Hampton senior makes quick transition from hardwood to track

By: John Grupp
Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 11:01 AM

Hampton senior AJ Prodente has gone from sprinting 94 feet to racing 400 meters.

The starting point guard on Hampton’s 25-5 WPIAL Class 4A runner-up basketball team this past winter, Prodente has swapped his sneakers for spikes in only his second season competing in track.

“I wish that we’d had him all four years,” track coach Heather Dietz said. “He’s just such a great athlete, and he brings so much positivity to the team. We’ve really seen him improve. It’s fun to watch him run.”

Prodente missed the first two-and-a-half weeks of track practice while the boys basketball team went on its extended playoff run to the WPIAL finals and the PIAA semifinals. But the 5-foot-11, 155-pounder hit the ground running and has emerged as the top quarter-miler for the Section 4-3A champion Talbots.

He also runs a leg of the 1,600-meter relay, which placed fifth at the Butler Invitational on April 19 and continues to tune up for the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships May 15 at Slippery Rock.

Prodente said it took him about a week after basketball season — where the longest sprint is 94 feet — to get his legs under him.

“Track shape is different (than basketball),” Prodente said. “In the very beginning, my legs were really sore because you open up your stride for track. You use your hamstrings a lot more. I could barely walk after our first few workouts.”

Now he’s running full speed.

Prodente, who placed 15th out of 97 runners in the 400 at Butler with a personal-best time of 52.09 seconds, is looking to qualify for the WPIALs in the event. The top 24 regular-season times advance.

He won the 400 on April 9 in his season debut in a 99-42 victory over North Catholic and finished first in the event in a 92.5-55.5 decision over Armstrong on April 15.

The Talbots were set to compete in the WPIAL team semifinals on April 30. They also had scheduled invitationals at South Fayette (April 27) and Pine-Richland (May 3) as they prepared for WPIALs.

“I’m hoping to shave off a few more seconds (in the 400),” Prodente said. “I’m thinking about 51.5 (to qualify for WPIALs). That’s kind of the goal right now.”

Prodente helped the Talbots basketball team reach the WPIAL finals during one of the winningest seasons in program history. In his best game, Prodente shadowed Avonworth high-scoring guard Rowan Carmichael in a 61-39 victory in the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals, limiting him to six points.

“I knew I was going to have that matchup, and I took it to heart,” Prodente said. “I took pride in that and played my best.”

Dietz said Prodente brings that competitiveness onto the track.

“He is very driven to succeed,” Dietz said. “I love watching him run. It’s hard to explain. His stride is great, and you can see him switch gears and push through to the end.”

Prodente is still getting better. He joined the team after an impromptu trip to Fridley Field with some friends who ran track in the summer of 2022 revealed his natural ability.

“I just wanted to see what it was like,” he said. “I ran a 400 and they were telling me that my time was pretty good. … I was very surprised. I think I ran a 54 at that point, which is crazy because I had no training and I just went up and did it.”

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