Fisher’s Files: Quaker Valley’s Oumou Thiero caps season with all-state honor

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, May 5, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Kudos to Quaker Valley sophomore Oumou “Mimi” Thiero for being named third team all-state in Class 4A girls basketball.

A 6-foot-4 guard/forward, Thiero led the Quakers in almost every statistical category in 2023-24 including points (19.2 ppg), field goal percentage (40%), rebounds (14.1 rpg), blocked shots (4.7 avg), steals (1.6 avg), free throws (70%), 3-point field goals and 3-point field goal percentage.

“Mimi gets a lot of attention from the opposing team every game,” QV coach Ken Johns said. “We ask her to do so many things — score, rebound, be the anchor to our defense and be one of the primary ball-handlers. She is also an excellent passer and gets everyone involved.

“She helps to make the players around her better. She has really embraced the challenge and it is fun to watch.”

The dynamic underclassman racked up 14 double-doubles in 2023-24. She had a triple-double Jan. 3 in a 63-37 section win against Ambridge when she scored a career-high 41 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked 11 shots.

Thiero is recognized as one of the top young players in the WPIAL. She averaged 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds as a freshman and was named all-section.

She has received NCAA Division I college offers from Duquesne, Robert Morris, Kent State, Boston College and Providence.

Thiero was one of four WPIAL players chosen all-state in 4A, along with Blackhawk’s Alena Fusetti (first team) and Audrey Hubb (second team) and North Catholic’s Alayna Rocco (first team).

Thiero also competes in track and field in the spring months and holds QV’s freshman record (5 feet, 3 inches) in the high jump.

• Quaker Valley finished with several individual medalists at the Butler 9th/10th Grade Invitational held April 25 at Art Bernardi Stadium.

QV medalists for the boys team consisted of sophomore Tyler Bell, second place in the 3,200; Xander Vescio, fourth in the 110 hurdles; and freshmen Keiran Cain, third in the 800; Hugo Castellini, third in the 110 hurdles, sixth in the 300 hurdles; James Irwin, fourth in the triple jump, seventh in the high jump; Isaac Carrillo, fifth in the discus; and Trey Dunlap, eighth in the shot put.

Other top competitors for the Quakers included sophomores Ronnie Berry (100), Corbin Hopkins (800) and Benny Janeway (javelin); and freshman Giovanni Ramella (1,600, 3,200), Bell (high jump) and Dunlap (discus).

Kennedy O’Neill was the lone individual medalist for the QV girls team. The QV freshman placed fifth in the pole vault event.

Other leading competitors for the QV girls included sophomores Katherine Linge (100 hurdles) and Clara Herman (javelin); and freshmen Maddie Gatehouse (100, 200), Evie Roselli (100, long jump), Maggie Doz (800, 1,600), Kate Steinfurth (1,600, 3,200), Anna Fuener (long jump), Alex Polce (long jump, triple jump), Tiya Simgh (long jump, triple jump) and Maura Calhoun (discus, javelin, shot put).

• Sewickley Academy participated in the South Fayette track and field invitational April 27 along with 54 other schools.

The top individual finisher for Sewickley was senior Abby Bojolad, who placed 10th in the girls 3,200-meter run.

Other leading performers for the Sewickley girls team included senior Sofia Castagnaro, in the discus and shot put, plus freshmen Josephine Courtney (100, 200, 400), Kayla Keefer (800, 1,600) and Emily Milanovich (1,600, 3,200).

In the boys competition, Sewickley’s leading performers included seniors Jose Maldonado (100, 200), Alex Wang (100, 400) and Zach Kerrish (1,600); sophomore Eli Koziar (200, 400); along with juniors Quinton Gibbs-Green (100) and Cooper D’Antonio (800).

• Sewickley Academy seniors Jackson Quigley and Tejas Mitra played some of their best tennis of the season in the recent WPIAL Class 2A doubles tournament.

Montour junior John Rohrkaste and sophomore Jonah Camardese, the No. 4 seed, swept their Sewickley counterparts by 7-5, 7-5 scores, but both sets almost went to a tiebreaker. Following the victory, Rohrkaste offered a bit of praise for his team’s opponents, the No. 6 seed, in the championship match.

“Jackson had a really good forehand,” Rohrkaste said in a Trib HSSN interview. “He was always there holding the baseline well and had some good volleys, too. Tejas’ serve was solid. We only broke him once. Not many shots got past him. They made us fight for every single point.”

Rohrkaste and Camardese upset Sewickley Academy’s top-seeded freshman duo of Max Kopf and Ben Terrell in the semifinals.

Quigley and Mitra defeated Quaker Valley’s senior team of Grant Webb and Matteo Castellini, the No. 7 seed, in their semifinal match.

• Sophomore forward Max Modrovich led the QV hockey team to a first-place regular-season finish in the PIHL Varsity A Gold Division in 2023-24.

Modrovich accounted for 19 goals and 21 assists (40 points) to lead the Quakers offensively.

QV racked up a 16-3-0-1 regular-season record, good for 33 points and one point ahead of Shaler and Indiana in the final division standings.

“I feel great about next season,” Modrovich said. “We were a pretty young team this year and have a lot of pieces returning next season.”

Modrovich also is a two-year starter at the attack position for the QV boys lacrosse team.

“We are a very young group,” he said, “but I’m excited to compete with these guys and make a good run.”

• Everything seemed to click for the Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse team.

The Panthers defeated visiting Canon-McMillan, 15-8, April 25 in a section game at Nichols Field.

“We had a huge win against Canon-Mac,” said Ali Grenert, Sewickley’s second-year coach. “We were definitely the underdogs, as they were ranked above us in the WPIAL and in our section.”

• Oscar Roig and Gavin Fallgren sparked the Quaker Valley baseball team to an 11-7 nonsection win April 26 against Sewickley Academy.

Roig, a junior shortstop, collected a double, triple and three RBIs while Fallgren, a senior catcher, contributed two doubles.

Fallgren missed his junior season because of an injury. He is a John Carroll baseball commit.

The Quakers snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 4-9 overall in Class 3A.

Senior P/INF/OF Jordan Smith belted a home run for Class A Sewickley Academy.

• Sewickley Academy’s baseball team rebounded to defeat Clairton, 14-4, April 29 in a Section 3-A game.

Smith tripled and knocked in two runs for the Panthers while sophomore outfielder Billy Pietragallo doubled and drove in a pair and junior UTL Karan Kad had two doubles.

Nolan Donnelly, a junior hurler, was the winning pitcher.

• Lucy Roig scored five goals and Alexa Westwood contributed four goals and three assists April 29 in leading Quaker Valley’s girls lacrosse team to a 17-0 section win over Aquinas Academy.

Roig is a sophomore midfielder; Westwood is a sophomore midfielder and attacker.

Senior midfielder/attacker Sydney Hewitt and sophomore attacker Mia Floro each had a pair of goals. Emily Reiner, a junior goalkeeper, recorded the shutout.

• Junior pitcher Quincy Sirko struck out nine and went 3 for 3 against Rochester to spark Sewickley Academy’s softball team to its first win of the season. The Panthers won by a 9-7 score in the Section 1-A game.

Freshman SS Keira Church and sophomore 3B Sanaa Grant also doubled for Sewickley.

Tags: Quaker Valley, Sewickley Academy