Dedication pays off in WPIAL cross country title for Quaker Valley senior

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, November 3, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Quaker Valley senior Cecilia Montagnese joined an elite list of athletes at Quaker Valley with her top-notch performance at the WPIAL girls cross country championships.

Montagnese captured the WPIAL Class 2A title with a time of 17:56.2 at White Oak Park in McKeesport, defeating Uniontown senior Grace Trimmer (18:15.2) by 19 seconds and Hampton senior Kevyn Fish (18:53.2) by 21 seconds.

“Cecilia had an outstanding individual performance,” QV coach Ryan Kelly said. “Her dedication and training clearly paid off, and she demonstrated great competitive spirit throughout the race with an amazing time. We as coaches are so proud of her on this remarkable achievement.”

Montagnese catapulted the Quakers into a tie with Neshannock with a league-record 10 WPIAL individual championships, joining Ellen Cogswell (1994), Julie Dickhans (2003), Maxine Markfield (2000, 2001, 2022) Sarah Miller (2009), Anna Pawloski (2016), and Annie Wicker (2017, 2018) as QV titlists.

“I’m so happy to have won the WPIAL. It was a complete surprise for me, and I’m really proud of my race,” Montagnese said. “I went into the race knowing I could run a fast time but didn’t know how fast it would end up being. The team went into it with a really good mindset, and I’m really happy with how the race ended up for everyone.”

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

“This is my last WPIAL race on this course,” she said. “I just had a good mindset going in, and I just left it all on the course. I felt good running.”

On the flip side, it was the first WPIAL race for Montagnese’s sister, Lucy, a QV freshman who sewed up sixth place in 19:40.5.

“WPIALs is one of the first races I’ve run that I’ve been extremely proud of,” said the younger sibling. “Usually, after races, I tend to regret some of the choices I made in the race, but I am super happy with how I ran at WPIALs.

“This season has been particularly frustrating for me because I was out for most of the season due to injury. It’s obviously not how I wanted my first high school season to go, but being able to come back and race at WPIALs the way I did allowed me to still reach my goals.”

Afte jumping out to a fast start, Lucy Montagnese quickly altered her prerace planning for the WPIAL event.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I ended up running more by feel, which I think was the right thing for me to do,” she said. ”I had two goals for myself: to qualify for the state meet and to break 20 minutes. I was originally planning on going out around 6:20 for the first mile. When I came through at six flat, I figured I had to keep pushing because I’d given myself an opportunity to run a great time.

“This was my first year on the high school team, and I have to say I could not have asked for a better group of girls. The easy going and uplifting morale leading up to the (WPIAL) race was just what we all needed. We succeeded as a team because we have a very strong bond, and we don’t hesitate to push or motivate each other.”

Kelly certainly is delighted to have the Montagnese siblings in the program.

“The performance of all three was truly impressive,” Kelly said. “They each showcased their skills as runners and their tremendous hard work, which contributed to a strong overall showing for Cecilia, Lucy and Jonah (in the boys race).

“They are critical to our successes as a team, and in addition to being great runners, they are key leaders and supportive teammates.”

Hampton won the WPIAL Class 2A team championship with 65 points, topping section opponent North Catholic by 10.

Quaker Valley finished 5-5 in Division II, Section II and 7-6 overall. The QV girls took third place among 35 squads at the WPIAL race with 127 points to earn the final PIAA team slot.

“I could not be more happy with how our girls team performed,” Montagnese, the senior, said. “Every single one of our top seven runners PRed, many making over a minute improvement. Our team has been working hard all year so I’m so happy everything finally came together and they get to enjoy Hershey.

“For every other girl on the team, it is their first year running at states. Everyone is really excited. I’ve also been really grateful to be able to race with both my younger siblings this year, especially having my little sister on the girls team.”

The Quakers’ other point-getters at WPIALs were sophomores Maggie Doz (15th, 20:08.1) and Kate Steinfurth (55th, 21:44.0) and senior Kwilai Karto (64th, 22:08.7).

“The girls team performed well,” Kelly said. “They demonstrated resilience and teamwork, which is essential in such a competitive environment as the WPIAL championships. Their commitment to improvement is evident, and it’s exciting to see their continued progress.”

QV will be represented by the Montagnese sisters, Doz, Steinfurth, Karto, senior Emily Bablak and sophomores Kennedy O’Neill and Rose Pocasangre at the PIAA team competition.

“I am honestly still in shock that the girls team made it to states,” said Montagnese, the freshman. “Having all seven runners set new personal bests is something I think truly shows our team’s determination.

“Going into the race, it hadn’t even crossed my mind that (we) might qualify for states as a team. But I’m so excited to get to go to Hershey with the whole team.”

The top three teams and top 15 individuals in Class 2A advanced to the PIAA championships.

“We are so proud of all of our student-athletes as the vast majority were able to run new personal-record times or season-best times,” Kelly said. “To do this in such an important race as the WPIAL championships speaks to their ability to rise to the occasion and compete at such a high level.

“I look forward to seeing how all the runners continue to develop and compete at the PIAA championships.”

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart won the Division II, Section II crown in 2024, followed by Winchester-Thurston (9-1), Carlynton (8-2), Eden Christian Academy (7-3), Hillel Academy (6-4), Quaker Valley (5-5), Northgate (4-6), Sewickley Academy, The Ellis School, Brentwood and South Side.

Eden Christian heads to Hershey

Eden Christian Academy landed the final PIAA team position in Class A with 128 points at the WPIAL championships.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart captured its second WPIAL cross country team title with 52 points, 10 better than runner-up Winchester Thurston. Carlynton placed third and Eden Christian was fourth.

The Warriors were led at the WPIAL finals by senior Hope Haring, who secured the sixth spot in the individual race with a 19:55.1 time.

Haring set the pace for teammates Hannah Wallace (26th, 21:18.3), Georgia Groom (40th, 22:06.8), Nina Wygant (45th, 22:25.0) and Hailey Incorvati (46th, 22:27.3). Wallace and Wygant are sophomores, Groom a senior and Incorvati a junior.

Sewickley Academy senior Hallie Dong (24th, 21:15.7) was a PIAA qualifier with a 21:15.7 showing at WPIALs.

Dong, an accomplished violinist, has been accepted to PMEA District 1 in the Violin I category. She was chosen by a selection committee from a large pool of applicants from schools across five counties.

Tags: Eden Christian, Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy