While Butler County’s 1-2-3 finish in the Class AA boys 300-meter hurdles (Slippery Rock’s Levi Prementine, Freeport’s Isaac Wetzel and Slippery Rock’s Eli Anderson) was voted as the Butler County Sports Story of the Year by the Eagle sports staff, it is far from alone in terms of great county moments of 2023.

By vote of our sports staff, here are the remaining top 15 selections:

No. 2

Hunter Swidzinski wins PIAA 3A boys golf title. The Butler senior rallied from seven strokes down during the final round to win the title.

He became the first Golden Tornado golfer to claim the individual state crown.

No. 3

Drew Griffith wins Foot Locker National High School Championship in cross country. The Butler senior capped a memorable season by beating out Ringgold’s Ryan Pajak for the national title in San Diego.

Griffith won the WPIAL and PIAA championships earlier in the season. The only race he didn’t win all fall was the Northeast Regional in Boston, where he placed second.

No. 4

Jordan Geist wins NCAA shot put championship. In almost storybook fasion, the Knoch graduate and University of Arizona athlete claimed the NCAA crown on his final throw.

Geist went on to place at the Pan-American Games as he continues his path toward the Olympic Games.

No. 5

Slippery Rock University football reaches national quarterfinals. The Rock finished 12-2 this season, both losses coming to Kutztown. The season ended in disappointment in the Super Region One title game, where SRU outgained Kutztown by 300 yards in a 28-16 loss.

Quarterback Brayden Long and receiver Kyle Sheets produced two of the most productive seasons at their respective positions in the program’s history.

No. 6

Union/A-C Valley shine at PIAA Track and Field Championships. The Falcon Knights’ Hayden Smith (high jump), Landon Chalmers (discus) and Evie Bliss (javelin) won state titles. Bliss’ javelin toss of 170 feet, 2 inches snapped the state record.

No. 7

Karns City baseball scores upset. The Gremlins’ baseball team, after losing to Redbank Valley in the District 9 championship game, pulled a shocker when it defeated WPIAL champion Seton LaSalle in the PIAA tournament.

No. 8

Knoch football turnaround. The Knights finished 1-9 in 2022, defeating Valley in the season finale to avoid a winless campaign. This season, Knoch finished 8-3, missing out on the section championship by a scant one-point loss to East Allegheny in the regular season.

No. 9

Special birthday gift. Jon Hart, pitching for Cranberry in the Pittsburgh North Adult Baseball Association, tossed a no-hitter on his 39th birthday.

No. 10

Knoch’s sister act. The Knights’ Emily and Laura Greb teamed up to win the WPIAL Class 2A doubles title in tennis. They led Knoch to the district team championship as well.

No. 11

Defending his turf. Playing at Lake Arthur Golf Club — where he shined as a Butler County Community College golfer — Troy Loughry won the Butler Eagle Amateur Open for the second successive year,

No. 12

Mars doubles its pleasure. The Planets boys and girls lacrosse teams both won WPIAL team championships last spring. Mars boys reached the state finals before being defeated.

No. 13

A team all their own. Butler’s first-year varsity girls wrestling team debuted by hosting its own tournament. Ana Malovich, the Golden Tornado’s top female wrestler, missed the tournament as she was in Ohio winning her weight class in the prestigious Iron Man Tournament.

No. 14

Saving the day. Mars graduate and Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander David Bednar did that repeatedly in 2023, saving 39 games and posting a 2.00 earned run average for the Bucs, making the National League all-star team for the second straight year.

No. 15

Repeat champion. Knoch graduate Kennedy Christy was a key starter for Juniata, which won its second successive NCAA Division III women’s volleyball championship. Juniata was undefeated this year and has won 62 consecutive matches, dating back to last season.