Seneca Valley freshman Mitchell Everly’s ‘different’ path to PIAA Track and Field Championships
CRANBERRY TWP — Basketball, sled hockey, track and field.
Seneca Valley freshman Mitchell Everly does them all.
“I love to compete,” he said.
Everly is the first wheelchair track and field competitor in Ray Peaco’s 42 years as Seneca Valley head coach. He is headed to this weekend’s PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University in the 100 and 400 meters, discus and shot put.
He easily hit the state qualifying standards in all four events at the WPIAL Track and Field Championships. The district competition meant a lot to him because he finally had some competition.
Upper St. Clair freshman Holden Schwamberger and Moon sophomore Nathan Kustra competed against Everly in the 100 and 400. Everly was the lone wheelchair participant in the shot put and discus.
“It’s different for him,” Peaco said. “It’s been different for all of us. Mitchell had nobody competing on the track all season until the WPIAL meet. But he pushes himself. He never misses a practice. He works to get better.
“When our other athletes see what he’s doing out here, they can’t help but be pushed and motivated themselves.”
Everly has been competing in sports as a wheelchair athlete since first grade. He has a rare disorder known as hereditary spastic paraparesis, which negatively affects his muscles, creates lower body tightness and limits strength in his right arm.
“I can walk a little bit, but only short distances,” he said. “I use my chair when I go to school, the airport, the mall, places like that.”
He uses a different chair for track events and throwing events.
“Someone has to hold my chair for the shot put, otherwise I’d fall out,” Everly said. “The chair stays still for the discus.”
Everly did the 100 meters in 22.32 seconds, the 400 in 1:31.42 at the WPIAL meet. He threw the shot put 13 feet, 4.5 inches, the discus 33-1. PIAA qualifying standards for those events are 25.7 seconds, 1:40, 8-4 and 21-6, respectively.
When Everly gets to the state meet, he will compete against Schwamberger and Kustra again — but no one else. Everly will become the first PIAA record holder in the discus, according to the performance sheets ahead of the meet.
“I wish there were (more),” he said. “Holden and Nathan are on my sled hockey team, and we’re good friends. I played sled hockey with (North Catholic graduate) Alex Brown and (Knoch graduate) Chris Robinson (former WPIAL wheelchair athletes), too.
“Alex is competing in wheelchair events at the University of Alabama now. I’m hoping to win a lot of medals and eventually compete in college myself. When you see other people do it ... you can do it.”
Peaco coaches Everly on the track and finds different ways to push him. He had him move his wheelchair across Seneca Valley’s NexTier Stadium turf as opposed to the track for more resistance.
“Much, much harder for him,” Peaco said.
He’s had Everly climb the wheelchair up a paved hill just outside of the stadium, as well.
“I like to get him out of his comfort zone, challenge him,” Peaco said. “He’s very receptive to everything. Mitchell is a tremendous kid. I gave him a 15-yard head start on the turf one day, then I rode a golf cart and raced him, just for fun.”
Anastasia Williams, an assistant coach at Seneca Valley for 13 years, coaches Everly in the throwing events and likes being “part of this journey with him.”
Williams is pastor of the Northbridge Community Church in Cranberry Township, which Everly attends.
“I care a lot about him,” Williams said. “I wanted to help.
“This is my first experience with a wheelchair (track and field) athlete. It’s two different worlds, a different system. He’s competing against himself and standard times and distances. That takes work ethic and discipline.”
Everly’s parents are bringing his “throwing” chair to Shippensburg for the PIAA meet. His “running” chair folds up and will be loaded on the team bus.
Everly will be on that bus, as well.
“He wants to ride out with us, feel like a part of the team,” Peaco said. “And he is, unquestionably, a part of this team.”
