Nearly three dozen members of the 2025-26 senior class at Quaker Valley are planning to continue their athletic careers at the next level.
“Like many of the classes before them, the Quaker Valley athletic class of 2026 set a high standard across QV athletics,” athletic director Mike Mastroianni said. “Their achievements reflect countless hours of preparation, sacrifice and dedication. We are excited for them as they take their next step and compete at the college level.”
The Quakers will be represented by 32 student-athletes at various colleges in 2026-27, led by 6-foot-5 hoopster Mimi Thiero, a Division I University of Maryland recruit.
Thiero celebrated her 18th birthday Sept. 17 by making a verbal commitment that day to Maryland, opting for a Big Ten program that made a trip to the NCAA’s Sweet 16 in 2024-25.
“Maryland felt like a great fit for me,” Thiero said. “The distance (from home) isn’t too far, and I feel like the Big Ten Conference is very competitive and will be very good for my development. Also, coach (Brenda) Frese repeatedly shows how well the Terrapins program develops players.”
Thiero’s list of finalists included Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan Vanderbilt and Clemson, along with Georgia Tech, Florida, Memphis, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Oregon and Vanderbilt.
“My recruiting process went really well,” Thiero said. “I enjoyed getting to know so many coaches and all of their amazing programs and built so many great relationships.”
Thiero is the all-time leading scorer at QV and was the first female basketball player at her school to eclipse 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career. She was lauded as the girls basketball player of the year by Trib HSSN.
She also excelled in track and field, winning the WPIAL high jump title and placing second in the state during her career.
Another top-shelf talent at QV, River Capek will participate in two sports at Haverford College — men’s track and field and cross country.
The 5-10, 140-pound Capek competes mainly in the 400- and 800-meter races on the track.
“I decided to sign with Haverford because it is an academically strong school and the track team has shown a lot of success over the years,” Capek said. “Haverford is a small liberal arts school outside of Philadelphia and is pretty academically competitive.
“The track and field and cross country programs have seen a lot of success in the past, including sending many track athletes to NCAA nationals.”
Capek graduated from QV with a weighted GPA of 4.54. He plans to pursue a double major in biology and psychology with an eye toward the premed field.
The following student athletes at QV will be college freshmen in 2026-27:
• Mimi Thiero — Maryland (women’s basketball)
• Sutton Hoehl — Franklin & Marshall (men’s soccer)
• Aiden Dwyer — Ohio Wesleyan (men’s track and field)
• Ariana Bosh — West Liberty (women’s soccer)
• Logan Benedict — Geneva (football)
• Mia Gartley — Duquesne (women’s track and field)
• Clara Herman — Washington & Jefferson (women’s track and field)
• Kristopher Brown — Geneva (football)
• Ryan Kempton — Mount Union (men’s track and field, cross country)
• Atticus Barr — Robert Morris (football)
• Rex Fatur — Duquesne (football)
• Todd Kagle — Washington & Jefferson (baseball)
• Meredith Fallgren — Christopher Newport (women’s lacrosse)
• Bruce Anderchak — Mercyhurst (men’s wrestling)
• River Capek — Haverford (men’s track and field, cross country)
• Alexa Westwood — Grove City (women’s lacrosse)
• Henry Zupanc — Saint Vincent (baseball)
• Eoin Parnell — West Liberty (men’s wrestling)
• Makenna Kamnikar — Mount St. Mary’s (women’s golf)
• Jayden Juliano — Long Island (track and field)
• Ben McHenry — Slippery Rock (football)