Nwogwugwu was North Penn’s versatile, shining star

Uche Nwogwugwu excelled in many roles for the North Penn girls track and field team, but maybe two words describe her best: state champion.

The Lady Knights’ junior chased down her goal all season, not resting until she wore the 400-meter dash gold medal on a sunny afternoon at Shippensburg University.

Chosen as The Reporter’s Athlete of the Year for girls track and field, Nwogwugwu’s talent and drive were tough to match, propelling her team to lofty accomplishments.

“You can’t let the pressure get to you,” said Nwogwugwu, who matched her indoor state title in the 400 with one outdoors. “If you go in as a top seed, you know you have a target on your back.

“You can’t let the pressure get to you. You just gotta run through it — especially the 400. It’s a sprint and at the end, give it all you got.”

Nwogwugwu, a big point-scorer all season for NP in the sprints and jumps, helped North Penn to an impressive finish at Shipp. Following up the state gold by the 4×8 relay earlier in the day, Nwogwugwu’s first place in the 400 helped the Lady Knights earn a third-place tie — out of 79 schools — in the Class AAA team standings.

Earlier in the season at the Penn Relays, Nwogwugwu displayed her versatility by contributing on that 4×8 relay, running a stellar third leg to help put NP in position to place fourth in the Championship of America.

“I like chasing,” Nwogwugwu said on that memorable afternoon at Franklin Field. “I just got out hard and tried to maintain the best I could the second lap.”

Nwogwugwu carried that momentum into the postseason, winning the gold in the 400 at the District One Class AAA Championships.

“It felt good,” said the junior, who would help push the Lady Knights to a runner-up finish in the team standings. “I drove a lot more than I usually do.”

Hungry for a state gold, after coming so close as a sophomore when she earned the silver, Nwogwugwu reached the mountain top out at Shipp. Fittingly, her day wasn’t done, as she even chipped in on the Lady Knights’ 4×4, helping the foursome to a fourth-place medal.

Mikaela Vlasic, a standout half miler for NP, said of Nwogwugwu: “She’s so good. We’re lucky to have her. She can do anything. You put her in anything and she can do it. She’s competitive. You see her go and it makes you wanna go too.”