Consistency, Talent Fuel Fox Chapel Area Track & Field

 

It’s time for another outdoor track season, and it appears, once again, that Fox Chapel Area coach Tom Moul has a roster stacked with athletes primed for success in 2026. 

A number of students have returned after posting quality seasons in 2025 and in the recently completed indoor track season. It’s another large contingent of track athletes, starting with about 140 kids. Attrition will reduce that number somewhat, but many runners, jumpers, and throwers will still be sporting the Fox Chapel Area colors this season. 

“Our goal is always to maximize the number of kids that get to WPIALs, medal at WPIALs, and get into states,” coach Moul said. “From that standpoint, we had a good season last year. They have a sense of what it takes to get to the WPIAL championship meet and motivation to do even better than they did last year.”

Someone who really had a good season in 2025 and is hoping to build on it this year is senior Claire Conti. Claire, an Allegheny College recruit, won the WPIAL Class 3A championship in the discus last season and placed third in the shot put. Her 137-foot toss in the discus set a school record.  

“She’s looking forward to a strong outdoor season,” coach Moul said of Claire. “She works hard. That’s the main thing. She has a crazy good work ethic. She loves the sport. She really studies the sport. She has a combination of love for the sport, willingness to work hard, and obviously, talent. She has physical gifts and works hard at those. She’s a good kid.” 

Now, Claire hopes to cap her career with that elusive state medal.

Other members of the girls team who may be poised for success this season are those who made up the 4x800 relay team that medaled in states during the indoor season. They are sophomores Bridget Hemingray and Ella Shevchuk, and freshmen Sidney Kimmons and Claire Loiudice.  

“To get a medal at the indoor state meet is quite a feat,” coach Moul said. “Indoor has no classifications, so you’re competing against every other school in every classification. It’s no small task just to get there, and to get there and medal, I’m just so proud of those girls.”

Junior Ceci Ressler will be counted on in distance races again this season after qualifying for the WPIAL championship meet in two events last season. Ceci was a member of the 4x800 relay team that qualified for the state championships in 2025.

Junior Madison Cook will be bringing her skills to the hurdles after a strong indoor season. Sophomore Jane Weber will run the 400. 

Talent on the Boys Side, Too

The boys team boasts its share of talented athletes as well.

Senior Michael Costello is coming off an excellent cross country season. Michael is a multi-faceted individual who also excels in the classroom and is an accomplished musician. He was a member of the boys 4x800 relay team that qualified for the state championship meet in 2025. Junior Nolan Gwin also returns after being a member of that 4x800 relay team last season.  

Junior Nolan Horne is another distance runner who enters the outdoor season after succeeding during the indoor campaign.  

Harrison Parker, a junior, had a good season in the middle distances indoors and looks to do the same during the outdoor season. Harrison is also pegged for a couple of the Foxes’ relay teams. 

Coach Moul typically does not heap praise on freshmen as he does on distance runner Asher Eckel. But it would be hard to ignore the ninth-grader’s potential after he qualified for states in cross country and medaled at the indoor Tri-State Track Coaches Association (TSTCA) meet.

“He’s mature beyond his years,” coach Moul said, “Just coaching him and watching him go through the training regimen, he kind of carries himself like a seasoned guy. He’s right there with our juniors and seniors in the workouts. In fact, he’s running faster paces in the workouts than those guys. It’s just unusual for a freshman to be as mature a runner as he is.”

Asher, Michael, Nolan Horne, and Harrison were members of a 4x800 relay team that placed fourth in the TSTCA indoor meet. 

Senior Gavin Youkers looks to be one of the top sprinters on this year’s team after setting school records on the indoor track. He was hurt during much of the outdoor season in 2025, so coach Moul is excited to see how Gavin performs this season. Another top sprinter is expected to be senior Deniko Agurs, who will be looked upon to be one of the team leaders.

Sophomore Carter Fincher amassed many points for the Foxes last year as a hurdler and hopes to do the same this season. 

The roster will be boosted this year by sophomore Tamer Dandashi, a transfer student who made his mark during the indoor season.

 “He set a couple of school records,” coach Moul said. “He came on like gangbusters.”

For all of this talent to lead to a successful season, there is a simple formula. 

“Work ethic,” coach Moul said. “That’s always the key to success. It’s one thing to come out on a nice day and get your work in, but you’ve got to stack the good practices one after another. Consistency is always the key.”