Early season meet builds confidence for Penn Hills track team

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, April 5, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Penn Hills track coach Lee Zelkowitz knows the Indians won’t be able to win many dual meets. The Indians don’t have the numbers to fill out all of the events.

However, Penn Hills was able to use its only home meet of the season to build some confidence for the upcoming big invitationals.

“I thought we had some nice performances,” Zelkowitz said. “The invite is a whole different animal. There is more pressure because there are a lot of stellar athletes there.”

When Penn Hills competed at home on April 1 against Central Catholic, Oakland Catholic and Woodland Hills, the Indians had a few events where they finished in first and second place. Marcus Dorsey and Ronald Porter finished first and second in the 100-meter dash.

Dorsey won the event with a time of 11.31 seconds. Dorsey also won the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.14. Tymere Alston, who battled injuries during the indoor season, won the 400 in 51.33.

Isaiah Petty-Allen and Porter won the high jump and long jump, respectively. On the girls side, the Indians had the top two finishers in the 400 dash. Mackenzie McIntyre won with a time of 1:00.14, while Milani Oliver was right behind her.

Ashyah Aquil placed second in the high jump with a leap of 4-2.

Zelkowitz said the Indians were using the dual meets as workouts, so he chose not to run McIntyre in the 100-meter dash.

“We are being protective of Mackenzie,” Zelkowitz said. “We are waiting for the invites to let her run in the 100 and 200. She has a hamstring issue. It’s not a big deal, but we want to be careful.”

Tags: Penn Hills