Now in its sixth year of competition, the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational has grown

into one of the largest annual meets on The Armory’s high school calendar. This year’s event is

scheduled for this Saturday, December 19 th , and the meet will be split into a morning session

from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM, and an afternoon session from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The Armory’s

Covid-19 protocols will be in effect for this meet, which have been tested and refined through a

number of events this season to ensure the safety of athletes, coaches, spectators, and staff.

The Energice Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 2006 to honor the best high school track

and field coaches in the United States for their impact on and off the track. The first coach to be

inducted was the legendary Jim Mitchell, who has spent the last 42 years building the Bronxville

(NY) program into a national powerhouse. Since the Hall of Fame Invitational began in 2015,

five to seven coaches have been inducted each year in a special ceremony at the center of the

track. Unfortunately, the induction ceremony will not take place this year due to Covid-19, but in

December 2021 many deserving coaches will be celebrated again.

In total, 35 coaches have so far been inducted into the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame. This

illustrious group includes local legends such as Phil Zodda, who has led 26 PSAL athletes to All-

American glory, and Lisa Morgan, who won five state championships at Columbia (NJ) while

also coaching Team USA at various international competitions. The Hall of Fame also honors

the best of the best from far and wide, like Don Norford from Long Beach Poly (CA), who is the

only person to ever win National Coach of the Year in both track and football, and Claude

Toukene, who has guided his Western Branch program to 27 Virginia state championships.

Due to Covid-related safety precautions, the field sizes will be smaller this weekend, but the

competition will be as fierce as ever as top athletes flock to The Armory to test their skills. More

information about the Energice Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational, including how to buy tickets,

is available at

https://www.armorytrack.com/gprofile.php?do=view_event&event_id=11339&mgroup_id=4558

6&year=2020. See you at The Armory!