By Christina Easter
Keyonna McGill has set three Cuyahoga Community College indoor track records, in about three weeks at three different meets. After a four-year layoff from competition, McGill decided to pursue her dream of becoming a professional sprinter by enrolling in Tri-C. She competes in the 60-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter dashes as well as the 4 x 400-meter relay. She’s also had a fast and inspirational start to the season.
McGill finished first and set the Tri-C record in the 200-meter run with a 25.75 at the NJCAA Region 12 Championship at Hillsdale (Mi.) Wide Classic on January 25. Tri-C finished second among community college teams at the tournament. McGill came out of the starting blocks well, then maintained a steady rhythm throughout the curve while conserving energy to finish strong.
Next, she broke another Tri-C record with a second-place finish in the 400-meter run with a time of 58.49 at the 4th Jud Logan Light Giver Open held February 8 at Ashland University.
McGill set a third Tri-C record in the 60-meter dash with a 7.72 time and a 2nd place finish in the preliminaries at the Collegiate Indoor Games on February 15 at SPIRE in Geneva, Ohio. She finished third in the finals. Along with her teammates, McGill was competing against many four-year college tracksters in these three meets.
“This is my first time holding a record and I feel really blessed, happy and humble because it could have been anyone and it’s me,” McGill said.
Tri-C head coach, Christine Pendleton knew McGill broke the 200-meter record “as soon as she crossed the finish line.” Assistant coach James Farroni said the coaches are always having the athletes work on their personal record (or PR).
“Keyonna has been having a great season this year and has been improving in every meet in each of her races,” Coach Jim said. “So, it’s great to see an athlete improve and do something wonderful for the school and themselves.”
Watching McGill work hard and set new records week after week has been exciting and inspirational for her new younger teammates. “She is super amazing! She is really that girl and it is awesome that she broke the school records,” said first-year teammate Phantasia Young.
“Just watching her cross the finish line with her head up inspired me and all of us to pick up our speeds,” said Cetta Dweh another freshman who competes in the same races as McGill.
She is an amazing teammate and I love running with her because she has taught me so much,” said sophomore Jacarla Black.
“She always reminds me to keep going no matter what. She always says, ‘whatever is on your mind clear it out,’” adds sophomore teammate Janell Lundy. McGill tells Lundey and others that, “Your mind should be your feet because that’s all that matters when you’re on the track.”
“It feels good to hear my teammates say such positive things because I knew I inspired them but not to that extent,” says McGill.
McGill started running at age 11, ran for Shaker Heights High School, AAU, and Tiffin University before taking a break in 2020. She enrolled in Tri-C because she knew she wanted to get back into the sport and Tri-C would give her a good understanding of whether running was something she wanted to continue to pursue or let go.
Upon resuming her track career, McGill knew she had to work on certain parts of her race technique and stay positive.
She says the 60m is a very fast race because as soon as you stand up the race is basically over, so her strategy is to be very quick out of the starting blocks and lean over at the finish line.
McGill adds that the 200-meter run requires a lot of strength in the legs and especially the core because she has to maintain a top speed going into and coming off the turn and then be able to kick at the last 100 to 150 meters, depending on the track layout, for a strong finish.
In the 400-meter run, McGill strives to get out then maintains her speed on the back stretch of the oval, while leaving enough energy for you a kick-in at the end for a strong finish.
McGill’s personal goal this season was to break Tri-C’s 60-meter record so she “was shocked” when she broke the 200-meter and 400-meter distances also.
She is also grateful for coach Pendleton’s coaching style which McGill says allows room for mistakes. Coach Pendleton is in the Tri-C record books as well. She holds the record in the 100-meter dash, and she became the first female track and field coach in the school’s history last season.
After this season, McGill plans to attend a four-year college or university to pursue her dream of becoming a professional sprinter.
The Triceratops Women’s indoor track and field season begins later this March. Visit www.athletics.tri-c.edu/sports for more information on the Women’s track and field team.
