Makin’ up for lost time
West Mifflin senior bounces back from ’14 injuries
Wearing hot pink or bright yellow spikes, West Mifflin Area sprinter Kevin Garbark often stands out while at the starting block.
When Garbark crosses the finish line, he usually stands alone.
Garbark, a senior, is one of the elite sprinters in Western Pennsylvania, excelling in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. If that’s not enough, Garbark also runs a leg on the 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams, which rank among the best in the WPIAL.
Just as he did last season, Garbark put forth an outstanding performance at last Friday’s Butler Invitational, long one of the area’s most highly regarded meets. Garbark won titles in the 200 and 400, and placed third in the 100.
As a junior last year, Garbark earned track MVP honors at Butler by topping the field in the 100 and 200.
Garbark started the day off with the thirdplace finish in the 100, an event won by Woodland Hills’ Miles Sanders. Although unsatisfied, Garbark said he held his head high and focused on winning the 200 and 400.
“I was a little disappointed, but I wasn’t sulking,” said Garbark, who will attend Duquesne University and major in finance.
What followed was victories in the 200 and 400. In the 200, Garbark beat Central Catholic’s Ron George, the defending WPIAL champion.
Garbark is thrilled to be healthy again after a hamstring injury cost him the biggest part of his junior season. It was while running a preliminary heat in the 100 at the Baldwin Invitational when Garbark felt a sharp pain in his leg about 70 meters into the race.
“At that point, I knew my whole season was over,” Garbark said.
The prognosis was a slightly torn hamstring. Gone were Garbark’s plans of winning a WPIAL championship. The injury took place May 2. Garbark wouldn’t be 100 percent again until late August.
Luckily for Garbark, he still had one more season to make his mark on the big stage.
“I just knew that I had to get back,” he said. “I feel like a lot of people did forget about me. A lot of people know the rest of that core group [of star sprinters]. I just thought of being back next year and being stronger than ever.”
Well, “next year” is now, and Garbark might indeed be stronger than ever. His 400 time of 50.47 at the Butler Invitational is a career best. He ran an 11.22 in the 100 and 22.48 in the 200 that day, both season bests. Garbark is nearing career bests in those races – 11.02 in the 100, and 22.30 in the 200 – which were both achieved when he was a sophomore. He placed seventh in the 100 at the WPIAL Class AAA championships that season.
Garbark, who was the leading receiver for the West Mifflin football team last fall, raced to a terrific start to his senior track season by claiming 100 and 200 titles at the South Hills Classic. He followed that up by winning the 100 and 400 at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association championships on his home track April 11.
Garbark has also been excellent in dual meets for the Titans, who are seeking their sixth consecutive section title.
Next up for Garbark is the Baldwin Invitational and WPIAL qualifiers. Then will come what Garbark is greatly anticipating – the WPIAL championships.
What would winning a WPIAL title mean to him?
“It would mean the absolute world to me,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m going to win WPIALs, but the thought is always there.”