Apr 22, 2017 4 min read

CANONSBURG – It was such a close race that the result took minutes to determine.

When it was finally decided, Chyna Beck of Canon-McMillan had won this 100-meter hurdles race by .01 over her chief rival and good friend Brenna Cavanaugh of Bentworth at the Washington-Greene County Coaches Track Meet on a raw Saturday afternoon on Beck’s home track.

And this was just the preliminary round.

How fast is .01 seconds?

Hard to tell. Here are things that take more than .01: one beat of a hummingbird’s wing, a lightning strike or a blink of an eye.

In the finals of the 100 hurdles though, Cavanaugh had the cushion of .59 seconds while beating Beck. That’s the way it’s been for these two talented athletes, a see-saw affair that has been a valuable component for their declining times.

“In indoor, we go back and forth,” said Cavanaugh, a junior who finished second in the state in Class AA in the high hurdles last season. “We do summer track and we are always right there with each other. It’s good though because we push each other.”

Cavanaugh’s win capped an outstanding day as she won the 100 hurdles (14.71), 100 dash (12.70), long jump (18-04 ½) and triple jump (37-05) to take the Overall MVP in this meet.

Laura Ehrenberger, a senior from Peters Township, won the three distance runs on the way to the Track MVP; and Fort Cherry freshman Jadyn Hartner and Trinity’s Mayli Bennett shared the Field MVP.

Canon-McMillan outdistanced Trinity by 84 points for the girls team title. Fort Cherry was the highest Class AA team, and fourth overall, with 63 points.

Cavanaugh’s efforts earned Bentworth a tie for fifth place with Beth-Center with 44 points and kept Beck from winning the Track MVP. Still, Beck’s day was impressive: second in the 100 hurdles (15.30), first in the 300 hurdles (47.07) – not an event Cavanaugh competes in – first in the 200 (26.56) and second in the triple jump, where she hit 37-04 1/2, one-half inch shy of Cavanaugh’s mark.

“I knew coming in, she was a very good hurdler,” said Beck, a senior who is a Duquesne recruit. “It was so back and forth. I knew she was tremendous at long jump and at hurdles. I’m glad because she pushed me to do that good. So I’m very happy.”

Cavanaugh’s numbers were not entered in the last WPIAL performance sheets. But they will be on the next one in another week. Don’t waste time. Look at the top of her events. So will Beck’s.

“We have a good relationship,” said Cavanaugh, who is battling shin splints that kept her out of a large chunk of last season. “It’s good to have someone push you.”

Ehrenberger was dominant in her races, winning by 7.11 seconds in the 1,600 run (5:31.01), 6.75 in the 800 (2:26.13) and 8.18 in the 3,200 (11:57.38). She also helped the Peters Township 1,600 relay team finish fourth.

“I think I did well,” she said. “I had some good times and I was happy. There were a lot of people in the (1,600 relay) and I felt pushed. I don’t usually run the 400 so that was exciting. I want to focus on the mile and 800.”

Ehrenberger’s times in the three distance runs put her in the top 10 of each event and should qualify her for the WPIAL Championships.

In other notable performances, Tamara Mathis of Canon-McMillan won the 400 dash (1:00.75), was third in the 100 dash (13.11) and ran the anchor leg on the winning 400 relay team (52.59).

Caroline Fyock of Peters Township won the shot put (34-07), took third in the discus (94-06) and was 12th in the javelin (85-02).