The PIAA track and field season officially opened last weekend, but most District 10 schools won't begin competing until this Saturday.
McDowell, Fairview and Hickory are among the District 10 programs scheduled to participate in Baldwin High School's South Hills Classic. Fort LeBoeuf also will travel to Altoona for the Igloo Invitational.
This season is set to take place under normal circumstances for the first time since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to be canceled and prompted last year's competition to be reduced and restricted.
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Local track and field fans must wait until the following weekend to watch action in person in Erie County. Twelve district teams are set to compete in Fort LeBoeuf's meet at Carm Bonito Field on April 9. That same day, West Middlesex will host its Big Red Invitational.
The season will conclude with the district meet back at Slippery Rock University on May 21, followed by the PIAA meet over Memorial Day weekend at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium.
Here are northwestern Pennsylvania athletes to follow until then:
Class 2A girls
Fort LeBoeuf's Audrey Friedman is the most prominent returning Erie County athlete who medaled at states last year. Friedman, now a senior, finished fourth in the PIAA in the javelin with a distance of 135 feet, 2 inches.
Friedman, who also heaves the shot put for the Bison, goes into her last high school season knowing she'll resume her throwing career at Penn State University.
College choice:Fort LeBoeuf's Audrey Friedman to throw javelin for Penn State University
Villa Maria's Sarah Clark and Lauren Raimy are the county's only other returning state medalists from last spring. The distance runners helped the Victors claimed the eighth and final award given out for the 3,200-meter relay. Clark is a junior and Raimy a sophomore for what will be the last track and field team in Villa's history.
The Catholic Diocese of Erie plans to close the West Eighth Street school at the end of the current academic year. Villa's returning female students, Clark and Raimy included, will attend Cathedral Prep and compete as Ramblers in PIAA athletics.
Wilmington seniors Becka Book and Lindsey Martineau are the district's top returning PIAA medalists from 2021.
Both are returning PIAA gold medalists.
Book and Martineau joined Greyhound graduates Grace Mason and Elizabeth Miles to win the 1,600 relay at Shippensburg. The quartet had a low time of 4 minutes, 1.95 seconds.
Martineau also was an individual silver medalist at states. She was second in the 300-meter hurdles at 45.76.
Slippery Rock's Gianna Bedel was the PIAA's bronze medalist in the high jump. Bedel, then a junior, cleared 5-3.
Other returning 2021 state medalists also are from the district's southernmost schools.
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Besides Book and Martineau, Wilmington junior Emma Mason was a member of the 'Hounds' sixth-place quartet in the 3,200 relay.
Farrell's Sanaa Brodie placed seventh in the 100 dash and Mercer's Willow Myers was fifth in the 1,600. Grace Bresnan also placed eighth in the triple jump.
North East's 2022 roster will include senior Mercede Myers. She's expected to defend as the district's top shot put thrower.
Class 2A boys
North East's Nick Kerner was the last of eight runners who medaled in the PIAA's 400 final.
Kerner, now a senior, completed his lone lap in 51.04 seconds. He's the county's lone returning small-school male who was honored during the state's 2021 meet.
Wilmington's Luke Edwards and Grove City's Josh Dreves are back as PIAA bronze medalists from a year ago.
Edwards, now a senior, ran the third leg of the 'Hounds' 400 relay. Dreves and Littlestown graduate Dan Elliot tied for third in the high jump with successful 6-5 attempts.
Grove City also welcomes back 2021 state medalists in Trey Reznor (seventh in the 1,600 relay) and Joshua Jones (fourth in the 3,200 relay).
The Hickory Hornets, a traditional PIAA power, boast returning junior Luca Bertolasio. He was fifth in the long jump at states.
Ethan Quezada is back at Fairview as one of its four runners who won last year's district 3,200 relay. He started the anchor leg as a freshman.
Titusville senior Kaleb Sopher is the district's defending champ in the 100 dash.
Class 3A girls
District athletes continue to have difficulty medaling at the PIAA level. Couple that with graduation and it only has one returning state medalist from last May.
That medalist is Grove City's Abby Steffler. Now a senior, she finished sixth in the 1,600 final at Shippensburg. She'll be the Eagles' distance specialist this spring.
However, there are ample athletes back as District 10 champs.
McDowell's Abby Faulhaber, Sara Renshaw and Kyla Kramer ran in the Trojans' first-place 3,200 relay.
General McLane's Ellen Cunningham is another county returnee who bids to defend at districts. The senior finished first in last season's javelin competition.
2021 District 10 meet:McDowell's Knott sets D-10 3A pole vault record; Slippery Rock, Hickory win team titles
Hickory welcomes back seniors Christie Boren (400) and Paige Griffith (high jump). Grove City's Abigail Nichols (triple jump) is another reigning champion from Mercer County.
Bidding to repeat from Venango County school is Ashley Alcorn. The Franklin senior topped the district's 2021 fields for first in the shot put and discus.
Class 3A boys
Fort LeBoeuf's Hayden Skinner was among the dozens of district athletes who have seen track and field action ahead of their new outdoor season.
Skinner competed at last month's indoor state meet in State College, where the senior finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles.
The distances for the PIAA's outdoor hurdles are 110 and 300. Skinner seeks to repeat as its large-school champ in each event.
Adam Lichtinger, both a LeBoeuf classmate of Skinner, also can defend in a district event. He finished first last year in the javelin.
Cathedral Prep senior Owen Hull and junior DaMario Crawford also are returning district champions. They comprised half of the Ramblers' first-place 1,600 relay.
Crawford also sprinted to first in the 100 and 200 finals.
However, Hull and Crawford enjoyed success beyond that. They're the only returning 3A males who medaled in that same event during the PIAA meet. Prep finished fifth.
Also back for the Ramblers are Sidney Abogunde and Luke Brown as district champs for the 3,200 relay.
Contact Mike Copper at . Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper