Brownsville’s Gionna Quarzo defends 3,200 title in record time at PIAA Class AA championship

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, May 25, 2019 | 11:07 AM

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Brownsville’s Gionna Quarzo heard a voice from above helping her set a meet record Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships.

With her father shouting encouragement from the top rows of Seth Grove Stadium and her mother and sister cheering along the fence, the junior defended her Class AA title in the girls 3,200 meters in 10:25.91.

“My dad sits all the way up there and I could hear him the whole time all the way at the top,” Quarzo said with a laugh. “My mom was standing here and I could hear her with my little sister.”

Soon, others were cheering with them.

Each time Quarzo circled the track — with a commanding lead over second place — the PA announcer noted that she was on record pace. She broke the Class AA record by nearly six seconds. Central Cambria’s Carly Seymour established the previous record of 10:31.85 in 2006.

Brownsville’s Gionna Quarzo defends her title in the Class AA girls 3,200 meters and sets a #PIAA record #TribHSSN pic.twitter.com/WUJJMLJwD7

— Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) May 25, 2019

“I had the record on my mind the whole time,” Quarzo said. “I was hearing the paces my coaches were screaming for me — the paces I was supposed to run. I just thought, take it out faster because I do better with that and then just push it the last mile.”

Warrior Run sophomore Laurel Trapani was second at 10:57.10, and North Schuylkill sophomore Cori McCormick was third at 11:03.25.

“In ninth grade I was just hoping to maybe get Top 3,” Quarzo said. “And to think that I have a record here at states means a lot to me.”

WPIAL athletes won no state titles on Friday, but won three of the first four races Saturday. Bethel Park’s Emily Carter won the girls Class AAA 3,200 meters, and North Allegheny’s Zach Kinne won the boys Class AAA 3,200.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Brownsville