Quaker Valley cross country season builds to big finish at states

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 10, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Cecilia Montagnese’s outstanding postseason run in cross country stretched all the way to Hershey, site of the PIAA championships.

A senior at Quaker Valley, Montagnese placed third in the PIAA Class 2A girls race Nov. 2 with a time of 18 minutes, 49 seconds on the Parkview cross country course.

“Cecilia’s performance was exceptional,” QV coach Ryan Kelly said. “She showcased incredible stamina and strategy, maintaining a strong pace throughout the race.

“The PIAA championships were an amazing experience for everyone involved. My fellow coaches and I are so proud of all of our student-athletes as witnessing their dedication and camaraderie was truly inspiring.”

Montagnese has been a WPIAL qualifier in cross country four times in her high school career and has made it to states three times.

“I’m really happy with my performance at states,” Montagnese said. “I ended up placing third, which is crazy considering I didn’t even qualify for the meet last year.

“I’m really proud of all the girls on the team. We didn’t expect to go to states, so it was really exciting to see them all experiencing it for the first time.”

The Quakers ended up 11th in the PIAA girls team competition as Montagnese, freshman Lucy Montagnese and sophomore Maggie Doz were the team’s top runners.

Lucy Montagnese logged a 20:52 time to take the 50th spot in the individual standings.

“The girls team should be incredibly proud of their performance,” Kelly said. “Cecilia and Lucy led the way while other runners like Maggie Doz, in 75th place with a time of 21:16, also contributed significantly to the team’s overall score. Their efforts reflect the spirit and talent of our girls team.”

Doz and the Montagnese sisters were flanked at the state meet by sophomore Kate Steinfurth, seniors Kwilai Karto and Emily Bablak and sophomore Rose Pocasangre.

There were only three seniors on the girls team in 2024.

“I’m very happy with my cross country season,” the older Montagnese sibling said. “It kind of surpassed all the goals I had for the season, and it went a lot better than I could’ve predicted. I’m really excited to get the team back together for indoor and outdoor track.”

Quaker Valley’s boys team finished among the top five in the state in Class 2A.

“The boys placed fourth,” Kelly said, “which is a commendable achievement. Their collective effort and teamwork shined through, particularly by the standout efforts turned in by sophomore Jonah Montagnese, senior Clark LaLomia and junior Tyler Bell.”

“I am pretty happy with my performance,” LaLomia said. “I’ve been dealing with a back injury that really impacted my race at WPIALs, so to come out a week later and put that all behind me and just race for my team is something I’m really proud of.

“I can’t really put into words how grateful I am to have been a part of this team for the last four years. I’ve truly been blessed with some of the best teammates and coaches I could ever ask for. The memories and friendships I’ve made throughout my time as an athlete on this team are honestly priceless and far more important to me than any trophy or medal I’ve ever won.”

Montagnese and LaLomia zeroed in on seventh and ninth place, respectively, at Hershey with times of 16:26 and 16:34. Bell placed 57th in 17:32.

“The Montagnese runners had a fantastic day, contributing to a strong overall performance from the QVHS teams,” Kelly said. “I had high expectations for them based on their previous performances throughout the season, and they certainly delivered. We were hopeful that Cecilia would be in the top 3, Jonah in the top 10 and Lucy in the top 50, and they all achieved these expectations.

“Their dedication was evident, especially in how they approached this crucial race. It was a wonderful way for our varsity teams to conclude their 2024 season, and I’m thrilled with how Cecilia, Jonah, reflecting his growth as a runner, and Lucy represented QVHS.”

All three Montagnese teens also were WPIAL individual and team finalists in 2024.

Cecilia Montagnese captured the Class 2A championship at White Oak Park in McKeesport with a time of 17:56.2.

It was the first WPIAL finals appearance for Lucy Montagnese, who completed the course in 19:40.5, good for sixth place.

The Quakers, with 127 points, placed third in the girls team scoring behind Hampton (65 points) and Blackhawk (75 points).

Quaker Valley won the WPIAL Class 2A boys team championship for the 11th time in school history with an 83-point total, easily defeating runner-up Beaver, which had 132 points.

Montagnese and LaLomia placed third and fourth with times of 15:46.5 and 15.55.8.

Other runners for the Quakers included Bell (16:53.4), junior River Capek (17:03.5), senior Jackson Pethel (17:17.2), junior Ryan Kempton (17:55.2) and sophomore Gio Ramella (18:20.8).

Tags: Quaker Valley