On May 13 and 14, Whitehall High School held the PIAA District XI AAA Championships. Fifty schools attended this event, including Stroudsburg. Multiple athletes not only placed but also earned medals.
After placing fourth in districts last year, Abiel Quartey, ’25, arrived determined to outrun the past. In the prelims, he proved himself ready, taking first in 15.80 seconds. In the finals, Quartey outran his opponents, taking home first in the district in the 110 mH with a time of 15.20. After coming out of the blocks slowly, he surged in the last 40m to take the lead and win by .07 seconds.
Stroudsburg’s 4x100m boys relay team slid into fourth place, just barely punching their ticket to States. Finishing in 42.78 seconds, Sergio Teixeira, ’26, Julien Teixeira, ’27, Keyen Johnson, ’27, and Quartey continued their dominance on the track.
The girls took over districts this year, seeing multiple sprinters bring home medals for the Mounties.
One of Pennsylvania’s top sprinters, Alena Murray, ’25, came into districts already on top of the EPC, taking first place in the 100m. Ready to go two for two, she dusted her competition in the prelims, running a 12.28. In the finals, she ran a 12-second 100m, beating second place by .29 seconds, cementing her legacy at Stroudsburg, and punching her ticket to States to end her high school career.
“It really felt good to win districts again this year, after I did it my junior year, I felt a lot of pressure to repeat this year since it’s my senior year,” Murray stated. “It’s definitely emotional knowing that I’m coming to the end of my high-school track journey, but it’s also exciting knowing that I’ll be going to college and competing at a much higher stakes level”.
Julia Grant, ’26, also came into Districts hot, after taking first in not only the 200m, but the 400m at EPCs. In the 200m prelims, she flew into first in 25.72 seconds, but in the finals, she wasn’t able to recreate it. Grant brought in a second-place finish, barely falling behind by .41 seconds. In the 400m, Grant took home second, running a 56.59-second finish. Grant looks great for states, and as a junior, she has a bright future with an entire senior season ahead of her.
“I was proud to see our team really fight their best against teams in our district, but it is very much a big fish in a small pond mentality when we head to the valley. There is a lot of work to be done to be competitive at that stage, but I am content for where we are now.
— Coach Kontos
.sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 { display: flex; float: right; margin: 30px 0 30px 30px; width: 50%; border-color: #870000; border-top-width: 5px; border-right-width: 5px; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-left-width: 5px; background-color: #dddddd; } .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 p.pullquotetext, .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 p.quotespeaker { color: #000000 !important; } .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 .pullquotepic { width: 33%; margin-left: 25px; } .sno-story-body .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 p.pullquotetext { font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.4em; } .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 .quotebar { background: #dddddd; flex: 0 0 90px; margin-top: -15px; margin-left: -15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 15px; margin-right: 15px; } .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 .largequote { color: #000000; } .sno-pullquote-682e5d9a9de22 .quotebody { width: unset; }The girls’ 4x100m team proved their worth, taking a gold medal home with a 47.30 finish, beating the second-place time of 47.67. Laila Findley, ’27, Madelyn Vargas, ’27, Grant, and Murray were the legs of the race.
McKayla Strunk, ’25, Stroudsburg’s girls discus record holder, showed up big, throwing 118′-11″ and cementing her second-place finish in District XI. The dual-sport athlete hit 1000 points in basketball earlier in the year, and winning districts just bolstered her high school career.
Stroudsburg Track continues to show its potential as its postseason success leads the cause. “A lot of guys and girls really came out to gain points and perform past their limits.” Coach Kontos elaborated.
The PIAA Track and Field Championships is being held later this week, on May 23 and 24. Follow the Mounies’ success on their Instagram here.