Shaw/Kennedy Named USCAA Track & Field Players of the Week
After big weeks leading up to Nationals, PSUGA Track & Field Athletes Cameron Shaw and Eladia Kennedy were named USCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field athletes of the Week
McKeesport, PA. – It was a big week as the PSUGA Track & Field team competed in their final meet of the year before the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Meet on Saturday. While the team saw success with two more qualifiers, two of their athletes were named USCAA Men’s and Women’s Athlete of the week. Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy) was named USCAA Women’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week and Cameron Shaw (South Park, Pa./South Park HS) was named USCAA Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Week.
Both saw their times improve as they head into their final week and both are looking to make a huge impact as the team makes it’s first ever trip to nationals. Their placing in the Slippery Rock Open might not look great, but their times continue to go down as they both look to medal in the national meet.
Kennedy was the first to compete at the Slippery Rock Open competing in both the 100 and the 200 meter, both events she will be competing at in the USCAA National tournament. She started the day setting a new personal record in the 100-Meter coming in ninth place with a time of 13.70. She said her goal coming into the meet was to get her time down to the mid to low 13’s and she was able to get closer to her goal.
She would then compete in the 200-Meter dash where she finished in 11th place with a time of 28.14 which was a few tenths of a second slower than her previous PR. As the lone woman making the trip to the Nationals, Kennedy will be a leader for PSUGA Women’s Track & Field and she is looking to make an impact on the National level and introducing PSUGA into the national field.
The next award winner, is new to the National qualifying field, earning his way to the tournament in the last meet of the season. Shaw entered the meet with a PR of 6.88 meters and needed to add a whole four feet on to his throw to qualify. He did just that, tossing a distance of 7.92 meters and hitting the qualifying mark. Shaw has worked hard all season long and it showed in the final meet of the year.
Shaw said he tried a new style and it benefitted him. During the start of the year he was throwing from the power position and a change to the glide added the extra four feet that he needed to hit the qualifying mark.
This is the first time that a PSUGA Track & Field program has had athletes recognized at the national level. Kennedy and Shaw are the 9th and 10th athletes to be recognized on the National level as PSUGA builds their track and field programs both now and in the future.
The PSUGA Track & Field team heads up to Burlington, VT. for the USCAA Track & Field National Invitational on Saturday April 27th with the meet set to begin at 9 a.m.