On Monday, May 16, 2016, Central Bucks West seniors Rock Fortna, Brian Iatarola, Brody Johnson and Declan McDonald were recognized for committing to compete in track at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
“All four of them have really come a long way and have provided a great deal of leadership for us and are really outstanding citizens, which makes it really easy to build a team around,” coach Greg Wetzel said. “These four seniors plus the others who have already signed are going to be missed.”
Rock Fortna – University of Rhode Island (Track & Field)
Major: Engineering
Final list of colleges: URI, Duke, Penn State
Reasons for choosing URI: “URI was the best fit as far as team and event type. I think I fit in best with the ability at Rhode Island.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “Since my freshman year, I’ve always wanted to run for a D1 school. Ever since then, I’ve been working really hard to achieve that, and it thankfully worked out.”
Coach Greg Wetzel says: “Rock is as advertised – really dependable when it really matters. Last year he anchored our 4x800 to a fourth place finish at the outdoor state meet, and this winter he ran the fastest split of anybody on the 4x8 at the indoor state meet, and we ran the third fastest time in the country in the event.”
About Rock:
Favorite food: “A good cheeseburger”
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite music: Classic Rock
Brian Iatarola – Shippensburg University (Cross Country and Track & Field)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Shippensburg, Pitt
Reasons for choosing Shippensburg: “Just the coaching staff and I really liked the program that Ship had – they’re just a super good team. Also, at Pitt I would have probably been redshirted my first year.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I started when I was in fourth grade – my sister did CYO, so I just hopped on that with her and decided to run track also, and I just progressed from there.”
Coach Greg Wetzel says: “Brian was our MVP his sophomore year and has individually earned a state medal in cross country. Brian’s just a distance stud, and he’s going to have a lot of fun at Shippensburg. We look forward to seeing him continue to develop there. He’s a great kid.”
About Brian:
Favorite food: Bagels
Favorite movie: Django Unchained
Favorite music: Rap & Classic Rock
Brody Johnson – Ursinus College (Track & Field)
Major: Marine Biology
Final list of colleges: Ursinus, Hamilton College, McAllister College
Reasons for choosing Urinus: “All three schools were strong in academics, but at the end of the day, it came down to just a feeling of fit. Ursinus just felt like home. I felt like I had the best opportunity to succeed there academically and athletically.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in track at the collegiate level? “I started thinking about it last year. My times started to improve, and I realized – I really enjoy this and I’m starting to get the talent that I’ll be able to do it at the next level.”
Coach Greg Wetzel says: “Brody has developed a whole lot and competed in the 100, 200 and 400 in the league championships for us. He’s extremely coachable and has been a big part of our 4x100’s success this year. Brody’s also added the 400 meters as a new event that he excels at, and that speaks to his willingness to perform for the team and his selflessness.”
About Brody:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite movie: Airplane
Favorite music: Alternative or Classic Rock
Declan McDonald – Bloomsburg University (Cross Country & Track)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, University of Miami, University of Maine
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “It was just the right school. It’s close to home, my sister went there, I knew some of the team, and I thought it was a good fit academically and athletically.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “When I started running when I started high school, I knew I wanted to run in college. I wanted to take it to the next level.”
Coach Greg Wetzel says: “Declan has been an outstanding leader throughout the year because he does cross country as well, so summer, fall, winter spring he’s been an outstanding role model. He’s the reason you see a lot of younger runners on our team also excelling. We’re going to miss him a lot. There’s an award we give out when a really exceptional kid comes along called the J. Kevin Munnelly award, and we gave him that award last fall in cross country because we thought so highly of him. It’s an award we don’t give every year, and we haven’t given it since 2008. It’s the highest honor that we could consider character-wise.”
About Declan:
Favorite food: Tacos
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite music: Red Hot Chili Peppers
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