Photos: Zack Beavers
By: Mark Butler, Penn Charter Jr. Reporter
PHILADELPHIA - T.J. Zwall is a sophomore standout for the Penn Charter Quakers who’s primary events are the 3200m,1600m and 800m. Zwall suffered an injury at the Penn Relays this past April, but still got a solid take away from participating in the historic event.
“The atmosphere [at the Penn Relays] is always amazing. It’s always a pleasure being there, it’s always encouraging to see my teammates and coaches supporting me,” said Zwall. “I wasn’t able to finish the race due to an injury, but it was still a good experience.”
Penn Charter sophomore T.J. Zwall - PSD Photo by Zack Beavers
Zwall commented on how he plans to get back on the track rather quickly.
“It wasn’t an injury that will keep me away from track for that long. I’m going to continue my regularly scheduled workouts and continue to try and get better. I plan on running in our next meet,” said Zwall.
At that point in the season, the next meet for the Quakers was the Inter-Ac championships, which Zwall did participate in. He competed in the 3200m and the 4x800m relay. In the 3200m, he set his personal record with a time of 9:54:20, which was good for a fifth place overall finish. During the 4x800m, Zwall and his teammates Nate Johnson, Jack Frank and Wesley Trautwein ran a time 8:08:32 and set an Inter-Ac record for that meet.
Not a bad day for someone just coming off of an injury.
Although Zwall still has a lot more races left to run, the sophomore has aspirations of running for a Division 1 program in the future.
“I'm going to keep working hard and if I get the opportunity, which I hope I do, I will definitely take it,” Zwall said.
Everyone is taking note of the young prodigy, as Penn Charter senior captain Welsey Trautwein spoke very highly about Zwall.
“TJ is one of the most hardworking people I've ever met. Aside from his pure talent and mental toughness, his commitment to the sport is what sets him apart,” said Trautwein. “TJ is stretching 25/7, rolling out, doing yoga, whatever it takes to ensure his body recovers. Stretching and recovery often get overlooked but they are just as vital as the workouts themselves. TJ’s sacrifice in taking these things seriously is one of the reasons he is so successful.”
The Quakers ran again at the PAISSA championship meet on May 20 and were able to beat their 4x800m relay record from the following week with a time of 8:03:68. The final meet for Zwall and the Quakers will be at the New Balance Nationals, which will take place June 15-18 at Franklin Field, a meet in which Zwall will try and help his team break additional records.
