The guy that finished in 6th to qualify has some really nice talent for a youngster who hasn't competed for long. Kevin Steinberg has talent and I just thought I would post a short article about him from this year.
February 20: Kevin Steinberg | Abington unknown
Kevin Steinberg is a quick study in his new sport
Kevin Steinberg's competitors at the March 1 PTFCA Indoor Championships may want to keep an eye on him during early warmups. Sometimes you can tell how a person is feeling. And if Kevin is feeling good, he could be in for a big day, just like the one he had on Saturday February 16th at the TFCAGP Meet of Champions at Lehigh University.
Steinberg was "feeling good" that day, and proceeded to add one school record to the two he already has earned this season. On top of that, he won two individual events and one relay to make the day even sweeter.
And he's just learning the sport.
Steinberg hands off to teammate Nick DeFeao in the opening win in the 4x200. He split 22.3.
Neshaminy head coach Chuck Lumio says he has known Kevin since middle school. But like many good all-around athletes, Steinberg "got locked into football" when he entered high school. The wide receiver on the gridiron, and point guard on the basketball court says he was always the fastest kid on his team. But when Lumio approached the football coach after Steinberg's junior season and asked Kevin to give track a try, he said yes.
In his first outdoor season, Steinberg tied a school record of 10.7h in the 100, matching him with Starlord Pickett from 1987 and Kitt Anderson in 2006. He hit 11.15 FAT at Districts, making the semis in his first try at that level.
Steinberg followed up his 4x200 with a win in the 60.
"Outdoor got me hooked," says Steinberg. "I got so much faster from the beginning of the season to the end."
Football came and went, and it was decision time for the senior between another year of basketball and his first time in indoor track. "Coach Lumio told me if I'd do indoor, I'd be faster for college, and faster for football. It's really worked out."
One of his favorite aspects of the sport is the type of team he found. "Now my teammates are my best friends. I'm having a great time, but winning is always fun.
Win is what he did at the Meet of Champs. He opened the individual events with the fastest qualifier in the 60 meter dash trials and then came back in the finals to win in 6.99 seconds. A week earlier he had run 6.95 to win at the PTFCA Track Carnival, also at Lehigh. That mark broke Chase Holt's time of 7.08 as the Neshaminy school record and is currently PA#1. Early in January he had run 6.50 at the Armory in the Hispanic Games to eclipse the school's 55 meter record of 6.60, which had been held by Wayne Demore.
A short time later, Steinberg came back in the 200 and set a PR and a school record, running a 22.41 200, now PA#4. The record of 22.57 had been held by Cyrus Wesley.
Steinberg had helped open the meet, running a leg of the Neshaminy's winning 1:32.15 4x200 meter relay. Neshaminy currently is PA#4 with their Hispanic Games time of 1:31.95.
Steinberg finishes his day with a PR, school record win of 22.41 in the 200.
Steinberg looks to contribute to the team's success at the upcoming state meet. "I haven't run the (open) 200 on a banked track yet, so I can't wait for that."
Adjusting to his new sport has taken a lot of work. Coach Lumio says they're always working on the little things, from starts and form to race strategies. Steinberg says the only real adjustment for him was getting used to the "distance training." He says he wasn't conditioned enough for the 200 and that the "long 400's" were tough at first.
His goals for indoor included getting some school records. He'd like to improve on those and add some medals at States. And he's looking forward to adding more school records in outdoor and getting as far as he can in Districts and States.
Steinberg has visited a few Division II and III schools, and has an offer or two on the table. But with his recent success, he's hoping to attract the attention of a few Division I schools for his new sport, track. "If I couldn't do both track and football, I'd just run track," says Steinberg. He concludes... "I think I have more of a future in track."
If his progress since spring is any indication, it appears that Steinberg is just getting warmed up.
