It was a memorable year for sports in the local area.

Over the next two weeks the Star will take a look back at the top 10 stories from the past year in local sports as selected by the sports staff. This week, check out stories 10 through six.

10. PAL Junior Legion

For the first time in team history, the PAL Junior Legion team won a Westmoreland County Tournament championship.

The momentous baseball title came after a sweep over Jeannette in the division quarterfinals and then a victory over Penn Township in the semifinals in a best-of-three series.

PAL went on to beat Shaler in the finals, two games to one, to claim the county title and advance to the Regional Tournament.

The local team was bounced after losing its first two games but did finish the summer season with a record of 25-10.

"I just think we got tired. We were just burned out at the end. We just didn't make plays," manager Joe Mussori said.

"It was fun. We had a great season. We enjoyed the season. Obviously, we wanted to win and keep playing, but it just wasn't our days. You've got to catch the ball to win."

9. Cross state running

After another season of impressive performances at the WPIAL cross country championships, nine Norwin runners, including the entire Lady Knights team, competed at the PIAA championships in Hershey.

The girls finished eighth as a team with an average time of 20:21.

Standout junior Leslie Kovach, who took third at the WPIAL championships and Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet, earned a seventh-place finish with a time of 19:03 in the 3.1 mile race.

"I felt in my heart that she could place in the top 10 just the way she's been running all year," coach Geary Tray said.

"She kept her game plan and stuck with it. She did great."

Also running for the girls team were freshman speedster Jenna Gigliotti (20:03), sophomore Shelby Haitz (20:18), freshman Sarah Waszyn (21:01), senior runner Chelsea Hoffman (21:20), sophomore Kelly Pavlic (21:33) and senior Stephanie Chapman (22:10).

Seniors Dave Farina and Josh Hooke were the boys representatives at states. Farina was the Westmoreland County Coaches Association meet champion.

8. Man of Iron

Irwin resident and Penn-Trafford graduate Chad Holderbaum proved that he is one of the best athletes in the world this year when he competed in the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this October.

The 27-year-old engineer at Westinghouse crossed the finish line in 846th place with a time of 11 hours, six minutes and 38 seconds.

The event featured a 2.4 mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run.

"It was pretty much the hardest race I've ever done as far as the heat, the winds and everything in Hawaii. It was pretty brutal," he said.

"It was definitely a life-changing experience. It was very humbling being there with the best of the best."

Holderbaum, a 10-time letter winner at Penn-Trafford, qualified for the Ironman championships after placing 58th out of more than 2,200 competitors at the Lake Placid Ironman.

He plans to make a return trip to Hawaii next year if he qualifies again.

7. Running away

The 2007 YWCA of Westmoreland County High School Sports Teen of the Year, Megan Duncan is one of the best athletes ever to wear the Norwin blue and gold.

The track and field standout helped the Lady Knights win back-to-back WPIAL titles and this fall began her collegiate career at Penn State University.

During her high school career, Duncan set five school records in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter run, 400-meter run, 4x400-meter relay and 300-meter hurdles.

She also holds WPIAL records in the 400-meter run and 4x400-meter relay.

Duncan, who boasted a 4.0 grade point average, was a regular at the state championships in numerous events.

Her resume also included WPIAL titles in the 200-meter hurdles, 400-meter run and 4x400-meter relay (3), as well as two Westmoreland County titles in the 400.

6. Overcame adversity

The 2006-07 girls basketball season began on a sour note for the Lady Knights when star forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer was lost for year with an injury before the first game.

In spite of the setback, Norwin rallied around senior standouts Kayla Hilko and Jen Laver, as well as the talented guard duo of Nicky Costabile and Emily Duncan to advance to the WPIAL quarterfinals.

After falling to eventual WPIAL runner-up Oakland Catholic in the quarterfinals, Norwin followed the leader into the PIAA tournament, where it won a play-in game over Schenley before dropping a 72-52 decision to New Castle.

The Lady Knights finished the season 20-8. Hilko now is playing at Chatham College, while Laver is at Juniata College playing volleyball.

The Norwin boys team also had a successful season. The Knights won a Section 1 championship but lost in the WPIAL quarterfinals to finish the year 22-4.

-- Compiled By Sports editor Bill Hartlep