North Allegheny’s Owens sets indoor meet record
By:
Friday, March 2, 2018 | 11:00 PM
North Allegheny senior Ayden Owens continues to stretch the list of accomplishments over the course of his high school career.
This time, Owens set a new meet record at the PTFCA Indoor Championship meet held in February at Penn State. Owens raced to a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.74 seconds. In addition, Owens finished second in the 200 and finished ¼ inches away from winning the long jump.
“Winning the 60-meter hurdles was one of his goals,” Tigers coach John Neff said. “He didn't just want to do it. He wanted to do it in a convincing way. He wanted to place himself high in Pennsylvania and high in the nation.”
Thanks in large part to Owens' effort — coupled with an eighth-place finish by Daniel McGoey in the 3,000 — North Allegheny's boys team placed second as a team with 27 points. St. Joseph Prep took home the team title with 37 points. Casey Burton had the top finish on the girls side, placing sixth in the 60.
“I thought we were great,” Neff said. “There was a great supporting case there around Ayden, as well. We want to use the indoor season to show a glimpse of where we can become outdoor. I think the guys have done that.”
Neff believes this will be the start of a strong conclusion for Owens. Owens, who has committed to Southern California, has won three PIAA Class AAA titles, including the 100 and 300 hurdles last season. He holds the North Allegheny record with a time of 13.76 seconds in the 100 hurdles.
“I think he is going to break some school and WPIAL records,” Neff said. “He's going to polish off his senior season with great leadership. He's going to score a lot of points for the team and bring his fellow seniors through with a positive senior year. I think he's going to do extremely well at WPIALs and well at Shippensburg and put an exclamation point on his career.”
Owens put himself in that position by seldom resting. Last summer, Owens won a decathlon championship at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C.
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.
More High School Track and Field
• ‘Loud and crazy’ invite crowd sees Butler record-setter Drew Griffith nearly run 4-minute mile on his home track• Freeport freshman pole vaulter Magness already turning heads with her performance
• Westmoreland track and field notebook: Penn-Trafford’s Sarnowski, Hempfield’s Murray jockey for best
• Penn-Trafford’s Lett, Hempfield’s Prola get unexpected wins at Lady Spartan/Wildcat Invitational
• Returning athletes bolster Riverview track and field teams
