Quaker Valley in position for run at team title at PIAA girls 2A meet
By:
Friday, May 23, 2025 | 9:48 PM
Quaker Valley’s Oumou “Mimi” Thiero finishes second in the Class 2A high jump during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Shippensburg University.
Shaler’s Jayla Antomachi takes eighth in the Class 3A shot put during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Shippensburg University.
Quaker Valley’s Cecilia Montagnese takes second in the Class 2A 1,600-meter run during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Shippensburg University.
North Catholic’s Anna Lazzara takes third in the Class 2A long jump during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Shippensburg University.
Shenango’s Sara Roe is the runner-up in the Class 2A long jump during the PIAA Track and Field Championships on Friday at Shippensburg University.
SHIPPENSBURG – Quaker Valley is in decent position to make a run at the PIAA Class 2A girls team track title after Day 1 of the championships.
Second-place finishes by senior Cecilia Montagnese and junior high jumper Oumou “Mimi” Thiero have the Quakers two points behind Lewisburg.
Quaker Valley has 18 points and Lewisburg 20.
Montagnese did not win the Class 2A girls 1,600, but she smashed her personal record with a run of 4:50.58 at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium. She finished second to Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa, who ran 4:48.87.
“I did not expect to run eight seconds faster today, but that was really cool,” Montagnese said. “It was great to have the competition to run with who could push me to run faster. I definitely could not have done it without the other girls.”
Montagnese earned a silver medal in her second trip to the state championship. She did not qualify during her sophomore and junior seasons after qualifying for the 1,600 as a freshman.
She said she had trouble matching her freshman times the past two seasons.
“I came back this year with different training and mindset changing,” Montagnese said. “It has all been working for me. I am really grateful.”
Montagnese said she hopes to add a few more medals this weekend as she will compete in the 3,200 and 800 on Saturday.
Thiero cleared 5 feet, 8 inches, but she had more misses than Conemaugh Township junior Baylee Sleek.
The WPIAL had six girls place in the Class 2A high jump. Ellwood City senior Delaney Sturgeon was third, Eden Christian senior Lara DeFazio was fifth, Laurel senior Ava Koski was sixth, Laurel sophomore Alexis Sherry was seventh and California senior Ella Neil was eighth.
Shenango sophomore Taylor Bulow was sixth in the Class 2A discus, senior Sara Roe was second in the long jump.
There were three girls who placed in the Class 2A long jump along with Roe. North Catholic sophomore Anna Lazzara was third, Winchester-Thurston sophomore Alexis Bansah was fourth, and Quaker Valley senior Vanessa Pickett was seventh.
Fort Cherry Sophia Holmes was fourth in the javelin.
In the Class 3A 1,600, West Allegheny junior Grace Fritzman was sixth and Norwin junior Annie Czajkowski was eighth.
Upper St. Clair senior Anna Engelman was seventh in the triple jump.
Shaler junior Jayla Antomachi was eighth in the shot put.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
More High School Sports
• Hempfield lineman picks Harvard for ‘great balance between academics and football’• Kiski Area bowler Veronica Flanagan wraps up high school career with medal at nationals
• Head of the Class: The top WPIAL softball players in each classification for 2025
• Head of the Class: The top WPIAL baseball players in each classification for 2025
• Antone headlines Kiski Area Sports Hall of Fame inductees
