Dean, Barner, Mahle, Miller named to All-Area girls track team
Waynesburg Central’s Emily Mahle slips over the bar in the high jump during the 2022 Section 6-AA Track & Field Championship at California. (Photo by Jim Downey)
West Greene’s Brooke Barner (right) nears the finish line to win the 400 ahead of Beth-Center’s Ella Boothe (left) in the 2022 Section 6-AA Track & Field Championships at California. (Photo by Jim Downey)
Jolena Quarzo finished first every time she stepped on the track for Brownsville this spring, including three county, two WPIAL and two PIAA gold medals. The junior capped her impressive spring by breaking her sister Gionna’s PIAA Class AA mark in the 3,200 by four seconds when she broke the tape in 10:19.41. The new state time broke her personal-best mark by eight seconds.
Quarzo headlines the 2022 Girls All-Area Track & Field Team.
Waynesburg Central’s Jordan Dean, Emily Mahle and Clara Paige Miller and West Greene’s Brooke Barner were also named to the team.
3,200 relay: Uniontown
Honorable mention: Belle Vernon
100 high hurdles: Gianna Grillo (California)
Honorable mention: Tayla Pascoe (California), Annika Tajc (Laurel Highlands), Sienna Steeber (Belle Vernon), Katie Chiado (Laurel Highlands)
100: Angelina Massey (Ringgold)/Sterlene Scott (Laurel Highlands)
Honorable mention: Rylin Bugosh (Mount Pleasant), Farrah Reader (Belle Vernon), Aziya Dade (Brownsville)
1,600: Jolena Quarzo (Brownsville)
Honorable mention: Lexi Ohler (Southmoreland), Anastasia Georgagis (California), Anna Stewart (Frazier), Hope Trimmer (Uniontown), Viva Kreis (Belle Vernon), Charlee Leach (Ringgold)
400: Sterlene Scott (Laurel Highlands)
Honorable mention: Brooke Barner (West Greene), Ella Boothe (Beth-Center), Grayce Panos (Albert Gallatin)
400 relay: Ringgold
Honorable mention: Brownsville, Belle Vernon
300 intermediate hurdles: Jordan Dean (Waynesburg Central)
Honorable mention: Gianna Grillo (California), Katie Chiado (Laurel Highlands)
800: Jolena Quarzo (Brownsville)
Honorable mention: Jordan Dean (Waynesburg Central), Hope Trimmer (Uniontown), Viva Kreis (Belle Vernon)
200: Rylin Bogush (Mount Pleasant), Angelina Massey (Ringgold)
Honorable mention: Brooke Barner (West Greene), Farrah Reader (Belle Vernon), Sterlene Scott (Laurel Highlands)
3,200: Jolena Quarzo (Brownsville)
Honorable mention: Anna Stewart (Frazier), Ryann Wilson (Ringgold), Emily Angelo (Uniontown), Lexi Ohler (Southmoreland)
1,600 relay: Laurel Highlands
Honorable mention: Waynesburg Central
Discus: Alexis Jacobs (Southmoreland)/Mia Pierce (Laurel Highlands)
Honorable mention: Tiffany Zelmore (Mount Pleasant) Nicole Shinsky (Mount Pleasant), Clara Paige Miller (Waynesburg Central), Isabella Roebuck (Connellsville), Elizabeth Murtha (Albert Gallatin)
Shot put: Alexis Jacobs (Southmoreland)
Honorable mention: Tiffany Zelmore (Mount Pleasant), Grace Spadaro (Southmoreland), Clara Paige Miller (Waynesburg Central), Julia Ogrodowski (Beth-Center), Janascia Vincent (Brownsville), Abigail Whaley (Ringgold), Isabella Roebuck (Connellsville), Farrah Reader (Belle Vernon)
Javelin: Gracie Spadaro (Southmoreland)
Honorable mention: McKenna Hewitt (California), Gabriella McGavitt (Frazier), Mia Pierce (Laurel Highlands), DJ Thomas (Albert Gallatin)
High jump: Ella Neil (California)/Francesca Scaramucci (Belle Vernon)
Honorable mention: Lizzy Boone (Southmoreland), Emily Mahle (Waynesburg Central), Ella Ciez (Laurel Highlands), Maddie Hoffman (Belle Vernon)
Triple jump: Olivia Cernuto (Southmoreland)/Gianna Anderson (Belle Vernon)
Honorable mention: Sydney Polkabla (Frazier), Angelina Massey (Ringgold), Francesca Scaramucci (Belle Vernon), Mollie Roukonen (Belle Vernon)
Long jump: Olivia Cernuto (Southmoreland)
Honorable mention: Gianna Anderson (Belle Vernon), Katelyn Ferrence (Ringgold)
Pole vault: Jaden Brambley (Laurel Highlands)
Honorable mention: Sienna Steeber (Belle Vernon ), Lexie Pulice (Laurel Highlands), Isabella Pulice (Laurel Highlands)
Most Outstanding Overall Performer: Jolena Quarzo, Brownsville
Class AAA Most Outstanding Field Performer: Jaden Brambley, Laurel Highlands; Mia Pierce, Laurel Highlands.
