The Gateway boys and girls track and field teams are in preparation mode for next Thursday's WPIAL Class AAA individual championships at Baldwin High School.

Both Gator teams were scheduled to compete at the WPIAL Class AAA Central Qualifier on Tuesday at Norwin High School.

Results of the meet were not available at Tuesday's deadline for this week's edition. The top eight finishers in each individual and relay event at the Central Qualifier punched their tickets to the WPIAL finals.

Gateway head coach Tom LaBuff expected several athletes on both the boys and girls sides to advance to the WPIAL finals. He added that the health of a number of athletes would be a factor in whether they would be able to advance.

LaBuff said boys sprinters Andrew Blackmon, Phil McKenzie and Jon Pryor, along with girls sprinter Brooke Johns and girls hurdler Kasey O'Brien, have been battling back from injuries over the past two weeks.

Baldwin Invitational

Gateway athletes mixed it up on the track and in the field with some of Western Pennsylvania's best at the Baldwin Invitational on Friday at Baldwin High School.

Dan Anderson brought home the Gators' lone medal with a seventh-place finish in the 300 hurdles (40.45).

"Dan ran very well despite smacking the first hurdle with his knee," LaBuff said.

"He makes progress every time he runs."

D.J. Krystek ran a 4:27.1 in the 1,600 run. He didn't medal in the event -- taking 10th in what LaBuff called a deep field -- but his time put him seventh on Gateway's all-time list.

"D.J. felt the effects of the 1,600 when he ran the 3,200 and faded a bit in the last mile, though he finished with a good time of 9:55.3."

The girls 3,200 relay of Lauren Wagener, Marissa Gogniat, Mara Polnar and Sue Gogniat just missed a medal, finishing ninth with a time of 10:06.9.

West Mifflin Invite

Some of Gateway's younger athletes competed at the West Mifflin Ninth- and 10th-Grade Invitational on Saturday.

"The kids had a good time and the distance kids, especially, did very well," LaBuff said.

"It did drizzle for a while, and the pole vault continued through it, hence the lack of clearances. Our boys were very aggressive on the runway, but their hands were slipping."

On the girls' side, O'Brien took second in the 100 hurdles (17.28) and third in the 300 hurdles (52.2).

In the 800 run, Lindsay Kane was second, while Andi Heasley was fifth. Heasley took fourth in the 1,600 and Kane was seventh.

The boys had several medal performances.

Markie'd Jones was second in the pole vault and fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Nolan Toran took fifth in the pole vault, while Scott Moore was second in the high jump and second in the long jump.

The boys 4x400 relay of Toran, Jones, Brian Wallace and Patrick O'Toole was third, while the 4x800 relay of Wallace, Deen Lin, Matt Getty and O'Toole was also third.

Cameron Meindl took second in the 3,200 run and third in the 1,600 run. Getty was third in the 3,200 run, while Kuster took seventh.

JaQuan Cornish took seventh in the triple jump.

Mitch DeVall claimed first in the shot put, while Christopher DelSignore was fourth.

WPIAL team semifinals

Both Gateway track and field teams, champions of Section 4-AAA, hosted a WPIAL team semifinal meet last week at Antimarino Stadium.

However, injuries left both teams shorthanded, and the Gator squads were not able to advance to the finals.

The boys squad lost to Butler (105-45), Hempfield (108-42) and West Allegheny (83-67).

Butler also defeated West Allegheny and Hempfield and advanced to today's WPIAL team finals.

The Gateway boys were without their top two three sprinters, Blackmon, McKenzie, and Pryor.

"Blackmon and McKenzie would've, in all likelihood, swept the 100 and 200 in this meet," LaBuff said. "With Pryor out, as well, the team didn't have one of the premier 400 relays in the WPIAL."

LaBuff said the team felt the loss of Blackmon and McKenzie in the long jump.

"The team battled valiantly," LaBuff said. "Several runners competed in unfamiliar events to try to cover for their missing teammates, but it was just too much to overcome against good teams."

LaBuff noted the victories of D.J. Krystek in the 800 and 1600 runs.

On the girls side, the Lady Gators lost to Laurel High- lands (97-53), West Allegheny (87-63) and Hempfield (85-65).

Laurel Highlands swept the meet and advanced to the finals.

Gateway was without key hurdler O'Brien, who suffered an injury the day before the meet.

The Lady Gators also were without No. 2 sprinter Johns.

"I don't believe that would've made much difference against Laurel High- lands," LaBuff said.

"Their sprinters, led by Aleesha Washington, were too much for us, but it would've made the contests against Hempfield and West Alleg- heny very close."