Race Highlights from the 2A Girls Championship
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JoJo Quarzo (Brownsville) ran one of the more impressive races to earn her first cross-country state title; it was also the most underappreciated of the day.
Quarzo ran the fastest time of the day by a large margin. She finished 35 seconds ahead of the next fastest girl of the day, Natalie McLean, in the 3A race.
It was a dominant performance all around. Quarzo got out of the box from the gun and moved into the lead. Harley Kletz (Montour) and Delaney Dumm (Forest Hills) followed her through, but Quarzo made it impossible to stay with her for long. Quarzo came through the mile in 5:32, on an unsustainable 17:11 pace. Kletz did what she could to stick with her, sitting a second back.
Quarzo lengthened her lead by the two-mile mark to nearly 20 seconds, and Kletz maintained a similar gap on Dumm. The race remained that way as Quarzo soared to a first cross-country state title.
It was a long-awaited finish for Quarzo, who has been overshadowed by Blue Mountain's Olivia Haas '22, who earned her second straight title in 2021. Last year, Haas won in 18:20, so for Quarzo to win in 18:11 was a statement.
JoJo Quarzo wins her first title.
The time is also the fastest time on this course configuration by a AA runner, so in some ways, you can call it a classification record. Her older sister, Gionna Quarzo, held the old mark, an 18:18.
Kletz finished at 18:49, while Dumm crossed the line at 19:27.
Harley Kletz on her runner-up
Seniors Madelyn Keatings (Wyoming Area) and Lacey Danilovitz (Riverside) were charging hard on Dumm. Keating only finished seven seconds back.
Sophomore Madison Hedglin (Dallas) was the first non-senior in sixth.
Nicole Dauberman (Susquehannock), Lilah Turnbull (Chartiers Valley), Baylee Espinosa (Lewisburg Area), and Hope Trimmer (Uniontown) rounded out the Top-10.
The team battle was one for the cinema theaters as four teams finished within nine points of each other. It came down to the wire for Cathedral Prep, Danville, Montour, and Beaver Area, but Cathedral Prep pulled it out despite injury on the course.
Rue Burkett, a staple in CP's top 5, suffered a broken leg during Saturday's race. She limped to the line, refusing to give up on her team.
Burkett's teammates stepped up in her absence. Anne-Catherine Brown and her stellar freshman campaign continued on Saturday, and she earned an 11th-place finish, suitable for five points. Allison Bender joined her near the front, scoring 12 points, and Sarah Clark scored 19.
Experienced veteran, Helen Ann McCormick, stepped up big for her team. Entering the day, she was arguably the team's sixth or seventh runner. On Saturday, she was there fourth. Lauren Raimy rounded out the team's top-5, while Sarah Teed delivered a crucial bump point on Montour.
Coach Therese Brown discusses Cathedral Prep victory.
Danville Area remained on the heels of Cathedral Prep throughout Saturday's race, and they slowly closed the gap between the two teams. At 4k, they were 18-points back, but then Rue Burkett suffered her injury. Over the Final K, they closed the gap to just four points.
Victoria Batholomew was Danville's first, finishing in 15th. Both Cathedral Prep and Danville will graduate just one runner from this 2022 squad, so we can expect to see a rematch next year.
Harley Kletz led Montour into the title conversation. Montour led after one mile and was only three points behind Cathedral Prep at the halfway point. They slowly faded but still put forth an impressive showing.
On the contrary, Beaver Area was way back at the mile, 120 points out of the lead. Over the next two miles, they deliberately picked their way through the field, bridging the gap to nine points by the finish.
Central Cambria rounded out the Top-5.