Temple University Athletics
Cross Country and Track & Field Lock in Five Talented Recruits
11.22.16 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Track and Field
PHILADELPHIA – Temple's cross country and track field teams have locked in five talented recruits to join the programs in 2017. Additions to the women's cross country and track and field roster will include McKenzie Gelvin (McConnellsburg, Pa., McConnellsburg), Grace Gillespie (Camp Hill,Pa., Cedar Cliff), Skylar Sykes (Richmond, Va., Hermitage), and Kayla Nesbitt-McEwen (N.C., High Point Central). The men's cross country team will add Noah Curtin (Erie, Pa., Mercyhurst).
Gelvin is a middle distance runner from McConnellsburg, Pa. Prior to her freshman year of high school, she had never seen, let alone stepped foot on a track. During her junior season, she broke the McConnellsburg High School records in the 400m, 800m, and 1600m races. In the same season, Gelvin became the inter-county conference champion and the district champion for her speed in the 400m and 800m events. At Temple, Gelvin hopes to major in kinesiology with a concentration in a pre-professional health degree.
"McKenzie is a versatile athlete who is still learning track," said Snyder. "We are really excited to see what she can do when she has the time to focus on one sport, as she played basketball all through high school. Her 400m personal record (56.30) is pretty solid and knowing that she has that kind of speed shows us that the sky is the limit in her potential."
Gillespie is a sprinter from Camp Hill, Pa. As a junior at Cedar Cliff High School, she earned first place at the PIAA District AAA Championships in the 100m race, with a personal best of 11.98 in the preliminary round. She went on the finish 15th in the PIAA Track and Field State Championships.
"Grace is a local Pennsylvanian and we are trying to incorporate more local kids into our program," said Forde. "She is an intelligent young woman and is someone who really loves the sport of track and field; those are the kinds of people we are looking for. We expect her to become an amazing sprinter over her time here and to be the foundation of our 4x1 team."
Sykes is a sprinter from Richmond, Va. During her junior season at Hermitage High School, she earned a spot on the podium at the 2016 VHSL Group 5A State Indoor Track & Field Championships, taking third place in the 55m race with a personal best time of 7.12 in the preliminary round. She is a versatile athlete who can compete in multiple events, but is predicted to aid the Owls in short distance events.
"What our program aims to do is find students to join our program that can compete in multiple events," said Forde. "Skylar is very fast. I think she will be very helpful to our program in the 60m, 100m, and 200m events; I see her strengths in the short distances. She is very explosive and has a determination about her that makes it exciting for us to watch. She has an air of confidence in herself and that is the kind of quality we look for in a really good sprinter."
Nesbitt-McEwen's strengths lie in jumping events. The North Carolina native will compete for Temple in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. As a junior, Nesbitt-McEwen took 23 first-place finishes in the three events, including the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regional. At the NCHSAA 4A Indoor and Outdoor State Championships, she placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the high jump. Last spring, she qualified for the AAU Region 25 National meet where she placed 3rd overall in the long jump.
"I have never seen a recruit enjoy her surroundings on a visit to Temple more than Kayla did," said Forde. "She will be able to do multiple events such as the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. She will be coming in with more top performances than other athletes we had previously, which gives her a leg up right off the bat as a freshman. With the expectations Coach Tramaine Ellison has of her, combined with her shining personality and competitive spirit, I cannot foresee anything but Kayla being a major contributor to the success of our program upon her arrival."
Curtin is a cross country athlete from Erie, Pa. The high school senior earned his title as the PIAA State Champion earlier this month, clocking a time of 16:23.00 in the 5K. At Mercyhurst, he reached a personal best this season of 16:01. As a junior, Curtin earned second place at both the PIAA District 10 Championships and the PIAA State Championships. At Mercyhurst, Curtin is the senior class president and plans to major in entrepreneurship and innovation management upon his arrival to Temple.
