Quarzo’s last 3,200 run was her best
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
The scoreboard displays the time as Brownsville junior Gionna Quarzo completes her sixth lap of eight in the 3,200 in the opening race of the second day at the PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg’s Seth Grove Stadium. Quarzo set the meet record with her gold medal-winning time of 10:25.91 in what was her last high school track race because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jim Downey | Herald-Standard
Brownsville junior Gionna Quarzo (center) stands atop the medals podium after successfully defending her gold medal in the Class AA 3,200 at the 2019 PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University.
Track athletes want their final run, jump, vault or throw of the season to be their fastest, highest or longest.
Brownsville’s Gionna Quarzo was expecting to run the fastest 3,200 in the final race of her stellar high school career, and that’s just what the senior accomplished.
However, her final race was on May 25, 2019 and not early Saturday morning as expected because the annual PIAA Individual Track & Field Championships held at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, instead of crossing the finish line around 9:11 a.m. Saturday in the opening race of the second day of the state meet, Quarzo and track athletes from around the state were left to wonder just what might have been.
Quarzo was shooting for her third-straight gold medal in the eight-lap race and would’ve likely been the odds-on favorite to do so. She basically ran against the clock over the final seven laps last year, crossing the finish line in 10:25.91. The previous Class AA meet record was 10:31.85 run by Central Cambria’s Carly Seymour in 2008.
“Before I started the race, I had the record on my mind,” recalled Quarzo.
The girls Class AA 3,200 opens the second day of the two-day state meet, beginning at 9 a.m.
“It was the first race of the day, which was cool,” said Quarzo.
The large crowd began to recognize Quarzo was on pace for the record with the stadium announcer calling on the fans in the grandstand to encourage her through her final three laps.
“With all the fans cheering, and the guy announcing my times, that was neat,” said Quarzo.
The crowd had barely settled in their seats after Quarzo’s finish when Bethel Park sophomore Emily Carter began her assault of the Class AAA record time. Carter finished in 10:16.02, breaking the previous mark of 10:21.06 set by Pennsbury’s Sara Sargent in 2010.
“I broke the record in the first race and Emily Carter broke the AAA record in the next race,” said Quarzo.
Quarzo not only lost the opportunity for another run at WPIAL and PIAA gold and record times, but also the chance to run alongside her younger sister JoJo, a freshman. The sisters finished 1-2 in the 2019 WPIAL Cross Country Championships.
“I was really hoping to break the record again and run with my sister. I would probably pull my sister along in the 1,600. I’m not running the mile in college, even though I like the 1,600. My sister would’ve done the 1,600,” said Quarzo. “I am thankful to have a cross country season with my sister.”
Quarzo also missed meets with her teammates.
“I see them once in awhile. I’m close to my teammates,” said Quarzo. “I wish we could’ve had at least one more meet to finish it off.”
Quarzo now moves on to North Carolina State knowing her final high school race on the track was her finest.
“It means a lot. It’s sad I didn’t get another season, but I’m glad it ended on a good note,” said Quarzo.