North Allegheny grad making impact for Duke cross country team

North Allegheny graduate Zach Kinne is off to a tremendous start in his first year on the cross country team at Duke.

Kinne, 19, has been named ACC Men’s Freshman of the Week twice this season, on Oct. 2 and Oct. 23.

He helped Blue Devils to the title in the Roy Griak Invitational meet at Minnesota. His time in the 8K race of 25 minutes, 4.4. seconds was tops among all freshmen in the 14-team field.

Later, Kinne (24:40.4) led the Blue Devils with an 81st-place finish at the Pre-National Invitational on the LaVern Gibson Championship course in Terre Haute, Ind. The meet, which included 38 teams, was on the course where the NCAA Division I championship will be run Nov. 23.

Kinne, who plans to study mechanical engineering, said he has been working hard for months.

“I am proud of what I have done, but I know there is much time left to truly prove myself as a force in the collegiate scene,” he said. “I just know I can’t be too content with my efforts.

“I want to be able to achieve more to help my team to the best of my ability at ACCs and onward.”

The ACC championship will be Nov. 1 at Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils were ninth in the Southeast Region in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division I Regional Rankings announced Oct. 21.

Kinne, the 2018 PIAA Class AAA boys runner-up who helped North Allegheny to WPIAL and PIAA titles after moving with his family from a Chicago suburb, said the biggest adjustment to collegiate competition has been race distance.

“It is a lot easier to be too aggressive early,” Kinne said. “Thankfully, I have a great group of experienced upperclassmen by my side to help me learn the feel of the race.

“Also, the competition is greatly experienced and talented. Sometimes, I have to be content with barely cracking the top 100 and know I have performed well.”

Blue Devil coach Norm Ogilvie expects Kinne to keep leading the team.

“Zach is still just getting used to running the longer college distances,” Ogilvie said. “(At the Pre-National Invitational), he broke his high school PR at 5,000 meters before closing the final 3K.

“While a 24:40 8K is a good time for a freshman on the Terre Haute course, Zach is still learning he needs to go out even faster and can still close well. Zach will clearly improve with more collegiate experience.”