“There’s not a chance to get real significant points in a meet. I look at them as individuals and want them to just get better every time they get out there.”
While the Irish may be short on numbers, they have a few standouts capable of competing with anyone.
The 4-by-800 relay team — with freshman twins Addie and Bridget Engle, sophomore Sydney Yontz and freshman Lauren Stannard toting the baton — registered a first and two seconds in the first three invitationals this spring. And they’re so young that they probably haven’t even come close to reaching their potential.
“There were a couple times where they came out of nowhere the last two legs and just overcame these people and blew them right off the track,” McKenna said.
Yontz went to the regionals in the 800 last year. Addie Engle advanced to the state in cross country in the fall. And both Engles went to the state in swimming.
“The twins just got back from the (swimming) nationals. They’re not even in running shape yet. That’s just how great they are. I’ve never seen anything like it,” McKenna said.
“It’s just mid-April. We’ve got another month until districts. If we get their times down a little bit, they have a chance to get to the state.”
Sophomore Mary Ritter is strong in the 1600 and 3200. Her brother, Daniel, went to the state last year in cross country. And senior Anna Carney runs the 100 and 200.
“The rest of the girls are pretty young. They’re freshmen trying to learn throwing and everything else,” McKenna said.
Senior Marcus Holiday is the boys’ top hurdler. Junior Jake Lyons throws the shot and discus. Sophomore Jaden Borden runs sprints. And freshman Ryan Ewing and sophomore Sy Roth show promise in the middle distances.
McKenna, who also coaches football, would prefer to have a beefier lineup, but that’s not the norm at Central. Coaches at the school routinely share athletes just to make sure they have enough to fill out their teams.
“I have a baseball player who comes and runs distance for us — senior Mathis Amidon,” McKenna said. “A lot of our kids will jump on the baseball team if they’re short of players. They’ll try anything.
“It’s pretty cool to watch just how unselfish these kids are. Last week, there was a baseball game where some kids were sick. Three or four tennis players went and played baseball just to help them out.”
In addition to Amidon, the track team has another part-time contributor in junior Bri Ewing, who throws the shot and discus.
“They’re all trying to help out for the greater good of the school,” McKenna said. “They’re all friends. It’s all a pretty tight family. They don’t want to see anybody else suffer. They want everybody to be as successful as they can be.”
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