Quarzo places 13th in Penn Relay 3K
Brownsville junior Gionna Quarzo was hoping to run a little faster Thursday evening, but her time of 9:54.14 in the 3,000 meters at the Penn Relays was quicker than last year.
Quarzo placed 13th in the field of 24 girls. She was 15th in the field of 22 runners last year with a time of 10:08.71.
Quarzo was only three seconds off from a top-10 finish.
Brooke Rauber, of Tully, N.Y., finished first with a time of 9:37.65.
“It was not my best, but it was better than last year,” said Quarzo. “(Finishing 13th) is not what I wanted.”
Quarzo is used to running by herself in the distance race, but did not have the same luxury in Thursday’s 7½-lap race.
“I wanted to get in front of the pack, but the were boxing me in. Then, I had to go around them and sprint. It tired me out,” explained Quarzo.
“It’s easier at states. There’s a couple of faster girls and I can tuck in. I can’t tuck in (at the Penn Relays). When I did, someone would step on my heels and I’d get boxed in.”
The high school distance race included Loyalsock’s Isabell Sagar, a familiar foe to Quarzo. Quarzo pulled ahead of Sagar in the final lap of the 3,200 in last year’s state meet to win the PIAA gold medal. Sagar had the better of the Lady Falcon Thursday, finishing third with a time of 9:37.70.
Quarzo returns to the track Saturday to defend her Track MVP honor at the FCCA Track & Field Championship hosted by Uniontown.
“Yes, I’ll be there,” said Quarzo.