QO Coach, Runners Named to All-Gazette Team

Track and field athletes from Quince Orchard and Wootton High Schools were named to The Gazette's 2012 All-Gazette Track and Field team, but it was the QO coach who took home the top honor.

Quince Orchard's Seann Pelkey was named boys' track and field coach of the year.

Pelkey became head coach at QO in 2001 after two years as a varsity assistant, according to his bio on the Cougar's athletics page. He is a member of the school's 1993 and 1994 state championship cross country teams and graduated in 1995.

Joining Pelkey on the boys' team is pole vaulter Alex Moores. The senior won the 4A West region title and tied for the county's top score this winter, according to the report.

Cougars named to the second team include Evan Burnham (800 meters), Evan Laratta (1,600 meters), Jack O'Keefe (high jump), Malcolm Brown (long jump), and the QO 3,200 meter relay team.

On the girls' side, QO's Catherine Panasenkov (junior, pole vault) is joined by Wootton's Casey Dowling (senior, long jump) and Gwen Shaw (junior, 300 meters) on the first team.

Panasenkov finished third at the state 4A/3A meet and won the county and region titles; Dowling Tied for fifth in the state for best mark this year at 17 feet - 7 inches, tops for the county; and Shaw finished third at the state meet and owns the sixth best time in the state this year, according to the report.

QO's Sierra Isaac (high jump) along with Wootton's Elaine Chen (high jump) and Sylvia Deppen (55 meter hurdles) joined them on the girls' second team.

View the full boys' and girls' 2012 All-Gazette Indoor Track Teams on The Gazette.