Coach breaks down, event by event, how the Quaker Valley track teams conquered the state

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, June 1, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Both Quaker Valley track and field teams won PIAA Class 2A titles at the state championship meet May 24-25 at Shippensburg University.

The following is a description of two state title performances from a coach’s perspective. QV coach Jared Jones offered the following:

The girls’ story

Going into the weekend, based on season performances, the Quaker Valley girls were projected to finish fourth overall as a team, with Lewisburg Area expected to take the championship. However, there were multiple events in which QV and Lewisburg were going head-to-head, giving QV an outside chance to win the meet.

Day 1 started strong with Cecilia Montagnese competing in the 1,600-meter race. Cecilia ran an incredible 4:50.48, breaking the school record by eight seconds. However, she placed second behind a runner from Lewisburg, the favored team.

Later that morning, Mimi Thiero cleared 5 feet, 7 inches in the rain in the high jump, placing second, while Vanessa Pickett launched herself into seventh place on her final (qualifying) long jump attempt. The remainder of Friday consisted of qualifying heats for Saturday. Two QV athletes narrowly missed the finals: Rose Pocasangre in the 300 hurdles and Evie Rosselli in the 100 hurdles, with both finishing ninth. Lewisburg surprised with a first-place finish in the javelin, leaving QV trailing 20-18 after Day 1.

Saturday began much like Friday. Cecilia placed second in the 3,200, breaking her own school record by 34 seconds with a 10:26.78 — just shy of the state meet record, which was broken in the same race by a Lewisburg runner. Despite that, QV was in good position to finish second (in the state), but a path to first remained slim.

Momentum shifted in the late morning when Evie Rosselli, projected to place eighth in pole vault, soared to second with a new school record jump of 12 feet. That swing nearly locked in second place and reopened the door for a potential team championship. Next came the girls 400 relay. The QV team of Evie Rosselli, Kwilai Karto, Vanessa Pickett and Rose Pocasangre finished an impressive fourth, though Lewisburg again finished one spot ahead in third.

With only two QV competitors remaining and Lewisburg with three (including one head-to-head), the path to victory remained slim. Then Jay Olawaiye delivered, claiming first in the triple jump and earning 10 critical points for the team.

The final event came down to Cecilia Montagnese in the 800 against a Lewisburg runner. Having faced each other two times already in the meet, Cecilia rose to the occasion, defeating her opponent, placing fourth overall, and setting her third school record of the weekend with a time of 2:13.91. That performance pushed QV past Lewisburg and secured the state championship for the Quakers.

Final scores: QV 54, Lewisburg 47, Laurel 31, North Catholic 29.

In the end, the girls set four school records at the PIAA championships. The 2025 girls team now holds seven school records and four second-best all-time marks. Additionally, 12 girls have top five performances in QV history.

This is QV’s first girls team state title and only the third WPIAL 2A girls state championship overall.

The boys’ story

Based on season performances, the Quaker Valley boys were projected to win the PIAA team title. But with such a tight field, a misstep could shift everything. On Friday, Jonah Montagnese set the tone in the 1,600, running a near-perfect race and taking first place with a new school record of 4:11.06.

The momentum continued as QV qualified athletes for the finals in 10 of 12 track events.

On Saturday, the team stepped up to a whole new level, starting off again with a performance by Montagnese placing fourth in the 3,200 and Macky Gartley improving from third to second in the 110 hurdles.

The QV team of Jonah Montagnese, River Capek, Jackson Pethel and Clark LaLomia cruised to victory with a four-second lead in the 4-by-800 relay. The 4-by-100 relayers — Macky Gartley, James Irwin, Kieran Cain and Winston Clifford — took seventh.

James Irwin unleashed a powerful final kick in the 400, finishing third and breaking his own school record with a 49.17. In the next event, the 300 hurdles, Gartley dove across the line for second place, just two-hundredths of a second behind first, smashing his own school record with a 37.58. QV dominated the 800 by placing three runners: LaLomia (second), Pethel (fourth) and Montagnese (sixth).

The most exciting moment of the meet for the Quakers was the last event of the day, the 4-by-400 relay. QV was competing against the reigning champions and favored team in the event, Nativity BVM. It was a back-and-forth race until Clark LaLomia passed the baton to Jayden Juliano from the second to third leg of the race. Juliano pulled away from the competition before passing the baton off to the final leg, James Irwin.

It was a three-team race in the final homestretch. The reigning champions and favored team made a strong push to pass Irwin, but he would not be denied. Irwin pulled away in the final meters of the race to give QV a new school record (3:21.69) and the win. It was a great exclamation point to end the meet for the Quakers after a historic team performance.

Final scores: QV 75, Nativity BVM 30, Lewisburg 27.

In total, the boys set three school records at the state meet. The 2025 boys track team now owns six school records and five second-best all-time performances.

Ten boys from this team hold top two marks in QV history.

This extraordinary group also set a new record for most points scored by any 2A or 3A boys team at the PIAA championship meet.

Tags: Quaker Valley