On Thursday, April 17, the Quaker Valley Track & Field team delivered a series of record-shattering performances at the 60th Annual Butler Invitational, held at Butler Area High School. Nearly 100 schools from across Pennsylvania competed at one of the largest and most competitive meets in the state. Amid the fierce competition, the Quakers made history.
For the first time ever, a Class AA school claimed the overall boys team title—and it was none other than Quaker Valley. The boys team secured the win with a remarkable 66 team points, topping the leaderboard and etching their name into Butler Invitational history. The Quaker Valley girls team also turned in an outstanding showing, finishing 3rd overall with 35.50 points.
These achievements come on the heels of another major milestone for the program: both the Quaker Valley Boys and Girls Track & Field teams have been crowned WPIAL 2A Section 3 champions with undefeated records. This remarkable feat highlights the depth and consistency of both squads throughout the regular season.
But the team titles only tell part of the story. The Butler Invitational was truly historic for Quaker Valley, with five school records broken and nine additional performances ranking in the top five all-time in school history.
Boys Team Snapshot:
4x400m Relay
The relay team of James Irwin, Macky Gartley, Jackson Pethel, and Clark LaLomia smashed a 43-year-old school record, posting a time of 3:23.03.
3200m – Jonah Montagnese
Jonah not only set a new school record with a blistering time of 8:56.66, but he also finished 1st overall and broke the Butler Invitational meet record.
800m – Clark LaLomia
Clark set a new school record in the 800m with a time of 1:53.41, placing 2nd overall. Teammate Jackson Pethel was close behind with a time of 1:54.80, also faster than the previous school record and now 2nd all-time.
Triple Jump – Thomas Debelak
Thomas broke his own school record in triple jump with a leap of 45-10.5.
300m Hurdles – Macky Gartley
Macky bettered his own school record with a time of 38.55 and also won the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.37. He was part of the 2nd place 4x400m relay team as well. For his outstanding all-around effort, Macky was named Track Athlete MVP of the Butler Invitational.
Girls Team Snapshot:
On the girls’ side, several athletes etched their names into the Quaker Valley record books, with three seniors reaching 2nd all-time in their events and several underclassmen and relay teams not far behind.
1600m – Cecilia Montagnese
Cecilia’s 3rd place finish with a time of 5:00.47 is now the 2nd fastest in school history.
Long Jump – Vanessa Pickett
Vanessa's mark of 17-8 earned her a 6th place finish and the 2nd longest jump in QV history.
400m – Kwilai Karto
Kwilai moved into 2nd all-time in the 400m with a time of 59.08, finishing 8th in the meet and narrowly missing the school record by less than half a second.
3200m – Lucy Montagnese
Freshman Lucy Montagnese ran an impressive 11:13.55, which now ranks 3rd all-time in QV history.
300m Hurdles – Rose Pocasangre
Sophomore Rose clocked a time of 47.07, making her the 4th fastest QV runner ever in the event.
4x100m Relay
The team of Rose Pocasangre, Evie Rosselli, Kwilai Karto, and Emma Currier finished 2nd overall in the meet with a time of 49.57—now 4th all-time in school history.
Their unforgettable performance at the Butler Invitational capped off an already incredible regular season for the Quakers. Congratulations to all of our Quaker Valley athletes and coaches for a truly remarkable season with so much competition still to come!