Young accepts Cameron University offer to run track

The Marlow Review Levi Young’s signing was somewhat of a big deal Thursday. With only two years in the small 1A track and field program at Central High, he will now get a chance to enjoy the sport at the collegiate level – and close to home. The 2023 graduate signed his national letter of intent with Cameron University/Lawton on Thursday.

The event took place in the CH gym lobby. Parents, Rhonda and John Young were present, along with his high school teammates and other close friends. Young’s already traded out his blue and yellow high school colors for CU’s black and yellow attire. Even his parents were proudly wearing CU attire – they are employed at the Lawton university.

“Levi will be a sprinter for Cameron University’s track & field team, competing in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100 relay events,” Young’s mother said. CH Coach Kenny McGough was also there. He is the head boys’ basketball, and track & field team coach.

McGough coached Young both junior and senior years. In his junior year, which was the first year to participate in T&F, he ran the 100m. Coach McGough convinced him to run the 200m this year. On May 5, he competed in the state 1A track meet at Western Heights. He placed 10th in the 100m and 12th in the 200m. At Regionals, he placed 3rd in 100m and 4th in 200m, which advanced him to the state meet. Regionals were held in Alex on April 30.

Other track notes include regular season placings of 1st, 3rd, and 4th place finishes in the 200m and two 2nd place spots, and a 4th place finish in the 100m.

“Obviously, Coach was right since Levi was successful in that event too,” said his mother about McGough encouraging Levi to compete in the 200m his senior year. Young said he loves football and basketball but getting the T&F scholarship has some advantages – like living at home and not having to worry about room and board expenses.

Central High, as locals know, is less than 30 minutes to Lawton. McGough doesn’t mind saying he’s more a fan than a coach when it comes to Young.

“His personality, his confidence, if you could bottle it, you’d be a millionaire,” he said. “There’s never a dull moment with Levi around.” McGough said he could tell from Young’s basketball skills that track was a sport suited for the student athlete.

“I knew he could do that.” He explained that Young had several challenges against him, mostly during this last year. “He didn’t want to say anything, but he was injured all year. He ran well in regionals and I know he would have been on the stand in a top position at state. He was 10th and that’s something – out of 100 schools.

Now he has some time to really recover before he begins training.” Like all 2023 graduates, Young’s freshman year was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

McGough said he wonders what Young’s track record, as well as other student athletes, would be like today had it not been for the pandemic. Young was a starter for the Central High varsity football (running back), basketball, and track teams. He also completed the Automotive Service Technology program at Red River Technology Center during his high school career.

He graduated with a 3.8 overall GPA, according to his mother. Young will be pursuing a bachelor of business administration degree. Young will be under the direction of CU Coach Zach Johnson, who is only the third head cross country coach at Cameron. He was selected to lead the team in 2014. He’s a Velma-Alma graduate and his time as head coach for both the women and men’s cross country and track & field programs has been successful. He has more than a dozen T&F individual national titles, along with other national titles and more than 55 All-Americans. Prior to CU, he spent a decade coaching at Oklahoma Baptist University.

Published June 15, 2023 - The Marlow Review