Spring sports heating up, and Pleasant Valley’s track team is off to a strong start this season. With multiple runners ranked top five in the MAC, and their hurdles team ranked first in the state, the rest of the season looks promising for the track team.
One runner in particular stands out from the rest: the 100 and 200 meter dash runner Danny DeGeorge. DeGeorge is currently ranked very highly in the 200 meter dash with a blazing time of 22.74. Although his times are incredibly impressive, he is never looking to settle for the accomplishments he has achieved.
“The rankings show [my place], but it doesn’t matter until I actually run the race at the conference meet. In terms of emotions, it’s very exciting to see how much I’ve improved since last year,” DeGeorge said.
During DeGeorge’s freshman year, his best time in the 200 was 25.97. Four years later, he has dropped over three seconds in his premiere race, and he is looking forward to competing at Drake Relays this weekend.
“He has definitely made a lot of improvements not just as a runner but as a leader,” track coach Phillip George said. “Not only does he have one of the top 10 best times in the 200 meter dash in school history, but he is also doing a great job of leading his teammates in warmups and getting people ready for meets.”
DeGeorge often gets motivation from his family as they have a long history with track. His sister was an accomplished high jumper, and he wanted to continue his family’s line of success in the sport.
“In track, there is a perfect balance between individual success to motivate me and team success to help build great chemistry and a personal bond with the sport,” he said. This year, in order to prepare for the track season, DeGeorge decided to join cross country in order to stay in shape out of season.
“His motivation and hard work definitely shows,” said George. “It is nice to see his next level of commitment to the sport by joining cross country, and I think that his extra commitment has definitely helped him this year.”
This may be DeGeorge’s last year as a runner at Pleasant Valley, but the story is far from over for him. He is planning to continue running at Beloit College in Wisconsin in the fall. As the season continues to wrap up for the Spartans, DeGeorge will leave the program as a staple in Pleasant Valley track.
Kris Basnet • Apr 29, 2022 at 8:19 am
This was a great article Parker! As a person who is friends with Danny it is nice to see how much hard work and of a leader his coaches value him as. I never knew Danny had a top ten time in school history this was very interesting to note.