BSports - Latest Sports News & Updates

Fresh off a win at the PIAA Foundation Cross-Country Invitational, Quaker Valley's Jonah Montagnese had another solid race at the MAC championships.

NORTH SEWICKLEY TWP. — After a standout track and field season for Quaker Valley junior Jonah Montagnese, that success has carried over from the track to the course during cross-country season.

Montagnese added another victory to his resume, winning the 2025 MAC high school cross-country championship at Brush Creek Park Wednesday.

Last season, Montagnese finished in third place, behind Beaver Area’s Tyler Biss and fellow Quaker Valley runner Clark LaLomia.

But this season, Montagnese finished almost a minute faster than last season’s champion LaLomia, completing the course in 15:26.9.

“It felt great to come out here and get the win,” Montagnese said. “I knew there was a shot to put together a good time after I built some distance in front of people. It made it a little more difficult to push myself, but I am proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish.”

The race was the junior’s first competition after winning the 19th PIAA Foundation Cross-Country Invitational in Hershey, Pa., posting a time of 16:13.1, finishing 16 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

It might have been his first race back, but Montagnese and his Quaker Valley teammates have been training hard for the latter half of the season, using this race as a tune-up for the WPIAL cross-country championships October 23.

“We took some downtime in between this race and the foundations meet, so we just wanted to train really hard and try and build up fitness towards the end of the season,” Montagnese said. “This was a good race to get into the postseason mindset and a great way to open the second half of the season.”

The MAC Championships featured 11 Beaver Valley programs on the boys side out of 16 schools, with each of the top five finishers hailed from area programs.

Quaker Valley's Jonah Montagnese and Beaver Area's Isaac Burtt lead the pack out of the start during the 2025 MAC Cross-Country Championships at Brush Creek Park Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. in New Sewickley Township, Pa.

While Montagnese set the pace, finishing over a minute faster than Ellwood City’s Lucas Bleakney, he has been working on pushing himself harder during races which will help him when the postseason rolls around.

“Pushing yourself when you are in the lead is a good learning experience,” Montagnese said. “It is a good skill to have and it is something that I continue to work on. I feel like I get better each race.”

On the girls' side, Moon Area senior Elise Ashcroft was the Beaver Valley’s top finisher, posting a time of 19:28.2 and finishing in second place behind Mars junior Hailey Long (19:20.0).

The finish for Ashcroft was a personal best, completing the course over a minute faster than her mark last season when she finished fifth.

“I was really happy with this race,” Ashcroft said. “Last season I battled a lot of injuries so it was nice to PR today.”

Moon Area's Elise Ashcroft gets set to cross the finish line during the 2025 MAC Cross-Country Championships at Brush Creek Park Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. in New Sewickley Township, Pa.

Throughout the race, Ashcroft went stride-for-stride with West Allegheny freshman Camryn Bruno.

Ashcroft was aiming for a better finish in the race after last season and once she had the opportunity to take second place, she made her move and did not look back.

“I was excited to race and was looking to finish in third place,” Ashcroft said. “I knew that once I passed the girl in second place, I had her and tried to kick it in from there.”

Here is a look at the top 10 finishers from each race.

Boys 5K Top 10 Finishers

1. Jonah Montagnese, Quaker Valley - 15:26.9

2. Lucas Bleakney, Ellwood City - 16:27.8

3. Brody Graham, Blackhawk - 16:35.7

4. Luca Filtcraft, Hopewell - 16:39.8

5. Tyler Bell, Quaker Valley - 16:51.6

6. Ethan Moldovan, Carlynton - 16:59.9

7. Scott McConnell, Mohawk - 17:02.7

8. Isaac Burtt, Beaver Area - 17:05.3

9. Henry Howard, Quaker Valley - 17:08.9

10. Brennan Patterson, West Allegheny - 17:09.9

Beaver Area's Peyton Teapole leads a pack of runners during the 2025 MAC Cross-Country Championships at Brush Creek Park Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. in New Sewickley Township, Pa.