Deep group of North Allegheny sprinters breaking speed ‘minimums’ this season

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, May 4, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

There are miles per hour signs posted at North Allegheny track practices, but these aren’t speed limits.

They’re speed minimums.

“If you run 17 miles per hour, you get to sign the 17 miles per hour sign,” North Allegheny coach John Neff said. “If you run 18, you sign the 18. We have a lot of kids that are signing those signs.”

It’s one of the creative tools Neff and his staff use to provide motivation and keep practice days interesting. The girls have wooden signs for 17, 18 and 19 mph, while the boys have 20, 21 and 22.

They hang new ones each year.

“We’ve used those for a while,” Neff said, “and we’re at an all-time high on how many kids are achieving those milestones. It’s pretty cool and they like it.”

Neff said senior sprinters Khiryn Boyd and Nelson Branch were the first boys this spring to add their names to the 22 mph sign. Junior Izzy Costa and sophomore Maya Currie were among the girls names on the 19 mph sign.

Neff said the coaches occasionally hold a signing day to update the milestones.

“The signs went from pretty much solid white to tons of signatures on them,” Neff said.

North Allegheny entered this spring as the defending WPIAL team track champion in both boys and girls, which doesn’t happen without a deep roster. The Tigers returned a collection of accomplished distance runners, including senior Eva Kynaston, juniors Wren and Robin Kucler and junior Jack Bertram, who all medaled at the WPIAL individual championships a year ago.

But don’t overlook the sprinters.

“We’re very deep in the distance and I’m very proud of them,” Neff said. “And we’re deep in the sprints.”

Costa, Currie and sophomore Mackenzie Winning might all bring home medals from the WPIAL championship May 15 at Slippery Rock. They all entered May ranked highly in WPIAL 3A in more than one sprint event, according to milesplit.com stats.

In the 400 meters, Winning had the classification’s fastest time so far (57.43 seconds), while defending WPIAL champion Costa ranked third (58.23) and Currie was fifth (58.71).

In the 200 meters, Costa entered May with the third-best time (25.77) while Winning was fourth (25.82) and Currie was sixth (25.98). Costa also ranked fifth in the 100 meters (12.50) and second in the long jump.

Among the boys, junior Zach Nash entered May with the second-fastest time in the 400 meters (50.36).

Boyd, who ranks 16th in a competitive boys 100-meter field, said converting speed to miles per hour puts track in a different perspective.

“It definitely does,” Boyd said, “and it helps us know where we’re at.”

Boyd is a wide receiver and defensive back on North Allegheny’s football team that won a WPIAL title in the fall. His speed wasn’t in question, but adding his name to the top sign proved it.

“I was happy,” he said, “but I’m always working to improve and get better.”

That’s the point of the signs, Neff said, besides being an activity that builds team camaraderie.

“I think no matter who you are, you’re interested in getting faster and getting more explosive,” Neff said. “And that translates into every event that we have.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny