Colleges

'Cane bursts on the scene

Sprinter Madison McNary is a force for PHU and she's just a freshman.

By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published April 13, 2005

PALM HARBOR - It's apparent at first glance Madison McNary is an athlete.

Her strong physique and intimidating stance give it away. The one thing not apparent about McNary is her age.

Neither her sprinter's trunks nor 25.58 200-meter dash in Friday's PCAC meet scream freshman.

Just months after leaving St. Paul's School as a clear athletic standout with quick strides and good hops, McNary came to Palm Harbor University, played some JV basketball, and, just a few weeks into the heavier portion of the track and field season, has gone from trying to stay in shape to trying to shave tenths of a second off her times.

"This is really my first time committing and dedicating myself to track," said McNary, still catching her breath from Tuesday's workout. "I've been playing basketball for most of my life. It's been awesome so far, but you get so dead tired at practices. But you know you're only getting better."

Better could be the best for McNary. Both of her sprints at Clearwater last week ranked 31st in the state this year according to flrunners.com. Her 100-meter time (12.45) is just .7 of a second behind a slew of seniors and 6A runners. Her 200 meters is a little over a second behind this year's best, but McNary is one of three freshmen ranked at both distances in the state.

"It's really cool to be this young I guess," she said. "To look down the times and you see the list of names and then there's you. It gives me confidence and inspiration to go and get better."

Getting McNary out of hoops mode and into race shape was easy, coach John Planamenta said.

"We knew she was coming in good shape," he said. "You don't stand around in basketball, and really getting her into the blocks was not a problem."

She has consistently lowered her times. She ran 12.9/27.85 on her 15th birthday in early March, 12.6/26.2 on March30, then there was her county sweep Friday.

The self-assured McNary is athletically mature, but she and her coaches know at this age it's about getting better each race. With only a few dual meets and the PCAC to back her up, they agree Thursday's meet at Countryside against the Cougars and Tarpon Springs will put her up against some good competition.

[Last modified April 13, 2005, 01:31:06]