Shelley Black-Leap

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Shelley’s track and field career took off her freshman year at Coughlin High School under the direction of coach Paul McGrane. Her presence made an immediate impact across the conference, the district and the state. From freshman through senior year, Shelley went on to four-peat as the District II Champion in both the 100H and 300H. In addition to this, Shelley was a two-time District II Champion in the long and triple jump. Shelley broke numerous records during her time at Coughlin including school records in the 100H, 300H, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4×1 and 4×4 Relays. She also held District II records in the 100H, 300H, Long Jump, and Triple Jump in the PIAA AAA division. At the PIAA State Championships, Shelley was a two-time state champion in the 100H (2010, 2011), as well as a state champion in the 300H (2010). Her junior year achievements led to Shelley being voted as the PA Track and Field Coaches Association Athlete of the Year. During this same year, she also received the highly prestigious Gatorade PA Track and Field Athlete of the Year awarded to the state’s most outstanding high school student athlete. Her successes drew attention at the national level, which resulted in an invitation to represent the junior USA Track and Field team in Japan where she placed third in the 60H. She ended her high school track and field career as a twelve-time district champion, nine-time state medalist, and two-time New Balance National Medalist. Shelley continued her education and career at Penn State University. She was a four-year letterwinner. At the Big 10 Championships, she finished with multiple top-8 scoring finishes in the 60H and 400H. She also placed third in the 4×4 Relay at the Big 10 Championships in 2013. During her time at Penn State, Shelley’s efforts helped the team win three Big 10 Championship titles. At the national level, Shelley was named Second Team All-American following the NCAA Division I National Championships in the 4×4 Relay. She was named four-time Academic All-Big 10, three-time Academic All-American, and a Big10 Distinguished Scholar. She finished her running career ranked as the fifth and sixth fastest hurdler all-time at Penn State in the 60H and 400H respectively. Shelly continued her post graduate education at Misericordia University where she graduated with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She currently resides in Altoona, PA with her husband and one-time PSU track and field teammate Brian. She has a sixteen-month-old son Carson, who continually tests if mom still has the speed she once did! Shelley thanks her parents Ray and Diane and her brother Ray for their continuous and unwavering support and their competitive family ways.