McKeesport, PA. – After a long and grueling first season, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Track & Field team is set to head to Burlington, Vermont for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Tournament on Saturday April 27th. After working hard all season long, nine PSUGA athletes will be making the trip looking to bring home medals in PSUGA’s first season as a program.
In the beginning of the year, head coach Greg Schmitt expected five of his athletes to make the trip and perform well. However, as the season has moved on the talent from his athletes has far surpassed even his own expectations and he feels that PSUGA will make some noise and represent the Penn State University Athletic Conference well.
Leading the field of national qualifiers is freshman James Plez (Philadelphia, PA./Northeast HS), who will be competing in four different events in Vermont. He qualified in the 100 meter and the 200 meter very early on in the season posting consistent times of just under 25 seconds. However, he really came on strong in the field events as well and qualified for the Long Jump in the second to last meet of the season jumping a distance of just over 19 feet.
Joining Plez in the Long Jump will be fellow Freshman Jesse Vargo (North Huntington, PA./Norwin HS). It is Vargo’s first time ever competing in the long jump and he qualified at the Slippery Rock Open Invitational jumping 5.23 meters. Rounding out the field event qualifiers is Cameron Shaw (South Park, PA./South Park HS) who improved his personal best by 1.1 meters at the Slippery Rock Open qualifying for the Shot Put with a distance of 7.92 meters.
On the track side of things, the field becomes more crowded with all but one qualifier competing in at least one running event. Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) is the lone female competitor making the trip and she will be competing in both the 100-Meter and the 200-Meter. Kennedy set a new personal best at the Slippery Rock Open running a 13.70 in the 100-Meter and her goal is to get down to the high 12’s for Nationals.
The men’s 4X400 team is one of the most intriguing at the meet and consists of Plez, Vargo, Namy Makiese (Pittsburgh, PA./Allderdice HS), and DJ Impavido (Pittsburgh, PA./Trinity Christian HS). The team has only ran the event together two times but has posted an impressive PR of 3:46.68. With time to learn and gel together as a group their time is set to be even faster at Nationals.
Makiese and Impavido will both also see time on the track with Impavido competing in the 800-Meter and Makiese running the 200-Meter. Makis Rivera (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy) will join Impavido in the 800, while Davin Manfredi (Pleasant Hills, PA./Thomas Jefferson HS) rounds out the field competing in both the 100-Meter and 200-Meter.
PSUGA continued to grow as they move through their first full season of competition. As one of only two Penn State University Athletic Conference programs making the trip, they will look to represent the conference well and put PSUGA Track and field on the map.
After a practice day on Friday, the USCAA National meet is set to take place Saturday April 27th beginning at 9 a.m. at The University of Vermont Track.
