Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy Track Stars Bring Home the Gold

Quaker Valley High School’s defending state championship boys two-mile relay team apparently hasn’t lost a step.

The Quaker’s speedy relay team will return to the PIAA Class AA Championships on May 27-28 at Shippensburg University on a high note after winning the WPIAL 3,200-meter relay title Thursday at Baldwin High School.

 “I think we’ll be a major contender at states,” said Andrew Hotchkiss, who ran the second leg of the four-man relay in the 800-meter race.

 The relay team, which consists of  starter Roy Hadfield, Hotchkiss, set-up runner Nat Fox and anchor L.J. Westwood, won the race in 7:59.94. The four blew away the field, easily defeating runner-up Trinity Christian (8:16.18).

 However, to a man, they predicted they’ll have to go several seconds lower at states to claim their second consecutive title.

 "We’re really excited,” Westwood said. “We came into the WPIAL meet trying to go under eight minutes. So we’re really happy we got 7:59 and we’re really looking forward now to states.”

 The Quakers made a strong showing overall, winning two other individual titles and a total of eight top-medals in all.

Fox put on a kick coming down the stretch and also took home a gold medal in the mile run in 4:29.75, edging Alex Archer of Vincentian (4:29.96) at the wire in front of a cheering crowd of over 2,000.

 “I didn’t expect to have that kind of energy left at the end,” Fox said. “I really put it all on the line in the earlier race (two-mile relay). I was just gutting it out with everything I got.

 “Today was really a good day,” he said.

 Westwood added another WPIAL title in the half-mile run in 1:55.65, crossing the line ahead of Trinity Christian’s Scott Whitaker (1:56.39). Hotchkiss finished third in 1:59.41, giving Quaker Valley two of the top three medals in the race.

 Westwood ran a 55-second final lap to win by less than a second.

 “We do a lot of speed work on the track, and they really helped me today,” Westwood said.

 Also in the Class AA WPIAL championships, Caitlin Bungo took home a gold and silver medal for Sewickley Academy. She won the 800 title in 2:21.26 and finished second in the 1,600 in 5:06.46.

 In other Quaker Valley results:

• Sarah McKendry won the third-place medal in the girls two-mile run in 11:46.73 and qualified for states.

• Joe Rakowski placed fourth in pole vault at a height of 12 feet and advanced to the PIAAs. “I was kind of disappointed in 12 feet, but I’m happy I made it to states,” he said.

• In the 100 hurdles, sophomore Abby Rausch took fifth and moved on to states with a 16.38 finish. “I was pretty nervous before the race,” she said. “But I got fifth, and I know there will be a lot of good girls at the state meet.”

•  Liz Narkevic picked up a seventh-place medal in a tie in the high jump at 4 feet, 9 inches.

• Sammie Pugh earned an eighth-place medal in the long jump at 15 feet, 8 ¼ inches.