North Penn sets a new standard
Knights broke the mold in 2017
This North Penn team made history, out-performing all competition on the way to capturing the program’s first state title in 20 years.
This North Penn team made history, out-performing all competition on the way to capturing the program’s first state title in 20 years.
Chosen as Girls Track and Field Team of the Year, North Penn set a standard that will be hard to match.
“Probably the best,” Knights coach Richard Swanker said of the group, in where it ranks in the program’s proud history. “We broke all the school records...”
It all culminated with one magical weekend at Shippensburg University, where the Knights combined their efforts to score 51 points and overcome two-time defending champion Cheltenham.
Uche Nwogwugwu raced to her second straight state gold in the 400, also winning golds as a member of the first-place 4x800 and 4x400 relays and she also earned a fifth-place medal in the triple jump.
Mikaela Vlasic raced to a silver in the 800 and was also on the 4x8 and 4x4. The 4x100 relay (Jess Brenfleck, Kat Stevenson, Natalie Kwortnik, Sophia Broadhurst) surged to a bronze medal and Stevenson raced to a sixth-place medal in the 200.
What made the meet even more special for the Knights was that it began and ended with gold: the 4x8 team of Jenna Webb, Nwogwugwu, Ariana Gardizy and Vlasic outraced everyone with a time of 9:02.65, and then late Saturday afternoon, the 4x4 team of Vlasic, Kwortnik, Brenfleck and Nwogwugwu beat all their rivals with a 3:46.13, holding off Cheltenham (3:49.88).
North Penn was so close the last two years and got there in 2017.
“To finally win a state title, to win it with Swanker is pretty awesome,” Brenfleck said.