Gateway’s Adusepoku among WPIAL’s top sprinters

By: William Whalen
Friday, May 3, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The annual Butler Invitational is known for having a deep and talented field of athletes, which is why it’s one of the most anticipated track and field events of the season.

Gateway emerging track standout Nana Adusepoku made the trip to last year’s Butler invite expecting to run just the 100- and 200-meter dashes. And then longtime Gators coach Tom LaBuff had an idea.

“(Coach LaBuff) told me I was gonna run the 400 (meter dash) at Butler,” Adusepoku said. “Going in there I was little nervous about it. I was a little upset about it because I felt like should have been in the fastest heat. I came in second at Butler.”

To be fair, it was Adusepoku’s first attempt at the 400, but the junior turned heads with a second-place finish with a personal record time of 50.77 seconds. The strong finish changed everything for Adusepoku, who had been concentrating on the 100 and 200 since his freshman season.

“When I ran that time it made me realize it was my way out,” Adusepoku said.

For a coach who has nearly seen it all through the years and has coached some the WPIAL’s most talented track stars, LaBuff wasn’t surprised by Adusepoku’s performance one bit.

“You want a kid to extend himself, and he’s a kid that works his tail off,” LaBuff said. “I think the 400 is where he can maximize himself.”

Now that Adusepoku has established himself as one of the top runners in the 400 meters, maximizing himself has been a problem. A series of nagging injuries has forced Adusepoku to compete strictly in Section 5-AAA dual meets and heal on off days. Adusepoku has had to sit out April’s invitational schedule, including this season’s Butler invite.

“I saw the results for that and I realized that it was really moving at Butler,” Adusepoku said. “I was a little upset for that.”

Competing in strictly a dual-meet schedule does come with a few drawbacks. Adusepoku hasn’t been pushed this season like he was at Butler last year.

It’s long been a tradition for LaBuff to hand out Snickers’ bars to his athletes when they set a personal record. LaBuff said he hits up the local Sam’s Club and buys the chocolate covered peanut-packed candy bars by the box.

Adusepoku admits he’s more of a Skittles fan but doesn’t mind a Snickers bar every now and then.

LaBuff handed Adusepoku not one, but two, candy bars following his performance against Penn Hills earlier this season. He set personal best times of 11.03 and 22.51 in the 100 and 200 meters, respectively.

“My goal for this season is I’m hoping for a 10.8 in the 100, 22 flat in the 200 and really I really need a 48 in the 400,” Adusepoku said. “I’m hoping to go to states, place at states and get recognized.”

Adusepoku said there’s been a few colleges show interest, but he’s holding out for his dream school — Pitt. The aspiring chemist, who holds a 3.9 GPA in the classroom, is focused on trying to earn a scholarship from the hometown Panthers.

“I want to go to Pitt because of what they’re known,” Adusepoku said. “They have really good academic programs, and that’s what I want to focus on when I go to college. I plan on majoring in chemistry. I know Pitt has really good 400 runners, and that’s my primary event. If I want to continue to run in college, I want to go there.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Gateway