Left to right: Leigh Pollet, Cornell Johnson, Jacob Brown, Don Norford, Frank McCarthy. Photos submitted.

NEW YORK, December 19, 2019 – The 5^th Annual Energice Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational, scheduled for Saturday, December 21^st, is one of the largest high school meets on the calendar at The Armory with more than 4,000 athletes expected to compete.

In addition to the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational being the first event where athletes can automatically qualify for the NYRR Millrose Games, this meet honors some of the most accomplished high school coaches in the nation each year with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Five new coaches will be inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame this year, each of whom has helped to mold and mentor generations of student-athletes on and off the track.

The induction ceremony for these distinguished coaches is scheduled to take place on the center of the track at 1:20 PM. Reserved seating for this meet is available and can be purchased at ArmoryTrack.com.

This year’s Hall of Fame class is as follows:

● Frank McCartney, Xaverian HS (Brooklyn, NY): McCartney coached the Xaverian cross country and track teams for over 40 years. In 1974, McCartney led his team to the CHSAA Intersectional City Championship, the school’s first-ever championship title for the entire athletic program. McCartney’s athletes went on to win three individual state championships and continued their athletic careers at 32 different Division 1 colleges. McCartney was also Brooklyn’s CHSAA chairman of cross country and track for 35 years and was the director of several high-profile meets, including the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational.

● Jacob Brown, Ridgewood HS (Ridgewood, NJ): Brown has coached the Ridgewood girls’ cross country and track teams since the programs were established in 1972. During his tenure, his teams once won 152 consecutive dual meets, a streak that lasted for 23 years. His relay teams have set two national records and won two national championships, and Ridgewood won the New Jersey team state championship in 1988. In 2010, Brown won the Mike Byrnes Outdoor Coach of the Year Award, presented at New Balance Nationals Outdoor. Brown is also the director of the Abbington Track Club, and coaches the RaceFaster Youth Club, a USATF program.

● Cornel Johnson, DeWitt Clinton HS (Bronx, NY): Johnson has coached both track and football at his alma mater DeWitt Clinton since 1983. When the school began admitting girls in the second year of his football tenure, Johnson was instrumental in starting the girls’ track program. Coaching track quickly evolved into Johnson’s passion, and his teams have won 51 Bronx championships, along with eight New York City championships. In addition, he has coached 39 individual city champions, 21 state medalists, and 20 All-Americans. Johnson coached Jamaican sprinter Sanjay Ayre, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics.

● Donald Norford, Long Beach Poly HS (Long Beach, CA): Norford coached the Long Beach Poly track & field teams from 1989 to 2014. Norford is one of the most successful coaches in the history of California sports, winning 18 state championships, and coaching over 100 All-Americans, including three Olympians. Norford also coached the Long Beach Poly football team, where he won an additional ten California championships. His relay teams have set eight national records, with the 4x100m and 4x400m records still standing today. Norford is the only coach to ever win National Coach of the Year awards in both track and football.

● Leigh Pollet, Uniondale HS (Uniondale, NY): Pollet has coached the girls’ cross country and track teams at Uniondale since 1988. In that time, his teams have won 56 out of a possible 62 sectional championships, along with back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000. Pollet has coached over 40 individual state champions and over 20 All-Americans and has had five former athletes go on to compete at the Olympics. Pollet’s teams routinely boast a 100 percent graduation and college acceptance rate, with approximately 90 percent of his athletes receiving scholarship money. In 2014, the NYSPHSAA recognized Pollet as the winningest girls’ coach in New York State.

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About The Armory Foundation

The Armory Foundation is a New York City non-profit institution, with the mission of "Keeping Kids on Track." Each season The Armory – the proud home of the NYRR Millrose Games – hosts more than 100 track & field meets and welcomes more than 220,000 athlete visits. Among its many youth sports and educational programs, including the acclaimed Armory College Prep program, The Armory runs the leading collegiate indoor track meet with the Dr. Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge, and also hosts the largest high school indoor track meets with this year's 26th U. S. Air Force Hispanic Games, The New Balance Games, the New Balance Nationals Indoors, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame, Marine Corp Holiday Classic and the Colgate Games.  The Armory also runs the Columbia & NewYork – Presbyterian Indoor Marathon presented by New York Road Runners, which is the world’s largest indoor marathon relay. The Armory is also the home to the National Track & Field Hall of Fame and dozens of very large education-focused events. For more: Please visit Armory.NYC and ArmoryTrack.com.