The 2019 season was a magical one for the Warwick Warriors girl’s track and field team. They won the LL League title by a margin of 55 points. The following week they won the District 3 Class AAA title. A week after they took home the state title, defeating runner-up North Penn by 15 points. Two major contributors to Warwick’s magical 2019 season were Leah Graybill and Meghan Quinn. The two have continued to excel in the sport in college. Before we catch up with both let’s review their 2019 high school season.
2019 Highlights:
- Graybill and Quinn paired with Lily Palacio-Lewis and Emily Williamson to set the LL League all-time record in the 4x100m of 47.18 when they finished 2nd at states.
- The 4-some broke the District 3 4x100m relay record with their time of 47.44.
- Palacio-Lewis, Graybill, and Quinn went 1-2-3 in the 100m at the District 3 Championships.
- Palacio-Lewis, Graybill, and Quinn finished 2-3-4 in the state 100m final.
- Graybill placed 3rd at states in the 200m.
- Graybill and Quinn then teamed up with Jessica and Emily Williamson to place 4th in the 4x400m to close out their state championship run.
- Graybill set the LL League all-time record in the 200m at leagues when she ran 24.42 (This record was just broken by Cedar Crest’s Kaddel Howard who ran 24.34 on 4/10/23).
Graybill graduated in 2019 and joined the Shippensburg University Track and Field program. Quinn graduated a year later and joined the Bucknell University Track and Field Program. Quinn’s senior season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic that wiped out the spring sports season. That said, she closed out her senior competition year in style winning the PA Indoor State title over 60m (7.66) and then placed 3rd in the 200m (25.24).
The duo’s record setting ways have only continued since entering the collegiate ranks.
At the William and Mary Colonial Relays held March 30-April 1, both women set 3 school records over the course of the weekend and did so while competing against each other.
Leah broke Shippensburg’s 100m and 200m records while also running a leg on the record-setting 4x100m relay. Her 200m time was also a PSAC record. Meghan broke Bucknell’s 100m and 200m records while also running a leg on their 4x400m record-breaking squad. They made sure to find each other after the race(s) to congratulate each other.
Photos from @ShipURaiders and @Bucknell_TFXC:
Leah also owns Shippensburg University’s 60m (7.55) and 200m (23.80) indoor school records.
Meghan holds Bucknell’s 200m (24.03) and 4x400m (3:40.56) indoor school records and is #2 on the Bison’s indoor 60m list (7.56).
Over the weekend of April 15th and 16th the Bucknell women once again lowered their outdoor school record 4x400m time to 3:41.21.
Just last weekend, Leah and her Shippensburg teammates lowered their 4x100m record again, this time running 46.42.
You can follow both Leah and Meghan throughout the remainder of the season on their TFRRS page at these links:
Leah will be looking for an outdoor All-American finish to match the indoor All-American honor she earned this past winter. Meghan will be looking to earn a berth to the NCAA Regional Championships (Round 1 of the NCAA D1 Championships).
How much lower will they take their school records throughout the remainder of the season???
Q&A:
What are your fondest memories of the 2019 season?
Leah: My fondest memories of 2019 would be all of the opportunities I was given to compete alongside my best friends and to be successful together as a team. Obviously… winning the state title and the 4x100m relay (Northeast Division) at Penn Relays were highlights. 2019 was a special year and one that I am extremely thankful for.
Meghan: I remember how close we all were at this time. These girls were not just my teammates but my best friends. I remember all of the inside jokes we shared and how supportive our surrounding community was – our coaches, parents, Warwick student body. Another highlight of that year was going to Penn Relays with the 4×1. Bringing home that Penn Relays wheel was such an accomplishment and something I will always remember.
What was it like getting to train with each other (and Lily) day in and day out?
Leah: I think that I didn’t realize how good I had it until it was over. Being able to push each other day in and day out is what led us to the overwhelming success we had at the end of the season. If it wasn’t for Meghan and Lily, I never would have run the times I ran as a senior in high school. We made practices fun even when the workouts were challenging.
Meghan: It was a very special experience for me particularly. Both Lily and Leah are great athletes so practicing with them is something I am forever grateful for. I truly believe that without them, I would not be the runner I am today. In sprinting, I believe that training with people that might be a little faster or that are the same speed as you is a good thing because it pushed me to go all out every rep and every practice. Not only did they help me in my training, but three of us all of these years later have a unique bond unlike any other I have experienced. We were all there for one another during the good times and the bad, and always picked each other up.
Did your coaches ever have to get you to dial things back in practice? In other words, did things ever become too competitive during your practices?
Leah: I think we were competitive at practice when we needed to be. We pushed each other but were also able to maintain our individual paces in workouts. All the credit to Coach Rhoads for giving us the high intensity training we needed while also putting up with our over-the-top personalities. He understood each of our goals and worked with us to accomplish those things. So again, we were definitely competitive at practice and that’s why our team was so successful, but we were also able to tone it back when we needed to.
Meghan: No, not that I remember. Honestly, I am happy to say that our practices were always fun and not too serious. Obviously, when it was time to be serious we all were, but I remember that our coaches always wanted us to have fun and not put too much pressure on ourselves at such a young age. Our coach (Bobby Rhoads) gave us workouts that definitely pushed us but ultimately helped us feel more confident on race day.
What was the biggest adjustment(s) you needed to make transitioning from high school to college?
Leah: The transition from high school to college was challenging for me because pretty much everything that I was used to was changing. I wasn’t in Lititz anymore with my best friends/teammates (who were all still competing together in high school), and I was trying to navigate new relationships with new teammates. I think the hardest thing for me was learning to trust my Shippensburg coaches. I was under Coach Rhoads’ training for 4 years and grew to love those workouts and training plans, so coming into a new place with new people and new workouts really tested my confidence as an athlete.
Meghan: As far as track goes, starting to run at the collegiate level can be daunting at first. Luckily, Bucknell made this transition for me very easy. The team and coaches are great and I really have always enjoyed my experience being a part of the team. My event coach (Richard Alexander) has truly made the sprint group so special and successful. I am so grateful for him and the rest of my teammates.
What are your goals for the remainder of the season?
Leah: Obviously, the goal is to always run a little faster each week, but my overall goal is to be in Pueblo Colorado on May 26 for NCAA Nationals. Having had such success at NCAA Indoor Nationals this past season, I really want to be able to compete again at that level and shoot for another All-American title.
Meghan: Some goals I have are to PR in the 100 and 200 along with both of the relays I am a part of (4×1 and 4×4) and to medal in my events at the Patriot League Championships. Our 4×4 has a goal of making the NCAA Division I East preliminary and I would love to go potentially for an individual event as well.
What are you majoring in and what do you hope to do upon graduation?
Leah: I’m an Early Childhood, Special Education dual major. I hope to work as a general education teacher for a few years while working on my Masters in Literacy and then transition to a reading specialist.
Meghan: At Bucknell, I am a psychology major with a legal studies minor. I hope to either go to law school or attend a master’s program and use my last indoor season of eligibility.
