Repeat feats: Schwertfeger, Ohler, Drumhiller, Stough win again at Woodruff 5K
CONNELLSVILLE 鈥� Those watching the 42nd annual John Woodruff 5K Run & Walk may have had a strange case of deja vu on Wednesday evening.
There were four familiar faces that emerged victorious with three of those successfully defending their Woodruff titles.
Both runners 鈥� Matt Schwertfeger and Lexi Ohler 鈥� repeated as champions and walker Jacynth Drumhiller also won for a second straight year. Lee Stough, the overall walk winner, secured at least his fourth Woodruff title, besting Carl Kondroach who had finished first in six of the previous seven races.
What was unusual this year was the weather. Instead of the usual sweltering heat, there were cloudy skies and gusting winds, which most of the competitors welcomed.
鈥淭he cloud cover was nice,鈥� Schwertfeger said. 鈥淟ast year I remember it was pretty hot. So it wasn鈥檛 that bad.鈥�
鈥淎ctually quite pleasant,鈥� Drumhiller said. 鈥淭he weather was unexpectedly decent.鈥�
It was the third consecutive overall first-place finish for the 17-year-old Schwertfeger, who will be entering his senior year at Laurel Highlands, but this one was much tighter than his first two wins even though it was his fastest time of the three at 16:44.
Schwertfeger won by 29 seconds in 2023 and 28 seconds in 2022. His margin of victory this year was 11 seconds over second-place Austin Molinaro of Connellsville (16:55).
Rounding out the top five in the men鈥檚 run were Jake Pritts (17:15), Ellic Pritts (17:20) and Jonah Lindstrom of Connellsville (17:23).
鈥淚t was a battle with Jonah and Austin for a couple miles,鈥� Schwertfeger said. 鈥淚t was a good race. At the top of the hill I kind of pulled away a little bit. Then they caught up and I pulled away with about three-quarters (of a mile) to go.鈥�
Schwertfeger had a three-peat on his mind.
鈥淭his is what I came out here to do so it felt good,鈥� he said.
Schwertfeger, in looking ahead, has set a few goals for his final cross country season at LH.
鈥淲PIALs, we鈥檒l see how high I can get,鈥� Schwertfeger said. 鈥淚 want to place pretty good in the state meet, I want to try to go top three. That鈥檚 kind of my main goal, states.鈥�
Ohler was the top female runner and finished 12th overall with a time of 19:56, topping her winning time in 2023 by five seconds. After last year鈥檚 victory, Ohler admitted she had her sights set on winning again.
鈥淭hat was my goal, so glad that I hit it,鈥� said Ohler, who will be a senior at Southmoreland. 鈥淭here were a couple girls that went out with me but then I took the lead right after going up the first hill.鈥�
Ohler wasn鈥檛 pressured much, finishing 31 seconds ahead of 2019 champion Erika Suhy of McKeesport (20:27).
鈥淚 kind of race the guys if I get to a point where I鈥檓 not by any girls and that鈥檚 how I keep pushing myself,鈥� said the 17-year-old Ohler, who, like Schwertfeger, has high hopes for her senior cross country season.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited. I think I have a lot left in me that I didn鈥檛 really do the last couple years,鈥� Ohler said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to make some big jumps this year. I鈥檝e been training a lot.鈥�
Rounding out the top five female runners were 2021 champion Chloe Kalp of Melcroft (21:37), 15-year-old Isabella Baker of Uniontown (21:48) and Mindy Hoffman of Acme (22:28).
Stough, who last won the Woodruff walk in 2019 and also won in 2014, turned in a winning time of 27:17, which was 4:04 ahead of Kondrach, but the Glassport native was still a bit disappointed in his performance.
鈥淚 certainly did not do what I鈥檓 capable of doing today,鈥� Stough said. 鈥淎 half mile in I decided I鈥檓 giving up any attempt at a personal record. So I just settled into a comfortable pace.鈥�
Rounding out the top five male walkers were Rich Sandala of Venetia (31:47), Jeremy Hamborsky (35:59) and Jim Downey of Connellsville (36:02). It was Downey鈥檚 fifth straight top-five finish in the Woodruff.
Drumhiller, of Mount Pleasant, was victorious in the female walk with a time of 35:54, which was 22 seconds better than her winning time in 2023. She was fourth overall after finishing second overall last year.
Drumhiller again preferred to come from behind.
鈥淚 usually start off pretty slowly,鈥� Drumhiller said. 鈥淚 kind of paced myself behind some people that I knew. Usually a little bit before the last mile I pick it up.鈥�
Drumhiller grabbed the lead 鈥渨ith about a half mile left.鈥�
Four-time champion Sarah Donley of Bethesda, Ohio (37:00) finished second to Drumhiller for the second year in a row and was followed by Stacey Hustosky of Connellsville (39:15), Jeanine Kostelnik of Mount Pleasant (40:59) and Kelly Miner of Mill Run (41:13).
The race, held in honor of the late John Woodruff, who won a gold medal in the 800 run at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, benefits the John Woodruff Memorial Scholarship which is given annually to two Connellsville graduates.
This year鈥檚 winners of the $1,500 scholarships were Emma Tikey, who will attend Allegheny College and intends to major in biochemistry and play soccer, and Teddy Murphy, who will attend Penn State and intends to major in computer engineering. Both Tikey and Murphy competed in Wednesday鈥檚 race.
Kevin Harrison鈥檚 encouraging voice was again heard through the loudspeakers at Falcon Stadium, where the finish line is located, as he filled his usual role as the P.A. announcer for the event.
Firing the starter pistol as this year鈥檚 honorary race starter was Connellsville graduate Ashley Foley Weishaar, who was recently inducted into the Fayette County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame.
For the 29th year in a row SERJ Racing Services provided results for the event.
There were 391 participants (271 runners and 120 walkers) in this year鈥檚 event, up slightly from last year鈥檚 376.
Stough expressed his admiration for the event.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the course. I鈥檝e always enjoyed how difficult it is,鈥� Stough said. 鈥淭he crowd support is amazing. There are people out all along the course. I just love to see that. And it鈥檚 one of the larger fields that I鈥檝e seen, too. I鈥檝e noticed in the few races I do these days the field of racers is getting smaller and smaller. This is a nice healthy crowd.鈥