Class AAA Most Outstanding Track Performers: Sterlene Scott, Laurel Highlands; Angelina Massey, Ringgold.
Class AA Most Outstanding Field Performer: Alexis Jacobs, Southmoreland.
Class AA Most Outstanding Track Performer: Jolena Quarzo, Brownsville.
Most Outstanding Coaching Staff: Class AAA, Belle Vernon (Chris Stasicha); Class AA, Brownsville (Jim Barak).
NOTES: Local female athletes won 17 WPIAL medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze) and six PIAA medals (2 gold) … Jolena Quarzo continued her assault on personal, district and state record books, cracking five minutes in the WPIAL 1,600 final and lowering her sister’s mark in the PIAA 3,200. … The junior also owns all three county distance times after winning the 3,200 in 10:57.22. Quarzo swept the distances by also winning the 800 (2:20.43) and 1,600 (5:03.11). … Scott won three individual golds (100, 200, 400) and one team gold (1,600 relay) for Track MVP honors in the FCCA Championship. … Pierce won the silver medal in the discus at the WPIAL Class AAA Championship and capped her sophomore season by placing fourth in the state meet a week later. … Pierce successfully defended her Field MVP at the FCCA meet. … Brambley soared to WPIAL bronze in the pole vault and cleared 12-2½ at Bill Power Stadium for the county title. The freshman finished 12th in the state, one of 10 vaulters to clear 11 feet. The PIAA pole vault competition was moved into the fieldhouse because of storms that doused Seth Grove Stadium. … Jacobs won four individual medals between the shot put and discus with two fifth-place finishes in both events at the Class AA state meet, and a silver in the shot put and bronze in the discus at the district championship. … Jacobs finished second to Hempfield’s Elizabeth Tapper in both throws at the WCCA Championship. … Cernuto won the gold medal in the triple jump at the WPIAL Class AA Championship and just missed the podium in the PIAA finals after placing ninth, a mere ¼-inch short of eighth place. … Cernuto also placed seventh in the long jump at the district final. … Cernuto won the WCCA meet title in the triple jump. … Grillo repeated her 2021 finish in the Class AA high hurdles at the WPIAL finals by finishing seventh. … Grillo swept the 100 high and 300 intermediate hurdles in the Section 6-AA Championship. … Barner sweep the sprints (100, 200, 400) at the Section 6-AA Championship. … Neil had quite a freshman season after finishing fifth in Class AA in the high jump at the WPIAL finals and placing in the top 15, one of 10 jumpers to clear 5 feet, at the state meet. … Scaramucci finished eighth in Class AAA and won the county title in the high jump. … Anderson closed her career with a fourth-place finish in the Class AAA triple jump and 14th in the PIAA finals. … Anderson won county gold medals in the long and triple jumps. … Zelmore placed fourth in the discus and eighth in the shot put in the WPIAL Class AA Championship, and was sixth in the discus at the state championship. … Hewitt placed eighth in the javelin at the district meet. … Trimmer just missed the WPIAL Class AAA awards stand after finishing ninth in the 1,600 … Massey sprinted to seventh place in the 100 in the WPIAL Class AAA final. … Ohler, daughter of former Connellsville standout distance runner Steve Ohler, qualified for the WPIAL Class AA 1,600 and 3,200 in her freshman season. … Stasicha and his staff led Belle Vernon to another undefeated Section 2-AAA record and into the program’s second appearance in the WPIAL Class AAA team championship. … Barak and his Brownsville staff completed an undefeated Section 6-AA season and a berth into the team playoffs. … Laurel Highlands won the girls team title at the FCCA Track & Field Championships.