By: Eleni King Martin

Over his years at McCaskey as the head coach of Track and Field, Coach Jennings has accumulated 100 wins in Track and Field events. He has had a monumental impact on the individual students he teaches and guides–both on the Track and Field program and on the school as a whole. 

Through his guidance, many students have felt that Coach Jennings has helped them improve their skills within Track and Field, as well as their personal experiences with McCaskey as a whole. Sophomore Carolynn Main says, “Coach Jennings is the most encouraging coach I’ve ever had. He pushes me to do my best in both practices and in meets. Without Jennings, I do not think I would be as motivated to work hard in this sport.” 

In addition to personal impact, Carolynn says, “Jennings has recruited a lot more athletes and works with each person individually to create personal goals and workouts.” With his guidance, many of McCaskey’s Track and Field athletes are able to flourish in their sports and bring out the best at each and every one of their meets. This is evident in our Track and Field teams’ records and amount of wins. After all, Coach Jennings has won 100 times with the McCaskey track and Field teams. 

She says, “He [Jennings] works to unite everyone and make everyone feel as though their effort at meets means something to the team and to the school.” With Coach Jennings’ encouragement, many of our student athletes participating in the Track and Field teams are able to flourish both at practices and at competitions. This environment has allowed students to hone their skills and gain confidence in their respective sports. Senior Gregory Medina says, “Coach Jennings is truly an incredible coach, but he’s an even better mentor and role model. He pushes all of us on the team to not only try our best on the track, but in life.” Coach Jennings has truly encouraged many of our students to be the best they can, both in their sport and in every other aspect of their lives. 

When asked about his experience at McCaskey as a coach, and how he feels about his 100th win, Coach Jennings says, “Our success is a full team thing. When you have kids that work hard and have the talent, plus coaches that know what they’re doing, it can go a long way.” 

Our Track and Field teams are some of the best and most decorated teams at McCaskey. In the past academic year, our Track team has broken multiple school and league records. Our girls Track and Field team specifically has been shining especially bright. In the indoor season, at state championships, the girls Track team finished in second place in the state. In the outdoor season, our girls team placed first as Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 champions. Individual runners, such as Vivian Salerno and Ella Petrosky, have won first place in several competitions. 

As Gregory explains it, “Being a part of Coach Jennings 100th win is truly an honor, but even just being a member of his team and watching him change lives is extraordinary.” McCaskey is proud to have Coach Jennings as our head coach for the Track and Field teams, and even prouder of the students he is teaching and guiding.

To hear more about Coach Jennings, hear his full interview and more about his impact at McCaskey, visit our student-run news broadcast (https://sdlancaster.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a2916ac8-5a2a-4400-b5c8-b40b010881d8). Congratulations to Coach Jennings on his 100th win and go Tornadoes!