Decorated runner LJ Westwood joins Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 20, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Make no mistake, LJ Westwood can run.

Then, and now. With aplomb.

As stated in his Hall of Fame bio, the 2012 Quaker Valley graduate left a legacy as one of the most accomplished runners in the history of the school’s track and field and cross country programs.

Westwood, who in high school stood 6-foot-1 and weighed 130 pounds soaking wet, is one of four individuals selected in the Class of 2025 for induction into the Quaker Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

This year’s class also includes QV’s 2012 hockey squad, Colin South (hockey), Derek Molitor (football, track and field) and Dorian Goosby Dean (athlete).

The induction ceremony will take place Oct. 19 following a weekend of activities commencing Oct. 17 with a tailgate party and recognition at the Quakers’ football game at Chuck Knox Stadium.

“I was extremely ecstatic when I got the call from coach (Mike) Mastroianni,” Westwood said. “It is such an honor to be recognized for all my hard work at Quaker Valley. I am grateful for the success that I and my teammates had while in school, and to see that culminate into a spot in the Hall of Fame is surreal.

“I would be mistaken if I didn’t thank those who helped support my career. I could not have been the student-athlete or person that I was without the support from my teammates, coaches, teachers, trainers and, most important, my family: my parents, Stacey Westwood-Zunic and Joe Zunic, my Uncle John, Aunt Allison and Uncle Matt — who attended a lot, if not all of my meets — my grandparents, Mimi and Pappy, and ‘Go-Go’s’ No. 1 fan, my cousin Alexa.”

Westwood explained that last reference.

“My cousin was very young when I was in high school. She didn’t have her full vocabulary yet and would refer to me as ‘Go-Go’ because when she would attend races, she would hear the crowd yell ‘go, go’ to me when I was finishing races.

“Her mom, my Aunt Allison, made her a shirt that said ‘Go-Go’s No. 1 fan’ on it, and she wore it to every track meet.”

As a cross country runner at QV, Westwood was a part of three WPIAL championship teams from 2009-2011, a PIAA runner-up and the 2011 state championship squad. He also was a WPIAL individual champion in 2010.

Westwood’s success in the fall months carried over to the outdoor track and field season in the spring. He was a five-time WPIAL and four-time PIAA gold medalist, setting school and WPIAL records in the 800 meters.

He also was a member of the Quakers’ 3,200-meter relay team that was named to the National Federation Honor Roll while setting school and WPIAL records.

QV’s 3,200 relay team won three consecutive WPIAL championships — and back-to back PIAA titles — that set a standard for QV teams that continues to this day.

“When I first started at Quaker Valley, I played soccer, basketball and baseball,” Westwood said. ”Honestly, I was not very good at any of those sports. Thankfully, one of my best friends growing up, Nat Fox, convinced me to join the cross country team in the fall of my sophomore year.

“I can still remember his argument for me to join, ‘We just got second place at states and we need a fifth guy for this upcoming year.’ All I wanted to do was win, so it didn’t take much convincing from Nat to join the team. And to put it bluntly, we did a lot of winning over the next three years.”

The Quakers’ cross country program was coached by Dave Noyes, who also mentored the distance runners on the track and field team.

“Of the long list of runners that I believe deserve to be inducted into the Hall, I would certainly put LJ at or near the top of that list,” Noyes said. “LJ was a very talented and hard-working athlete. Not only do his individual honors warrant his selection, he was a vital member of the cross country and track teams and their many achievements.”

Noyes presented the QV athletes with a unique approach to the sport of running, according to Westwood.

“My favorite part of my time at QV was the team atmosphere that coach Noyes fostered,” Westwood said. “It was always weird to me when I first joined the team how much emphasis Noyes put on winning team championships and team relay races. Running is an individual sport, right? But not to Noyes. Building that team mindset and everyone having each other’s backs helped build our confidence and helped us as individuals. We knew we weren’t running for ourselves. We were running for the team.

