Zallow maintains a high profile at Youngstown State

By Brian Towey for DyeStat

Youngstown State sophomore Chad Zallow feels the doubters even as the two-time NCAA All-American in the hurdles pads his resume with each successive feat.

"I feel that every meet I go into I'm the underdog," Zallow said.

Zallow finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles against a professional field in  7.70 at the NYRR Millrose Games on Feb. 3, behind only Syracuse's Freddie Crittendon among the college elite. It was the latest stroke of success for an athlete who, despite his stature in the sport as a prep and a collegian, has never been heralded among the sport's elite.

"When I was in high school, I ran 36.8 in the 400-meter hurdles," Zallow said. "That put me among the top 10 in the country. A lot of colleges saw that but they saw my height and thought that I couldn't make the transition to the 110's (in college), that I'd be a better 400-meter hurdler than 110-meter hurdler."

At 5-foot-10, he's not the prototype high hurdler. Most top hurdlers are closer to 6 feet, or taller. Still, his prep accomplishments were impressive. He won the 100-meter hurdles at New Balance Nationals Outdoor as a senior, and swept Ohio state titles in the 100, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles while at Warren JFK in Warren, Ohio. He ran the nation's fastest times in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and in the 110s outdoors. Still, in the shorter race many college coaches shied away from giving him a shot.

"The reason we got him was because every other program wanted him to be a 400-meter hurdler," said Youngstown State assistant track and field coach David Townsend. "What I said to him was 'Yes, we'll do the 110-meter hurdles. If it doesn't work out we'll do the 400s.'"

Somehow, in Youngstown, which Zallow calls a "really blue collar city," he has found a fit. Zallow grew up just 15 minutes awsay in Warren. At the local school, a member of the Horizon League, he could run with his brother, Carl, a sprinter, and have a home-cooked meal. But perhaps larger than that was the loyalty he felt to the Youngstown coaches who weren't afraid to believe in him.

"For me, going through the recruiting process, I wanted to go somewhere where I was wanted," said Zallow, who also considered Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. "The coach really believed in me. I'm not the tallest guy, but he believed I could be a good 110-meter hurdler."

As Townsend describes Zallow, you realize why the two mesh. Each are former football players. Townsend a tailback on Youngstown State's 1978 NCAA D2 playoff team. Zallow was a hard-hitting safety in high school at Warren JFK.

"Chad loves competing," Townsend said. "We appreciated that aggressiveness. He has goals that are attainable. What that goal is, to be one of the better hurdlers in the world."

Between the two there is also trust. After Zallow was taken to the hospital with a separated shoulder following a race at the Dr. Norbert Sander Armory Challenge on Jan. 26, Zallow competed with his shoulder wrapped at Millrose the following weekend.

If Zallow says it's too much, Townsend doesn't doubt him.

"I listen to him," Townsend said. "If he says to me, 'Coach, my legs are a little sore today' we'll modify our goals or go all the way home."

Like that, Zallow has thrived as a hurdler for the Penguins. Townsend believes the smaller program suits Zallow because, in part, he's not pulled away for relays. He can focus on his event.

"What people don't understand is that he's not running the 4x400 or the 200," Townsend said. "With the 60-meter hurdles, you've got to have that repetition because the race is so short. You can have a bad start or a bad second hurdle."

Zallow parses it differently. At Youngstown, he has his family, his team, and the "gritty" town fits his  temperament. He said he doesn't need a flashy school or to be surrounded by star athletes.

For Zallow, this balance works.

"The thing with track is you don't need a team around you," Zallow said. "You don't need to go away from home. That could be a lesson for (other) people to follow."