichael, an Edinboro recruit who averaged 31.9 points per game in hoops, is also running the 100, 200 and 400 relay.

“The past two years I had been on the fence about [running],” said Carmichael, who also played soccer at Avonworth all four of his years. “My mom really wanted me to do it. With AAU [basketball], it was kind of tough. But since I’m done with AAU, now I can.”

Likewise with Mayo, who was a teammate of Carmichael’s in AAU. Mayo averaged 26.2 points per game his senior basketball season. Mayo said he briefly competed in track as a freshman before giving it up to focus on baseball. He’s no longer playing baseball and instead is focusing on the 400 in track. 

“If I wanted to play football, I think track would be right to get my speed up. I work out every day, so it just made sense,” said Mayo, who was recruited to play defensive back. Mayo is contemplating his future after receiving offers from several Division II PSAC schools for basketball.

All three are faring very well this spring, too. At last week’s Butler Invitational, which included 94 schools, Spell ran a personal record of 10.99 seconds in the 100 to finish second behind New Castle speedster Kaevon Gardner.

“I’m really happy,” Spell said of his performance. “I thought I was going to get dipped on, but I came out with confidence, and I just ran.”

Spell’s spring will also include plenty of 7-on-7 football. It won’t include visits to any schools other than Penn State, though. It was rumored that Spell could be looking at other schools after Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider left for Notre Dame — the Fighting Irish have since offered — but Spell said he’s “locked in” at Penn State.

Carmichael also competed at the Butler Invitational, placing 13th in both the 100 and 200. He owns a top 100 time of 11.27 and a top 200 time of 22.80.

“I’m pretty happy,” Carmichael said. “I thought I’d do well, and I’m fifth all time [at Avonworth] in the 100 and eighth all time in the 200.”

Mayo owns one of the top 400 times in WPIAL Class 2A this season. He ran a time of 50.94 to finish second at the South Hills Classic earlier this month. That time would have been good enough to win him the WPIAL Class 2A title a season ago. Mayo said he hopes to get the school record in the event.

“I really want to win the WPIAL championship in the 400,” he said. “I have the second best 400 time right now in 2A, so my goal is to hopefully at least get a medal and hopefully win it.”

West A’s Fritzman readies for Penn Relays

Grace Fritzman’s handle on Instagram is “gracefritzman.runs,” but this West Allegheny junior might want to consider adding “veryfast” to the end of it at some point soon.

Fritzman was one of the stars of the Butler Invitational, taking home titles in both the 1,600 and 3,200. She was one of only two girls to claim titles in two individual events, the other being South Fayette junior Delaney Schumaker, who won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles. Fritzman’s title in the 1,600 came courtesy of the 4:59.21 she ran to win the Ed Hartman Memorial Mile. That time converted to a 1,600 time of 4:57.59, the top mark in the WPIAL this season.

After producing an excellent performance at Butler, Fritzman will try to do the same in Philadelphia when she competes in the mile run Friday at the Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field. Fritzman is one of 15 entrants in the race, which includes Haverford’s Olivia Cieslak, a Stanford recruit who won the 800 and was the runner up in the 1,600 at last year’s PIAA Class 3A championships. Fritzman finished sixth in the 1,600 and fifth in the 3,200 in that meet.

Mt. Lebanon graduate Logan St. John Kletter placed second in the mile at the Penn Relays in 2023 with a time of 4:50.77. Fritzman’s PR in the event is 4:53.97, which she ran at last year’s New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Fritzman is the only WPIAL athlete scheduled to compete in an individual event at the Penn Relays. Hopewell, Neighborhood Academy, North Catholic and West Mifflin are all sending relay teams to the meet.

Quaker Valley rises to the competition

Quaker Valley may only be a Class 2A school, but the Quakers showed they could not only hang with, but also beat, some top Class 3A programs in the WPIAL at the Butler Invitational. 

It was a great day for the Quaker Valley boys, who took first place at the meet, which included athletes from 94 schools. The Quakers collected 66 points, allowing them to top a field that included Grove City (55), Norwin (54), Butler (51) and North Allegheny (40.5). Davin Gartley won titles in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, while Jonah Montagnese won the 3,200. Clark LaLomia was second in the 800, Thomas Debelak second in the triple jump, and the Quakers’ 1,600 relay team also finished second.

The Quaker Valley girls fared well, too, finishing in fourth place with 33 points. Norwin was first with 57 points. The Quakers’ top finishers were Jay Olawaiye (second in the triple jump), the 400 relay team (second) and Cecilia Montagnese (third in the 1,600).

Quaker Valley excelling is no surprise. The Quaker Valley boys are the defending WPIAL Class 2A champions, and the girls are the three-time defending champions.

Moon freshman shines

Being a freshman, one might think Rachel Stepp would be taking baby steps in her first season of high school track. Instead, this Moon ninth grader appears to be shooting for the moon.

Stepp put forth quite the performance at the Butler Invitational, winning the title in the 400 following an exceptional time of 55.98. That time ranks second in the WPIAL this season — only North Allegheny’s Isabella Costa (55.86) has run faster — and 19th in WPIAL history, according to historian Jim Faiella.

Stepp’s time would have been good enough to win the WPIAL Class 3A title a season ago. Norwin senior Melani Schmidt was the runner-up with a time of 56.83. Schmidt finished third at last year’s WPIAL championships.