Warwick Valley runner Claire Pettit signs with UMass

Warwick - Claire Pettit, a multi-talented scholar athlete at Warwick Valley High School, gathered with her friends and family this past Tuesday to sign the National Letter of Intent with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She will receive a full athletic scholarship, which will cover approximately $28,000 per year. She also was accepted into the Commonwealth College, which is an honors academic school within Amherst. She said she plans to study anthropology and linguistics. Assistant UMass Coach Mark Gottdenker said Pettit has the ability to make an immediate impact. Pettit is the second Warwick Valley High School female athlete signed with a Division I. Last week, senior Tori Pennings signed a letter of intent to attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where she is expected to continue her excellence in track and field. Pettit entered Warwick Valley High School as a sophomore and started off her track career with a bang. At Tuesday’s signing, Coach Rich Furst mentioned that he first noticed Pettit on her second day of practice and saw her potential as a sprinter. For three years, Pettit has been a member of the All-American Distance Medley Relay and 4 X 800 Meter relay teams. She has also broken several school records, including her 600-meter time of 1:35.7. She also is a Section 9 champion in the 300 meters. As a senior, Pettit joined the cross country team, and she ended the season as Section IX AA champions as well as competed in the Nike Team Nationals. “To have a talent and never use it is what many high school students seem to do,” Furst said at the signing. “Claire doesn’t do that. I’m glad that I still have 80 days with her on the team.” In addition to athletics, Pettit also manages to carry an unweighted GPA of 96.8; she is ranked 19 out of 362 in the 2008 graduating class. She also is an accomplished musician. She balances her school work and athletic life while traveling as a member of the Cottars, a Celtic band from Nova Scotia, with whom she sings and plays the fiddle. She also plays viola as a member of the Area All-State and All-County orchestra for the past three years. Her musical talents run in the family. Her mother Kathy Pettit plays and teaches the flute. Her father is Ray Pettit of Warwick, and she resides with Kathy and her stepfather George Brunjes, all who proudly support her in her many endeavors. “Claire has been the most supportive teammate and best friend I could ever hope for,” said Tori Pennings. “We’ve shared three years of great times, and there are a couple important months coming up. I’m so happy for her.”