Camden Catholic senior has a stress fracture in his left foot

By Kevin Cranston
Runningco.com Writer

Camden Catholic High School standout Kevin McDonnell, the top-rated senior in South Jersey by runningco.com, won’t race at today’s Olympic Conference Championships due to a stress fracture in his left foot, Irish assistant coach Ralph Harris said Thursday night.

According to Harris, McDonnell is currently wearing a boot on his injured foot and is expected to see his doctor the week of the Non-Public A state championships to see if he will be cleared to compete at Holmdel Park on Nov. 10.

Harris said McDonnell first mentioned he was experiencing discomfort in his foot the week leading up to the Camden County Championships, but that the pain wasn’t enough to keep him from racing.

McDonnell then ran the Camden County meet on Oct. 18 and covered Gloucester County College’s 5,000-meter course in 15:50 to win by 36 seconds. The county meet win was McDonnell’s third of the season. His first two came in the senior race at the Cherokee Challenge and in the Division 2 race at the South Jersey Open.

But the day after the Camden County meet was when the foot really started to bother McDonnell, Harris said.

“I think the injury finalized itself at the Camden County meet,” Harris said. “Kevin said his foot was sore leading up to the meet, but the day after the meet, it was bad.”

Since the county meet, McDonnell has been working out in the pool with his sights set on running at the state meet.

“I’m optimistic,” Harris said of McDonnell running at states. “The doctor didn’t rule it out.

“So for right now we’re going to hit the pool every day, do some weight training to supplement that and hope for the best.”