"Noah was one of the top runners in the state of Pennsylvania this year," said head cross country coach James Snyder. "We had to have him because he fits in and gels with our team already. A big part of his decision was the Fox School of Business at Temple; he was intrigued by the entrepreneurship program."
As cross country comes to a close, Temple track & field will begin its season at the Lehigh Season Opener on Dec. 2.
Gelvin is a middle distance runner from McConnellsburg, Pa. Prior to her freshman year of high school, she had never seen, let alone stepped foot on a track. During her junior season, she broke the McConnellsburg High School records in the 400m, 800m, and 1600m races. In the same season, Gelvin became the inter-county conference champion and the district champion for her speed in the 400m and 800m events. At Temple, Gelvin hopes to major in kinesiology with a concentration in a pre-professional health degree.
"McKenzie is a versatile athlete who is still learning track," said Snyder. "We are really excited to see what she can do when she has the time to focus on one sport, as she played basketball all through high school. Her 400m personal record (56.30) is pretty solid and knowing that she has that kind of speed shows us that the sky is the limit in her potential."
Gillespie is a sprinter from Camp Hill, Pa. As a junior at Cedar Cliff High School, she earned first place at the PIAA District AAA Championships in the 100m race, with a personal best of 11.98 in the preliminary round. She went on the finish 15th in the PIAA Track and Field State Championships.
"Grace is a local Pennsylvanian and we are trying to incorporate more local kids into our program," said Forde. "She is an intelligent young woman and is someone who really loves the sport of track and field; those are the kinds of people we are looking for. We expect her to become an amazing sprinter over her time here and to be the foundation of our 4x1 team."
Sykes is a sprinter from Richmond, Va. During her junior season at Hermitage High School, she earned a spot on the podium at the 2016 VHSL Group 5A State Indoor Track & Field Championships, taking third place in the 55m race with a personal best time of 7.12 in the preliminary round. She is a versatile athlete who can compete in multiple events, but is predicted to aid the Owls in short distance events.
"What our program aims to do is find students to join our program that can compete in multiple events," said Forde. "Skylar is very fast. I think she will be very helpful to our program in the 60m, 100m, and 200m events; I see her strengths in the short distances. She is very explosive and has a determination about her that makes it exciting for us to watch. She has an air of confidence in herself and that is the kind of quality we look for in a really good sprinter."
Nesbitt-McEwen's strengths lie in jumping events. The North Carolina native will compete for Temple in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. As a junior, Nesbitt-McEwen took 23 first-place finishes in the three events, including the NCHSAA 4A Midwest Regional. At the NCHSAA 4A Indoor and Outdoor State Championships, she placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, in the high jump. Last spring, she qualified for the AAU Region 25 National meet where she placed 3rd overall in the long jump.
"I have never seen a recruit enjoy her surroundings on a visit to Temple more than Kayla did," said Forde. "She will be able to do multiple events such as the high jump, long jump, and triple jump. She will be coming in with more top performances than other athletes we had previously, which gives her a leg up right off the bat as a freshman. With the expectations Coach Tramaine Ellison has of her, combined with her shining personality and competitive spirit, I cannot foresee anything but Kayla being a major contributor to the success of our program upon her arrival."
Curtin is a cross country athlete from Erie, Pa. The high school senior earned his title as the PIAA State Champion earlier this month, clocking a time of 16:23.00 in the 5K. At Mercyhurst, he reached a personal best this season of 16:01. As a junior, Curtin earned second place at both the PIAA District 10 Championships and the PIAA State Championships. At Mercyhurst, Curtin is the senior class president and plans to major in entrepreneurship and innovation management upon his arrival to Temple.
"Noah was one of the top runners in the state of Pennsylvania this year," said head cross country coach James Snyder. "We had to have him because he fits in and gels with our team already. A big part of his decision was the Fox School of Business at Temple; he was intrigued by the entrepreneurship program."
As cross country comes to a close, Temple track & field will begin its season at the Lehigh Season Opener on Dec. 2.
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