Adam Piper is one of the fastest runners in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). He will be known as one of the fastest, if not, the fastest runner in school history. Since a young age, Adam has loved running. He knows he has a special gift of how fast he truly is, but it has taken a large amount of work to stay atop his game. He constantly works out and builds strength in his legs with resistance training and practices, even through the winter indoor track season. Adam has always been focused on making sure he is one of the fastest runners in the state.
Piper has already achieved many of his goals for high school, but he plans to make his mark this year. “I want to set a couple of school records this year. I want to take the school record in the 100, the 200, and the indoor 60,” said Piper. He has already cemented himself as one of the fastest runners in school history, but grabbing a few records this season could make him the best sprinter in school history. The Indoor 60 record is still held by Adam’s brother Joseph at 6.99. Adam wants to obtain a school record just like his big brother, to cap off his high school career.
Piper’s personal record (PR) in the 200 is 22.56, and the school record is 22.13. He is close to that record and still has time this season to improve and take that record. He needs some competition to up his speed and take the record. The 100 record is 10.85, and Adams’s PR is 10.88. As the season rolls on, Piper will get faster and hopes to make up the .03 seconds to take that school record and round out his high school career with a bang.
Adam has dealt with some injury problems throughout his school career, but this will be a big season for Piper. He hopes to stay at 100% all season long in hopes of having his best season yet. Piper is ranked highly in the WPIAL and has a big chance to make an impact at states this season. The top four times in the WPIAL, automatically qualify for states, and Piper plans to get there with ease this season. Piper said,” There isn’t much pressure I feel this year. When I’m running, I’m doing my own thing. I’m focused on myself. I don’t think about the runners around me. I’m ranked highly in the WPIAL, and there isn’t much competition in our section. I have to wait for the larger meets and for other teams to come in. The last few years, I haven’t had much competition. This season, Penn Trafford is probably the best competition for us.”
All this work has already paid off for Adam, as he is committed to Seton Hill University to run track. This commitment is special for Piper as he is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Joseph Piper. Joseph graduated from Latrobe in 2019 and ran for Seton Hill through the span of four years before graduating in 2023. Adam is excited to run for Seton Hill but is also excited to make a name for himself at the school. Piper said, “My commitment to Seton Hill didn’t have a huge factor in my brother running there. I knew I didn’t want to go too far from home, and that was the biggest role. Other schools were just too far, but it was definitely a small part of my decision.”
A lot will be changing for Piper next season, especially the different atmosphere from running in college to changing events. Piper will be dropping the 100-meter dash as his main event and competing in the 200 as his new main event. Piper will also be competing in the 400 as a secondary event for Seton Hill next year. The 200 has always been the best event for Adam, but he plans to pick up the 400 to give him a better chance to be competitive in his freshman season. “The competition is just too deep in the 100, and I think there are more possibilities in the 400 for me,” said Piper.
Adam is very excited to pursue his goals that he has this season and take the next step in his life by running in college. This has the chance to be such a special year for Piper as he hopes to stay healthy and make his mark in the state championships this season and take the school records he is chasing down.
