Penn Hills’ Tymere Alston hitting his stride in 400 meters during indoor season

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, January 19, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Penn Hills indoor track coach Lee Zelkowitz believes junior Tymere Alston is ready to take a step forward. During the offseason, Alston dedicated a lot of his time to becoming one of the best 400-meter runners in the WPIAL.

“He trained hard during the preseason and during the fall months,” Zelkowitz said. “He did a lot of strength work. He did some cross country workouts. His indoor practices have gone well. I feel like he could win the 400 this spring.”

Alston passed one of his first tests during the winter with top marks. Aston finished the 400 meters in 51.60 seconds, which was good enough to get him on top of the medal stand at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association No. 2 meet at Edinboro.

Alston also finished in fourth place in the 200-meter dash (23.59 seconds). He was also a member of the 1,600 relay team — along with Isaiah Petty-Allen, Emmanuel Ferguson and Anthony Booker — that placed third with a time of 3:50.51.

“Tymere has a great attitude,” Zelkowitz said. “He could have run when we had some outstanding teams. He has an attitude that a lot of kids don’t have today. You never hear him complaining about workouts or anything.”

Zelkowitz said he isn’t sure he will keep running Alston in the relay. Right now, Penn Hills is short on bodies.

The Indians who were able to compete made the most out of their time on the track. On the girls’ side, Mackenzie McIntyre finished in third place in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.98 seconds.

McIntyre also placed fifth in the 200 with a time of 26.55.

“Mackenzie had a nice day,” Zelkowitz said. “She’s having a lot of great workouts, and she looks really good. She’ll be someone to watch out for in the springtime.”

Jadyn Golden also finished in seventh place in the 400 with a time of 1:05.28.

Tags: Penn Hills