On Thursday, May 13, 2021, North Penn seniors Anahita Eshraghi, Jamie Diedel, Megan Gambogi & Jayme Corrado were recognized for committing to compete in track and field at the collegiate level.
“I cannot really say how proud I am of these four and all of our seniors,” North Penn coach Brandon Turner said. “To miss two years – to miss an outdoor season and an indoor season, still come back, dedicate everything you can every day from November to May to track and field is just incredible, and they have done that.”
Jayme Corrado – Chestnut Hill College (Track & Field)
Major: Early Education/Special Education
Final list of colleges: Chestnut Hill, East Stroudsburg, Susquehanna, La Salle
Reasons for choosing Chestnut Hill: “When I met the coach, she was really nice and open and welcoming and ready to just help me be better. When I walked on the campus, it was really nice and beautiful. All the old buildings were really beautiful, and I was like, ‘This is the place for me.’”
What have you gained through your sports experience at North Penn and what is your favorite memory? “Something I definitely gained was trying to push through every day and just trying to give 100 percent even if my body didn’t feel well. My favorite memory is the bus ride home from indoor states and just listening to music with a couple of the seniors who graduated last year.”
Coach Brandon Turner says: “Jayme has won eight letters – four indoors and four outdoors. Jayme was a state medalist in 2019 in the 4x100, which also led to us becoming the state runner-up. In that 4x1, Jayme was actually an alternate, and a young lady on the team got injured right before the race, and with about three minutes of prep, Jayme got into the race, we got a state medal and then went on to be a state runner-up. I say that story because for the last four years Jayme is tough, she is always prepared, and she always has been dedicated to our team and sacrificed whatever she had to for North Penn and for the track team. As a senior, she also was part of the 4x1 that won the district title and finished third at states. She has worked very hard to come back. She actually had an injury this spring that took her away from us for four weeks. She came back as soon as she could, got right back into the team and ran the 4x100. Jayme has really contributed in every way possible. She has sacrificed and run through pain all season. She has not complained about it, she has not made any excuses. She has just come in every day ready to work and ready to get better. She has set an example for our team – for our younger kids and really for all of us. Jayme is a runner that will go on to be a great track athlete but also a great person as all four of these ladies have been.”
About Jayme:
Favorite food: Steak
Favorite TV show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite music: Country
Anahita Eshraghi – Thomas Jefferson University (Track & Field/Cross Country)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: Thomas Jefferson, Temple, Delaware
Reasons for choosing Thomas Jefferson: “Just the atmosphere. Jefferson was really nice when I went and visited. They have a great health program and a great cross country and track team. I also was considering Temple and Delaware mainly for their academics, but I decided Jefferson was a good option because I’d be able to do athletics and academics.”
What have you gained through your sports experience at North Penn and what is your favorite memory? “Definitely the work ethic and having discipline and being able to work with a team and learning to work with the strengths and weaknesses with others. A special memory is indoor states.”
Coach Brandon Turner says: “Ana has been on the track team for four years – she’s run winter and spring. She has nine total letters at North Penn. When Ana started with us, she was a 100 and 200 runner. She is leaving as a miler and two-miler and going to school to compete in cross country as well as track and field. She has grown as an athlete, as a runner and, most importantly, as a person. Ana was one of the captains of our team. She was on our 4x800 that qualified for districts. Ana is a two-time state qualifier in the 4x8, and our team won two league championships while she’s been here, and we were the state runner-up the spring of 2018-19. Numbers-wise – all of these ladies have missed an entire season last year due to COVID. They have all come back this year indoors with no track as we are building a new facility. They have helped lead this team despite all the obstacles we had to go through. Ana has totally been there every day and been a leader. I wish her the best of luck. I know she is going to do incredibly well at the next level of track and field.”
About Anahita:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds & Friends
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Jamie Diedel – Bloomsburg University (Track & Field/Cross Country)
Major: Secondary Education
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Duquesne, St. Francis
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I ultimately decided to choose Bloomsburg because when I met the coach and saw the facilities and talked to some of the girls on the team – I knew that’s where I was supposed to be for the next four years. It was just a gut feeling and I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”
What have you gained through your sports experience at North Penn and what is your favorite memory? “Track and field and cross country are pretty much individual sports other than relays, so getting a chance to be on relay teams just teaches you teamwork and running for people other than yourself. One of my best memories is probably the 2019 outdoor season when we were the state runner-up.”
Coach Brandon Turner says: “Jamie has competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. All of that means she has spent a lot of time here at North Penn running for us, going through very difficult workouts at times for nine months out of the year. Just that in itself is a testament to her commitment, her dedication and just how much she loves the sport of track and field and cross country and running as well. She was a district qualifier in both the 1600 and 3200. She was a state medalist in the 4x800 in 2018-19. She was part of two league championships and a state runner-up. Jamie is a captain of our team. She brings so much energy and so much positivity to practice every single day. She sets an example for all the younger kids and for all the older kids and sometimes I think really helped motivate me and other coaches, coming in and just being positive and getting through stuff that we know is going to be difficult but we know it’s going to make them all better. This team will totally miss Jamie Diedel. She has been a fixture in our locker room, on our buses and at every meet. She will run the 3200, she will run the 1600, and then she’ll come off the track and help coach get times, help encourage other kids, write down lists that I forget and do all these other things that I would call intangibles that really help the team move forward. Jamie Diedel has had an awesome career. She’s going to be a great runner for Bloomsburg and will major in education and hopefully will be a teacher or educator one day, and she will be awesome at that as well.”
About Jamie:
Favorite food: Seafood
Favorite movie: The Notebook
Favorite music: Country
Megan Gambogi – Bloomsburg University (Track & Field/Cross Country)
Major: Nursing
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, St. Joseph’s, Delaware, La Salle
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “Bloomsburg has one of the top nursing programs in the state. It just has a really good balance between nursing and track, which is pretty much why I chose it.”
What have you gained through your sports experience at North Penn and what is your favorite memory? “Track and field is basically an individual sport, but I really learned what it takes to be a good teammate and to be a leader. My favorite memory was all of our trips at states.”
Coach Brandon Turner says: “Megan like the other three young ladies has been on the track team for the last four seasons. She has earned nine varsity letters, one in cross country this season. Megan has been all-league in the 4x4 and 4x8, she was all-league in the 400 as a sophomore and senior, a district qualifier in the 400, 800, 4x4 and 4x8, and she was on the state medalist relay of the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 (twice). Megan is a captain of our team and is one of our leaders. She brings such toughness and grit to our team. She leads every workout from the front and really is our leader by example as much as anything. When she steps on the track, everyone knows North Penn has a chance to win the race Megan’s in. She has competed with such grit through freshman year, sophomore year. To be at that level as a sophomore and run at the state meet in the 800 and anchor a relay that went on to take second is impressive. I really don’t have the words to explain it, and it’s not something we see often. She did that and really put the team in a good place. Megan has done an awesome job with us. She is going to continue on to Bloomsburg where I expect she will continue to improve her times, PR and just continue on as an awesome track runner and young lady.”
About Megan:
Favorite food: Cookies
Favorite TV show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite artist: One Direction
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