PG West: Moon Area's Baggett chasing fourth gold medal in Class AAA 100-meter hurdles
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Being a four-time WPIAL champion is a remarkable feat; doing it in an individual sport is even more amazing.
It means that for four consecutive years, an individual staved off every contender on the WPIAL's biggest stage and was able to avoid a serious injury.
Moon Area High School senior Layne Baggett has been able to accomplish that the past three years in the 100-meter hurdles. She will go after a fourth consecutive gold medal in that event today at the WPIAL Class AAA track and field championships at Baldwin High School Stadium.
While Upper St. Clair's Elizabeth Kline and Oakland Catholic's Taylor Doaty appear to be the primary threats to Baggett's crown, her biggest challenges this spring have come from injuries and medical problems.
"Yeah, it's been rough," she said when asked about her ailments.
"I've had knee, back, stomach and head problems."
Still, she ran a respectable time of 15.11 seconds in the 100 hurdles at the northern qualifier last week at Butler, finishing second to Doaty, who ran 14.35. And remember, the idea at the qualifier is to make it to the WPIAL championships, not to win the race ... although that's always nice. Vickie Criise of Highlands was first in the event at the central qualifier, while Kline won the southern qualifier.
Last year, Baggett won the WPIAL 100 hurdles title with a time of 14.71, edging Thomika Acie of McKeesport in the process. Baggett's winning time in 2007 was 14.72 and her first-place time as a freshman was 15.23.
Baggett said last week she is feeling better after placing third behind Kline and Doaty in the 100 hurdles at the Baldwin Invitational May 1.
"I was sick all day Thursday [April 30] before Baldwin and didn't get out of bed," Baggett said. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone, but I really didn't want to miss Baldwin."
It was obvious to many observers at Baldwin that Baggett wasn't her normal crisp self. She usually snaps over the hurdles but appeared to labor and didn't have her usual strong finish.
Kline won the race with a time of 14.89 seconds with Doaty next at 15.06 and Baggett third at 15.21.
Baggett has been slowed this season by a bruised bone in her knee, a sore back, stomach problems and headaches. At the Midwestern Athletic Conference championships she sat on the field at the Mars Athletic Complex with an ice bag on her knee after running. The sore back is something that goes along with being a hurdler.
"The stomach? Actually, I don't know what's going on with that," she said. "It's more internal, like an upset stomach, than a pulled muscle or anything.
"As for my head, I've been getting really bad headaches like migraines."
Still, she's gearing up to defend her 100-meter hurdles title. She was pleased with the way she ran at the qualifier and said she felt more like her old self running the event. Baggett, who is also the defending PIAA champion in the 100 hurdles, will also run the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and the anchor leg on Moon's 400-meter relay today at the WPIAL meet.
Baggett was third in the 300 hurdles at the northern qualifier behind Doaty and North Allegheny's Cody McCoy.
She is headed for Miami of Ohio where she will run track. Baggett also was considering James Madison and Cornell, and had looked at Wake Forest, Richmond and Elon.
"I always thought I wanted to go south, but I just liked Miami. I really love the campus and the team members I hung out with when I was there were really nice," she said. "Plus, the coach knows what he's doing and is very interested in what I've been doing. It just had everything I was looking for."
While Baggett wanted to do well at the Baldwin Invitational, the 100 hurdles at the WPIAL championships is the race she wants to win. If she does that, others will be able to match her accomplishment but nobody will be able to top four consecutive WPIAL golds in the event.
"It would be so great if that happens," she said when asked about winning four WPIAL hurdles titles in a row.
She planned to work on her starts and hoped to stay healthy leading into the championships.
nWhat: WPIAL track and field championships.
n When: Field events and trials in running events begin at 1 p.m. Finals in running events should start between 4:30- 5 p.m.
n Where: Baldwin High School Stadium.
n Tickets: $7 for adults, $4 for students.
n The skinny: This is the first year the WPIAL will hold its Class AAA and AA championships on the same day at the same site. The top four athletes or relay teams in each Class AAA event and the top five in Class AA, plus any of the top eight finishers qualify for the PIAA championships May 23-24 at Shippensburg University
First Published May 14, 2009 12:00 am
