McKeesport, PA. – After a year of planning and recruiting it is an exciting time for the Penn State greater Allegheny Track & Field team as they prepare for their first ever meet when they travel to the Kent State Tune-up Saturday at 10 a.m. kicking off their indoor track season. PSUGA has five athletes scheduled to participate in the day’s events competing against schools from across all three levels of the NCAA.
It will be a good opening test for head coach Greg Schmitt and his team as they evaluate where they are based on the rest of the Track & Field scene. It will be the sprinters and jumpers that will be featured on the day led by freshman James Plez (Phiadelphia, PA./Northeast HS) and sophomore Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy)
Kennedy has the most collegiate experience out of the two having done sprints for Geneva College in her freshman year where she competed in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash during their indoor season. She posted her best time of the season at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Indoor Championships when she ran the 60-meter in 8.76 seconds and the 200-meter in 29.34 seconds finishing 17th and 22nd respectively.
Plez comes from Northeast High school just outside of Philadelphia, PA. where he posted impressive numbers during his senior indoor track season. One of his best performances came at the Track and Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia meet where he posted a time of 26.54 in the 200-meter dash.
Joining Kennedy and Plez on the track will be senior Chris Clinton (Pittsburgh, PA./Allderdice HS) and freshmen Jalen Bolger (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia Electrical Technician Charter HS) and Davin Manfredi (Pleasant Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson HS) all five athletes will be competing in the 60-meter dash which will be comprised of 11 different heats.
Kennedy will be competing in the third heat for the women while Bolger will be competing in the first heat and Manfredi, Clinton, and Plez will be competing in the second heat for the men. All five athletes will be competing to set the pace for PSUGA Track & Field for many years to come.
The day’s events will begin at 11 a.m, inside the Kent State University Field House located at 2227 Summit Street Kent, Ohio.
