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The announcer called out Manny Joseph’s name on the loudspeaker as he lunged across the finish line at the New York State Track and Field Qualifier. Joseph’s friends rushed toward him, jumping up and down in celebration. He looked around confused, unaware of what was going on. When he crossed the line, Joseph broke the 55-meter hurdle record for New York state high schools, a record that stood for over 30 years. 

Now a senior at North Rockland High School, Joseph is set to join Syracuse’s track team next spring. But Joseph originally had no desire to run or even join sports. He didn’t play organized sports until middle school — a few games of pickup basketball a week was the extent of his athletic range. He felt he could’ve made the basketball team at school, but social anxiety prevented Joseph from trying out.

“That was something I struggled with a lot as a kid. I was just scared of the whole tryout thing, but track never had tryouts,” Joseph said. 

Joseph’s parents insisted on him following in his older sister’s footsteps by playing sports, specifically by joining the track team. He looked up to his sister and said he always wanted to match what she does. Joseph joined his middle school’s track team. He didn’t know how long he’d stay with the sport, but Joseph started making friends on the team and enjoying himself. 

When he became the first on the team to break 60 seconds in the 400-meter dash, he noticed he was improving quickly. Realizing his talent on the track encouraged Joseph to continue the sport in high school and college.

On the first day of track practice at North Rockland, Joseph met then-first-year head coach Orlando Rivera. Rivera had been a throwing coach but was learning about hurdles. Being a quiet person, Joseph wasn’t close with Rivera his first season on the team.

As a freshman, Joseph was fast but was “nothing earth-shattering,” Rivera said. It wasn’t until the summer after his freshman season that Joseph took his training seriously. He joined Rivera’s gym, Multisport Workshop, and trained four days a week, weightlifting and running with Rivera.

He focused on gaining core and lower body strength through deadlifts, sled pushes and vertical jumps. He holds the record for deadlifts and vertical jumps at Rivera’s gym.

“He really is the perfect storm of what you look for in an athlete,” Rivera said. “You need talent, which is obvious. He has my gym record in the vertical jump. I can’t coach that, his talent is just there.”

This was the first time Joseph committed to training during the offseason. He quickly adapted to the workload and began to enjoy tracking his progress.

“I started realizing I’d be good sophomore year,” Joseph said. “That’s when I realized I had potential to be one of the best in New York state history.”

During his junior season, Joseph prepared for the Standard Games — a meet wedged in the middle of the season. He met Syracuse track field alumni Billy Cvecko, a prominent figure in the New York state running community. After watching Joseph race, Cvecko told Joseph he should consider running at Syracuse. Joseph hadn’t officially heard from Syracuse, but Cvecko put the thought in his mind.

Months after speaking with Cvecko, Joseph found himself on the start line at the New York state qualifier. After crossing the finish line as the new state record-holder, Joseph felt relieved — his hard work paid off. 

Joseph committed to run at Syracuse at the end of that season and will bring his skill and talent to an already experienced hurdle program. He will be joining Tennessee state record holder Brevin Sims next season.

“I think Syracuse is known for bringing in a lot of hurdlers, so obviously I can bring my hurdling.” Joseph said. “If I’m needed to step up and run a relay or a sprint, I can do that (too).”

Published on April 6, 2021 at 10:39 pm

Contact Matthew: mahassan@syr.edu