TOWAMENCIN – It all started back when they were in fourth grade. At the time they were just young girls trying the see how fast their little legs could carry them to the finish line. Little did they know that nine years later they would not only still be running together, but also preparing for division one track together. 

North Penn seniors, Maddie Lewis and Maya Adams have a bright future ahead of them. The two best friends plan on attending college at Saint Joseph’s University next year which is exciting all in its own. But what makes their journey to college stand out from the rest, is their plans to continue their athletic career as well. Both Lewis and Adams will be fulfilling their dreams next year of competing at a division I level for track and field. 

“I think we are both really excited to be competing for St. Joe’s next year and are excited for the opportunities this will give us in regards to continuing our track career,” Lewis stated.

What many people don’t know about the two girls is that they have shared a love for running since a young age. Adams and Lewis first started running together back in fourth grade and haven’t stopped running together since. 

“Maya and I actually first started running together in fourth grade through our club team,” Lewis shared. “We were already friends from elementary school but we got a lot closer through club track. We did similar events as well so that allowed us to form a closer bond”. 

Although Adams and Lewis are friends off the track, they are primarily competitors on the track. Both girls believe their competitive spirit has truly benefitted them in their friendship and on the track. 

“Since Maya and I both run the 100 meter and 200 meter I think it definitely benefits us because we like to compete against one another. It is super fun to race against each other because then we know we have someone in our heat who is really going to push us,” Lewis explained. “It is fun to try and beat each other’s times and I feel like it makes us more competitive on the track. In our junior year specifically, we always went back and forth on who had a better 200 time,” Adams added. 

Adams and Lewis admitted that this competitive nature never goes away. Even when one girl beats the other, they never feel defeated but rather motivated. 

“I remember when I beat Maya at leagues and I was so excited and then literally the next day Maya ran her best time ever. That really goes to show how much we challenge one another,” Lewis stated. 

Not only has their competitive spirit helped them form a closer bond, but also their similar roles on the team. 

“Among the group of girls we practice with, we are the oldest ones in the group so we also get to be leaders together which has been a great opportunity,” Adams revealed. 

While Adams and Lewis, unfortunately, lost one year of the track due to Covid, during their three years on the team they have come to love everything about the team and the sport as a whole. 

“Although there have been a lot of ups and downs, my overall my experience being a part of the North Penn track team has been fun,” Adams shared. “I especially love the community we have here. I feel like my freshman year was way different than this year but I feel like we are all just so much closer and over the past three years we have built such a close-knit team”. 

Even though Adams and Lewis primarily compete against one another, there is one event in particular that they can enjoy being teammates rather than competitors. 

“Being in the 4×100 is such a different experience because I feel like it is just another way to bond. This is one of the only times that we don’t have to compete against one another and we finally get to compete with each other instead,” Lewis claimed. 

Lewis and Adams both knew that their goal was run at a Division I school. While the idea of continuing to run together was always in the back of their minds, they never really thought their college running career would include each other. 

“Our junior year we would always joke around like ‘imagine if we went to the same school’ but as the recruiting process continued it just ended up working out,” Lewis revealed.

While Adams was the first to officially commit to St. Joe’s, Lewis wasn’t far behind. 

“During the whole recruiting process, we were looking at similar schools because we both had the same ideas on what we were looking for in a college. I had already been in contact with the coaches at St. Joe’s but once Maya committed there I knew that I should give it more of a chance,” Lewis explained. “Once I talked to the coaches and went to the school in person I got such a great vibe and I immediately knew this is where I wanted to be”. 

As for their senior year at North Penn, Adams, and Lewis still have some pretty big goals that they hope to accomplish on the track. 

“My goal for the end of my senior track season is to try and make it to states in the 100,” Adams shared. “I have a lot of track goals this year and if I don’t reach them this year they will definitely become my goals for next year. My hope is to be long jumping in the 18-foot range next year and obviously just to continue getting faster,” Lewis explained.