By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore senior track and field standout Maura Michalczyk set school records for pole vault and hurdles and now has her sights set on Bucknell University where she will study chemical engineering in the fall. 

As a result of her academic achievement, Maura has also been named valedictorian for the Class of 2024.

Daughter of Diane and Mark Michalczyk, Maura, 18, also performs in the long jump besides pole vault and hurdles.

She was named All-Region as a junior and Lackawanna Coaches’ all-star in her sophomore and junior seasons. 

This season she was selected as a Scholastic Super Star by the Times-Tribune and earned the Gold Medal at Districts in the pole vault, and also medaled in the pole vault at States. At DHS Senior Awards Night, Maura received many awards as well as scholarships.

The hard-working senior is a member of the Spanish Club and Multi-Cultural Club at Dunmore. She is treasurer of the National Honor Society and captain of the Scholastic Quiz Bowl team.

She has an impressive 3.9 academic average at Dunmore. Her best subject is math.

Maura has also been a basketball cheerleader for four years at Dunmore. She is a four-year member of the track and field team.

Gianna Muracco is her track and field coach at Dunmore.

“She taught me that dedication and hard work always pay off,” said Maura. “She encouraged me to be a strong mentor to the young girls on the team.”

Maura helped lead the Dunmore girls’ track and field team to a winning record this year. She medaled in the PIAA State track and field championship in pole vault last year as a junior. “It was an accomplishment I was most proud of,” she said. “I had to practice multiple times a week in New York while balancing AP classes. The commitment and sacrifice paid off.” (Update: Maura won an eighth place medal in the girls Class 2A pole vault last week in Shippensburg after a frightening incident the day before when her pole snapped in half. Another club lent her a pole for the finals.)

She praised this year’s Dunmore girls’ track and field team. “This team was a lot of fun,” she said. “It was a small team, so we had to accomplish a lot of things to put together a winning record this year. Finishing with a winning record was a big plus for this team.”

Maura qualified for the PIAA championship meet in Shippensburg.

The senior scholar-athlete set the school record for the pole vault at 11-feet and 4-inches. She set the school record in hurdles at 16.24 seconds.

She talked about what it takes to excel at both.

“You need speed, technique and good reaction times to be a strong competitor in hurdles,” she said.

“The pole vault takes speed and strength. It also takes a lot of practice hours. It is a very hard and complex event.”

She talked about her post high school graduation plans.

“I’m really excited about going to Bucknell next year. They have a great track program and I’m ready to be a part of it.”

She is the recipient of an academic scholarship to Bucknell University as a chemical engineering and engineering management major.

The well-versed senior said she enjoys listening to music in her spare time and is a huge fan of Taylor Swift.

Maura said her parents taught her a lot. “They tell me to be nice to everyone and stand up for what you believe in.”

Mature and highly focused, the senior standout talked about her most rewarding accomplishment.

“That would be the scholarship I created at my high school in honor of my brother Ryan. It is beyond rewarding to see how my hard work in fundraising can impact others’ future education, a topic I feel passionate about.”

Maura, who is kind-hearted and thoughtful, speaks of her brother who died at age one from Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. Her parents created the Ryan Mason Michalczyk Memorial Fund in 2009.

The well-spoken senior standout said she thoroughly enjoyed her four years at Dunmore as she approaches graduation. “Dunmore is a very close knit community,” she said. “The classes at Dunmore are small and this creates a great learning experience. I was able to challenge myself with some of the more difficult AP classes. Dunmore was a great experience. It’s a school that rallies for others.”