Penn Hills indoor track team hits ground running

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, January 23, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Penn Hills indoor track coach Lee Zelkowitz was disappointed when the first meet of the season got canceled due to covid-19 precautions. The Indians coach thought his team was on pace to have a strong season and looked forward to getting started.

When the season got going Jan. 14 at Edinboro University, freshman Mackenzie McIntyre made a strong first impression. McIntyre finished the 60-meter dash in 8.11 seconds, placing fourth.

Zelkowitz said the coaches noticed McIntyre during the middle school meets last year, which are run at the high school.

“We knew the talent she had. She has great mechanics,” Zelkowitz said. “She has everything it takes to make a good sprinter.”

McIntyre’s finish was one of eight events where the Indians had a top-10 finisher. The girls 4×400 meter relay team — consisting of Larissa Lockridge, Mylah Faulk, Caroline McDevitt and Maliah Powell — won with a time of 4 minutes, 16.24 seconds.

“That was a nice time. It was cold in the bubble and that was the last event,” Zelkowitz said. “The meets started at 4 p.m. and ended after 9. We were pushed the first half of the race but were able to pull away.”

The 4×200 relay team placed second with a time of 1:56.39. Faulk placed fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:02.73 and McDevitt was fifth in the 400 dash with a time of 1:04.16.

Austin Stuchul was the top finisher for the Penn Hills boys, placing eighth in the mile run with a time of 4:54.55. The 4×200 boys relay team finished third with a time of 1:41.93, while the 4×400 relay team came in fourth with a time of 3:43.91.

Cameron Thomas also placed 10th in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.50 seconds.

Zelkowitz was pleased with how Penn Hills started the season. He noted that competing at Edinboro does have some challenges, especially for kids in their first meet.

Edinboro’s track is 238 meters, while most indoor tracks are either 200 or 300 meters long.

“We were happy,” Zelkowitz said. “With outdoor track being canceled two years ago and indoor being canceled last season, this was a lot of our kids’ first indoor meet. With Edinboro’s track being 238 meters, the starts are a mess and the hand-off zones with relays are hard to navigate.”

Tags: Penn Hills