Plum’s Owen Proskin ‘shoots for the stars,’ takes 2nd in decathlon at national meet

By: Giustino Racchini
Saturday, June 28, 2025 | 12:01 AM

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Most athletes are excited to compete at the national level for just one track event, but Plum rising senior Owen Proskin has taken it to the next level.

“My dad is always saying let’s shoot for the stars,” Owen said of his coach and father, Matt Proskin. “Anywhere we are training, he is going to push me.”

After starting to compete in multiple events in track and field around the age of 10, Proskin’s journey with the sport was born.

“When he was younger, he liked trying all the different events,” Matt Proskin said. “He found that he was pretty good at a variety of them, giving him the opportunity to use his talents on a wider spectrum.”

He competed in the decathlon in this year’s New Balance Nationals on June 19-20, coming in second place.

His marks for the event include an 11.57-second 100- meter dash, 21-foot long jump, 42-foot, 6-inch shot put, 6-3 high jump, 52.06 400 dash, 14.31 110 hurdles, 146-foot discus, 13-4 pole vault, 145-10 javelin and 4:50 1,500 meter run.

Hard training in multiple disciplines has paid dividends on the track, a journey that first started with the 110 hurdles and a school record he set and then broke again this past season with a time of 14.42 seconds.

“Track is going to open up more opportunities for him at the next level,” Matt Proskin said. “He’s hoping to finish off his career strong at Plum and break a few more school records.”

Proskin also said he hopes to drop his times further in the hurdles, setting the bar high for his senior season.

Another athlete who is familiar with breaking records is Pitt commit and recent Plum graduate Gabrielle Layne.

“Training was super cool with Gabby,” Proskin said. “We were a few of the only people left on the team at the end of the year, and we were able to help each other out with our events.”

Layne broke school records in the 100, 200 and 400 this past season. She was also a member of the team’s 400 and 1,600 relay teams that broke school marks.

One more record Proskin hopes to take down in his senior season is the high jump. He tied the mark this past year at 6-5, but he is looking to be in sole possession before he graduates.

“The school record in the high jump he tied at the WPIAL championship event,” Matt Proskin said. “He wants to improve on that mark.”

As he navigates through an ultimate college decision looming over the summer, Proskin’s experience with other athletes in the events he has run has provided some feedback.

“You’re with the dudes for 10 events, so we talk a lot,” Proskin said. “The guys at IMG Academy are incredible, and it was cool to hear how they trained versus how I did.”

Entering his senior year, Proskin also plays on the football and basketball teams at Plum, fine tuning his skills as a three-sport athlete.

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