Shane McGuire suffered a bad break. The Huntington High School senior tore a leg muscle during a race in early February and missed the county championships and state qualifier along with a chance to repeat as a state and national champion. But he has kept his head up.
The teenager was honored by the Suffolk Track & Field Coaches Association at the group’s annual winter awards dinner. The organization recognized McGuire with its top male academic scholarship and presenting him with a handsome plaque and $500 stipend.
Captain of the Blue Devil track and cross country teams in each of the past two years, McGuire is loved by his teammates. He’s a crucial member of the Huntington program who has played an important role in the unprecedented success the Blue Devils have achieved during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.
Shane McGuire
“Shane has grown to become an outstanding and unselfish scholar-athlete,” said Ronald Wilson, Huntington’s head coach. “He is a distance runner and was the brilliant and exciting third leg of our 4x400m national championship relay. Shane loves and enjoys participating in our track and field program. His positive attitude, dedication and strong work ethics are contagious. Through such efforts, he has gained the respect of his teammates and coaches.”
McGuire is headed to the University at Buffalo in the fall where he’ll run on a track scholarship for the NCAA Division I team.
“Many of the young men in our program look up to Shane because he’s a natural leader who makes decisions based on logic and then accepts responsibility for the outcome,” Wilson said. “He’s gentle, compassionate and genuinely patient with both peers and underclassmen in our program. In practice he demonstrates extreme patience by repeatedly showing his peers how to handle athletes who are having difficulty with conditioning activities. His corrections come with explanations that help them to understand why it is necessary to do what is asked of them.”
McGuire was injured while competing in the 4x400m relay at the Armory Track Invitational in Manhattan. Proving his popularity, the senior’s teammates and coaches felt just as bad about what happened as he did.
“Shane is a leader who demonstrates empathy and compassion for those less fortunate,” Wilson said. “He is not only a valuable asset to his school, but to his community as well. Shane promotes integrity and sportsmanship at every track meet. He is one who shakes the hands of his opponents before he races and after he races. He’s humble in victory and never bitter in defeat. He’s a kind gentleman that has a heart of gold. Both athletes and coaches in the county love and enjoy the passion he brings to every track meet.”
McGuire’s plan is to rebound during the spring season and resume his place among the best in Suffolk and the state. “His marvelous performances in running, coupled with his inspired leadership has led this team to national prominence and many county titles.”