Quaker Valley teammates push each other to the podium at state track

SHIPPENSBURG – For some schools, receiving medals at the PIAA Track and Field Championships are special moments that might be years apart.

But for Quaker Valley’s Oumou Thiero and Mia Gartley, their special moment came seconds apart.

Thiero won the bronze medal, and Gartley took fourth place in the 2A girls’ high jump Friday morning at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

“I don’t see it as us jumping against each other, but jumping with each other,” Thiero said just after stepping off the medal stand.

Thiero cleared 5-5 on her third and final attempt to nab the bronze. Gartley cleared 5-4 on her second attempt.

“It’s incredible to be able to push each other and be pushed by each other,” said Gartley, a sophomore like Thiero.

Sara McConnell of River Valley won the gold medal with a 5-7, while Baylee Sleek of Conemaugh Township took silver with a 5-6.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking, jumping with so many girls behind you who came in with better heights,” Thiero said. “You worry that you might not even place.”

“But, once you get out of that sluggish feel and stretch, remember your form, you do what you can do,” Gartley finished for her teammate.

Delaney Sturgeon of Ellwood City also made her way to a crowded medal stand, clearing 5-4 to get in a five-way tie for fifth place. Sturgeon and four others cleared 5-2 on the first try but never got past 5-4.

There was one other local girl who medaled in the field. Moon’s Jaedin Griggs leapt a 37-4 ½ to get eighth place. That jump was on her second attempt of the preliminaries. Her next-best jump was the last attempt of finals, a 36-4 ½. Griggs’ teammate, Lydia Delsite, was 25^th with a 35-1 ¼.

Morgan Keller of Freedom Area was 20^th in the javelin with a 101-7.

The only local girls’ medalist from Friday’s action on the track was Grace Fritzman of West Allegheny, who finished sixth in the 3A girls 1,600-meter run with a 4:57.16. She actually dropped back two spots in the last lap, but her time was still good for the National Federation of High Schools Honor Roll.

Boys field events

Will Taylor of Riverside had a comeback of sorts to win the seventh-place medal in the 2A boys javelin, the only time a local boy reached the medal stand on Friday. Taylor was one of nine competitors to make the finals, earning an additional three throws. However, entering his last attempt, he was in ninth place, the first non-medal spot. Taylor popped a 169-1 on his last throw to get on the medal stand.

Mateja Pavlovich of South Side was 15^th with a 145-0.

In the 2A boys’ long jump, Demarcus Walker of Aliquippa was 24^th with a 20-3.

The 1,600 was the only championship event run on the track on Friday. Beaver Area’s Elijah Bechdel was 36^th in 3A with 4:41.86, while Clark LaLomia of Quaker Valley was 29th in 2A with a 4:32.06.

The following athletes competed in track preliminaries but did not advance to the finals:

2A boys

Nick Franitti, Ellwood City (110 hurdles, ninth, 14.91; 300 hurdles, 11^th, 40.21)

Tyler Lewis, Hopewell (110 hurdles, 15^th, 15.50)

Zachary Kovel, Hopewell (400, ninth, 50.05)

Da’Karii Williams, Beaver Falls (400, 12^th, 50.26)

JaAir McCracken, Aliquippa (400, 15^th, 50.81)

Davin Gartley, Quaker Valley (300 hurdles, ninth, 40.00)

Michael Blackshear, Beaver Falls (200, 28^th, 23.59)

Quaker Valley (4x100, 29^th, 44.46; 4x400, 3:30.38)

2A girls

Deirdra Cox, Beaver Falls (100, 27^th, 12.93; 200, 15^th, 26.13)

Kwilai Karto, Quaker Valley (100, 22^nd, 12.75; 100 hurdles, 19^th, 16.38)

Shaye Bailey, Freedom Area (200, 10^th, 25.94)

Emma Palmieri, Hopewell (14^th, 26.12)

Freedom Area (4x100, 12^th, 49.99)

Hopewell (4x100, 16^th, 50.23)

Quaker Valley (4x400, 11^th, 4:08.00)

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Quaker Valley jumpers land on podium at PIAA state track and field