Quarzo’s stellar high school career reaches state pinnacle
Brownsville’s Jolena Quarzo won three consecutive WPIAL cross country championships and capped off her career by finally winning a state championship.
Quarzo, a senior, won the PIAA Class 2A championship Saturday in Hershey, Pa., and did it in convincing fashion. Quarzo finished first with a time of 18 minutes, 11.3 seconds. Montour senior Harley Kletz finished second, but almost 40 seconds back in 18:49.9.
Quarzo finished in second placethe past two years.
“The WPIAL means a lot, but this means so much more,” said Quarzo, a North Carolina State recruit. “I feel like I trained hard the last couple years and all I did was try my best. But I think I was readyfor it to be my time.”
A year ago, Quarzo ran 18:50.7. She took 39 seconds off that time this season.
“I just feel so much stronger this year,” Quarzo said. “I feel so much faster and stronger on hills, and even on flatter parts [of the course].”
Quarzo was one of two individual state champions from the WPIAL. The other was Pine-Richland’s Natalie McLean, who won Class 3A witha time of 18:46.1. McLean finished second in the WPIAL championships two weeks ago to Mt. Lebanon junior Logan St. John Kletter, who was 10th at the PIAA meet.
While the WPIAL had two individual champions, the North Allegheny boys and girls brought their brooms to Hershey again and swept the PIAA Class 3A team titles for the fourth time in five years. The North Allegheny girls won a fifth consecutive title with 60 points while State College was a distant second with 118. North Allegheny’s top finisher was sophomore Wren Kucler, who was third in 18:58.3. Her twin sister, Robin, placed 29th.
North Allegheny had three other runners in the top 24. Junior Eva Kynaston was ninth, junior Erin McGoey 23rd and senior Grace Rowley 24th.
The North Allegheny boys also had little trouble claiming their third consecutive title. The Tigers finished with 85 points while La Salle
College was way back with 161 points. The top finisher for North Allegheny was junior Jack Bertram, who placed third. Senior Greg Kosuth finished 20th and senior Jackson Pajak 25th.
Four WPIAL champions came close to winning PIAA titles. Butler junior Drew Griffith placed second in Class 3A boys, RInggold senior Ryan Pajak second in Class 2A and Eden Christian senior Sean Aiken third in Class 1A. Shady Side Academy junior Chelsea Hartman was second in Class 1A girls.