Plum grad Phillip McNeal starts college track career by setting pair of marks for Saint Vincent

Phillip “P.J.” McNeal might have taken awhile to find his footing as a track athlete. But it didn’t take the Plum grad long to find his place in the Saint Vincent record books.

In his first college indoor meet, Dec. 1 at Youngstown State, McNeal ran the 200-meter dash in 23.04 seconds, setting the school record. It placed him 48th among the contingent of 105 participants in the event, some from Division I programs.

Then, on Jan. 20, McNeal ran the indoor 400 in 51.23 seconds, setting another school record.

McNeal had one other notable feat, even though it wasn’t a record: On Jan. 27 at Muskingum, Bearcats coach Kevin Wanichko put McNeal into the 60-meter dash. All he did was run the third-fastest time in school history (7.33 seconds).

With the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships coming up Feb. 22, McNeal is setting his sights on the top of the medal stand.

“That’s one of my big goals,” he said. “Not just go there but leave a big mark there, leave a big impact.”

Said Wanichko: “I still think we haven’t hit the surface with him. I just think he’s going to keep getting better and better.”

But if McNeal had been asked a couple of years ago what kind of success he would have as a college runner, he might not have been able to come up with an answer. He might not even have envisioned himself running at the college level.

His father, Phillip Sr., was a track athlete at Wilkinsburg and always was encouraging Phillip Jr. to run. He would make P.J. race against family members and, eventually, entered him in elementary school track meets.

At the time, the younger McNeal was a little intimidated by all of it. It was only later when he realized the benefits of being thrust into competitive situations.

“I was always scared to race against people,” McNeal said. “But my dad tried to get me out of my comfort zone.”

McNeal heard rumblings when he was young. “Hey, this kid is kind of fast.” But he never gave it much thought. He persisted through middle school track then had his freshman season at Plum washed out by the covid-19 pandemic.

His sophomore and junior seasons for the Mustangs were, by his admission, pedestrian. He was installed as part of the 1,600 relay at times, mostly throughout his junior year, but rarely competed in the open 400.

During his junior year was when McNeal finally began to see the possibilities.

A young man of deep faith, he said it was “by the grace of God” that he began to blossom on the track.

“I always took track seriously, but He made me really lock in and guided me to the right people to train me and give me the right workouts,” McNeal said.

In his senior year, he placed seventh in the WPIAL Class 3A championships in the 400. His time wasn’t fast enough to get him to the state level, but it was fast enough to impress Wanichko, who had been scouting McNeal.

“Whenever you would watch him run the 400, (it’s a) very hard, very challenging race,” Wanichko said. “You could kind of just tell he was built for it. He’s strong. He’s determined. He just kind of has all the traits you need to be good at track, but also the 400.”

Wanichko said he thought McNeal could be successful right away. McNeal was less sure, but he proved to himself what he was capable of doing in the opening indoor meet.

As he lined up for the 200 at YSU, he was determined to race better than he said he had in the 400. But in his heat for the 200 was a runner from Duquesne, and McNeal admitted he was nervous to go head-to-head with a Division I runner.

A pep talk from Bearcats sprint coach Alex Parker put his mind at ease.

“He was like, ‘P.J., it doesn’t matter what school they go to. It doesn’t matter who they are. It’s what’s within that matters,’ ” McNeal said.

Parker concluded his speech by telling McNeal to “go out there and smoke him.” McNeal delivered.

“It was one of those things … it was like a movie, really,” McNeal said. “It doesn’t really feel real. Something clicked, and I went in so eager to give my all and beat that Duquesne kid. … I was so happy, and that just opened my eyes.”

And it likely opened others’ eyes around the conference. For indoor and outdoor season.

Ideally, Wanichko sees McNeal as a staple performer in the 200 and 400. He also is likely to compete on the Bearcats’ 400 and 1,600 relay teams.

Wanichko also said he occasionally will throw him into shorter sprint events — as he did with the 60 meters at Muskingum — but those instances will serve more as training exercises. Wanichko said the shorter races help athletes to have a better kick at the end of longer races.

McNeal added that Parker has worked a lot on keeping his form. While a race as grueling as the 400 goes on, there is a tendency, he said, to get tired and, when that happens, a runner’s form can break down and hinder performance.

Once McNeal perfects his form and gets more experience, Wanichko said he definitely sees him as having the potential to become a PAC champion and an All-American.

“There’s not a whole lot we’ve got to work on,” Wanichko said. “It’s just getting his reps and getting his ‘track age’ up. You learn year after year, but P.J. is well beyond his years. He’s a tough, smart runner.”

And one who might rewrite a few more records before he is through.

“I have a lot of big goals I want to achieve,” he said.