One ran in the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championships last week; one did not. But they both used what happened in that race to help them win WPIAL cross country titles yesterday.

North Allegheny High School's Ryan Gil gained confidence from beating Mt. Lebanon's Rad Gunzenhauser last week and used that to top Gunzenhauser again yesterday in the boys' Class AAA race on the Cooper's Lake Campground 3.1-mile course in Slippery Rock.

Norwin's Jenna Gigliotti got extra motivation to win the girls' Class AAA title by watching Hampton's Elaina Balouris finish first at the Tri-State meet.

"Watching [Balouris win last week] got me excited about running today," said Gigliotti, who finished in 18 minutes, 26 seconds. "I knew the championships were coming up, but, after that, I really started getting pumped up."

She finished 10 seconds ahead of North Hills sophomore Margo Malone, who edged Balouris in a sprint for second.

Gigliotti and her Norwin teammates did a training run on the Cooper's Lake course at the Tri-State meet last week rather than race after telling coach Geary Tray they needed a break.

It was hard to argue with the results. Gigliotti won the Class AAA individual title, and Norwin breezed to the team title, finishing with 112 points. North Hills was second with 178, North Allegheny third with 191.

"You feel good about your chances coming in, but there are always doubts," Tray said. "The girls performed and did what they needed to do, and Jenna put together an outstanding race at the right time."

Balouris had beaten Gigliotti early in the season at the Red, White & Blue Classic in Schenley Park, pulling away at the finish.

"We were close together when we got to the path in Schenley Park," Gigliotti said. "This time, I made my move farther out, and it held up."

The boys' Class AAA final was nearly a copy of the race at the Tri-State meet. Gil and Gunzenhauser pulled away after a mile and Gil started to pull away from Gunzenhauser at the 2-mile mark. Gil finished in 15:30, Gunzenhauser in 15:43.

"I pretty much had the same strategy, only today I wanted to push it more," said Gil, a junior. "Last week, I kind of sat on [the pace] a little."

North Allegheny won the boys' Class AAA team title for a fifth consecutive year, edging Baldwin, 92-109. North Hills was third.

In girls' Class AA, Quaker Valley sophomore Sarah Miller finished strong to win in 19:30. Freeport freshman Kayla Zboran was second and defending champion Katrina Jueng of Shady Side Academy third. Quaker Valley won the girls' Class AA team title for the first time since 2004, beating Shady Side Academy, 85-108.

Laurel senior Evan Miller won the boys' Class AA title in 16:33,beating Quaker Valley's John Yankello and Nat Fox, who were second and third, respectively, by four seconds. Laurel never had a WPIAL cross country champion before.

Quaker Valley won the boys' Class AA team title for a third year in a row, finishing with 41 points. Beaver was second with 199 and Greensburg Central Catholic third.

The top four teams in each classification and the top 20 individuals who are not a member of those four teams advance to the PIAA championships Nov. 7 in Hershey.

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette photos

North Allegheny's Ryan Gil crosses the finish line in the WPIAL Class AAA cross country championships yesterday at Cooper's Lake Campground in Slippery Rock.

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