“Coach Noyes taught me how to be stubbornly competitive, how to stick to a race plan, how to be mentally tough in races and how to have gumption.”

Noyes wasn’t the only influential person in Westwood’s hall-of-fame running career.

“Nat Fox, one of my best friends still to this day, had a massive influence on jump-starting my running career,” Westwood said. “So, I would like to thank Nat for being persistent in recruiting me to the team, for believing in me as the anchor of our 4-by-800 relays, and for being a great friend. When I first started as a sophomore, two of the seniors, John Yankello and Omar Hyjek, took me under their wings, as well.

“Two of my good friends and great teammates, Roy Hadfield and Matt Cooper, also had an influence. Without these two, we would not have won cross country states or the 4-by-800 relay at states my senior year.”

The list of important connections in Westwood’s athletic career is a long one.

“The trainer at QV at the time, Derek Clark, had a big influence on the final year of my career,” Westwood said. “Without him, I probably don’t run at track states my senior year.

“My parents had a great influence, especially as two former collegiate athletes in their own right. One phrase my mom used to say to me has always stuck: ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ I made it my mission to always be the hardest worker because of that phrase.”

Westwood’s mom attended North Allegheny and Virginia Tech and competed in swimming while his dad went to Fox Chapel and Westminster where he played football.

Westwood’s younger brother Nelson and sister Caroline also were QV athletes. Nelson competed in soccer, basketball, baseball and as a kicker on the football team; Caroline was a member of the cross country and lacrosse teams.

The oldest of the three siblings was a three-year competitor in both cross country and track.

Individually, Westwood was a WPIAL finalist in cross country in 2009 and 2011, WPIAL champion and fifth-place finisher in the state in 2010 and PIAA finalist in 2011. He also set the 5K school record at the Red, White & Blue Invitational in 2011.

In track and field, he was a WPIAL and PIAA titlist twice in the 800-meter run, WPIAL runner-up once and PIAA fifth-place finisher once. He established school and WPIAL records in the 800.

“I won some individual titles at WPIALs and states, but my favorite was in my senior year.” Westwood said. “Our 4-by-800 relay was not favored to win and we had some uncertainties on how the race would go. But Roy, Matt, Nat and I all had great legs in the relay and were able to win. I let out a primal yell over my excitement.

“Some of my fondest memories were at the state meets. Nothing beats standing on the line with your teammates or huddling up knowing that this one race could make or break all the hard work you put into a season.”

Once it was race time for the Quakers, it became all business.

“One other thing I loved about our team was how nonchalant and relaxed we were before a race,” Westwood said. “We were a bunch of goofballs who would dye our hair or get crazy haircuts and dress up in all-grey sweats like we were a wrestling team.

“But once it got time to lock in for a race, there was no team that was more serious or more confident in its abilities.”

After high school, Westwood attended Bucknell and continued his running career. He was a member of the college’s record-breaking 4-by-800 and distance medley relay teams for indoor track and the distance medley relay for outdoor track.

He ranks fourth all-time in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:45 achieved in his senior year.

“That time secured a spot for me at the NCAA meet,” he said.

Westwood still runs 40 to 50 miles per week and is planning to participate in his first marathon at the end of the summer. He hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

The 32-year-old Westwood is employed in a strategic finance position for the Gallo Wine Company in Northern California. He has worked at Gallo for about a year after earning his MBA at Carnegie Mellon, and he spends a lot of time with his “lovely girlfriend,” Cassie Zimnoch, a volleyball standout from Hermosa Beach.

“She still plays every Saturday on the beaches,” Westwood said.

And the QV grad still keeps in touch with Noyes, who is retired but an avid runner. In fact, Noyes held the U.S. record for the road mile in the master’s division over-60 age category for a few weeks.

“I try to run with him still every time I visit my parents,” Westwood said.

And, if you were wondering, Westwood has been known as LJ for a long time.

“Believe it or not, LJ stands for Little John,” Westwood said. “My mom started calling me LJ when I was younger and it has stuck.”

Tags: Quaker Valley