Jan 23, 2017 2 min read

Six members of the Upper St. Clair Indoor Track & Field team took an early-morning trip to Youngstown State University on Jan. 21 with one mission in mind. The Panthers traveled to an oversized indoor track in eastern Ohio focused on hitting state marks and/or moving up in the rankings for their respective events. And, they succeeded.

“It was a fantastic meet,” USC assistant coach Matthew Cosgrove said. “The kids performed great and had fun. They are a focused and independent group of athletes. We are proud to represent the South Hills.”

The girls’ 4×200-meter relay set the tone. Lauren Dudley, Morgan Veglia, Lauren Leckenby and Jane Madson blazed the trail in 1:49.23, lowering their own USC record set only a week prior at the Edinboro University meet.

Of the group, which consists of three seniors and a sophomore, Cosgrove noted their smooth handoffs and “determination.”

Madson, the sophomore, then posted a 26.79 in the 200-meter dash. Her time places her No. 1 all-time in the USC indoor record books. Katie Orchowski had held the previous record for 13 years.

Savannah Shaw ran a 5:03.77 in the 1,600-meter race, giving her the fastest time this year in the state for the event. In the process, the junior also shattered a 14-year-old USC record by more than 18 seconds. “If you do the conversion to make this performance equal a mile, then Savannah is the fourth fastest girl in the state,” USC head coach Doug Petrick said. “What makes this even more impressive is that she ran most of the race all by herself.”

All alone in the high jump was Harvey Kane. The senior had a “red-letter day” as he broke a 12-year-old USC record by jumping 21 feet, 7.57 inches. The mark also ranks Kane 10th in the state for the event.

Earlier this season, Harvey set the USC high jump record with a mark of 6 feet.

USC’s showing in Ohio demonstrates the progress of the program, Petrick said.

“The performances really indicate how far the program has moved forward- everyone on the team, kids of all ability levels, is part of this success,” Petrick said. “Everyone on the team is doing things the right way. The performances are a snapshot of the commitment level of the 50-plus girls and guys we get to work with throughout the week.”