WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Shippensburg University women's outdoor track and field team concluded a spectacular outdoor season with a sensational final day of competition Saturday from Farrell Stadium to win the 2010 PSAC Outdoor Championships. It is the fifth PSAC outdoor title in program history and the first achieved by the Lady Raiders since 1998.
The Lady Raiders won four events this weekend, including a pair of Saturday titles by senior
Mary Dell [3,000-meter steeplechase, 1,500 meters] and the second-straight 3K title for sophomore
Neely Spence. Most impressively, Shippensburg had at least one scoring performance in 20 of the 22 events and had multiple placewinners in 14 events.
“The women knew what they had to do,” head coach
Dave Osanitsch said after the meet. “Even when they had a stumble or two, they would just come back in other events and score in some places that we did not think that we would. That's how you win – it has got to be a team effort. Our top athletes got it done, and our other athletes who weren't on paper to score got it done. That's how you win.”
The Lady Raider program became the first in the history of the PSAC to achieve a Triple Crown by winning the cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field championships in the same calendar year since the PSAC began sponsoring an indoor championship in 2002. In 1998, Shippensburg won PSAC titles in cross country and outdoor track and field along with the ECAC indoor championship under the direction of
Galen Piper.
Additionally, Shippensburg won the men's and women's outdoor track and field championships in the same season for just the third time in program history and first since 1993. The Raiders also achieved the feat in 1984.
“I take tremendous pride in the fact that our programs aren't just strong in one area; they are strong in both programs and it's showing,” Osanitsch said. “I am very proud of them. It is very rare to win both titles and I cannot say enough good stuff about it.”
Slippery Rock was within single digits of the Lady Raiders entering the final three events of the competition, before Shippensburg closed the meet with 35 points in that span to secure a 29.5-point victory. The 212.5 total points earned by SU is believed to be the most ever recorded in a PSAC championship.
“Our team motto is Pride, Team, Tradition," Osanitsch said. "Take pride in what we do - always we are a team, number one, before anything else. Our track and field tradition at Shippensburg University is fantastic, and I am just a caretaker right now.”
Dell and Spence had a photo finish in the 1,500 meters, with Dell earning the PSAC title by .04 seconds with a time of 4:33.65. In the steeplechase, Dell cruised to the championship with her third NCAA automatic qualifying performance of the season in 10:52.90, a nine-second margin of victory. Spence followed that up with a 22-second victory in the 3K.
SU continued its dominance in the 800 meters by placing four runners among the top six finishers. Sophomore
Amanda Raudabaugh was blocked at the final push to take second place in 2:09.10, while Dell finished third (2:13.62) and junior
Emily Dubs finished sixth (2:16.06).
Junior
Abby Huber earned fourth place in the 800 meters (2:14.45), 1,500 meters (4:37.15) and the 3K (10:05.37) while sophomore
Sarah Strayer took seventh in the 3K with a time of 10:17.80. Strayer finished the meet by placing in the 3K and 10K.
The sprinters also maintained great success. In the 400-meter dash, junior
Erica Hess finished second behind meet MVP Maddy Outman with a solid mark of 55.33 seconds. Fellow junior
Laura Henzy finished fifth in the event with a time of 57.32 seconds. Sophomore
Katie Craven joined Hess and senior
Amanda Spickler as placewinners in the 200 meters.
In the field, three women placed in the javelin. Freshman
Brittany Harlacker earned fourth place at her first championship meet by throwing 127 feet. Juniors
Margaret Merlie and
Jillian Weikel captured sixth and seventh place respectively with a throw of 122 feet 6 inches.
SU also had a trio of women reach the podium for their performances in the discus. Sophomore
Sarah Brotzman achieved All-PSAC status with a second-place throw of 134 feet 8 inches. Junior
Steph Harrison earned fifth place on a mark of 122 feet 11 inches while senior
Jenn Szarzynski was one place behind after a throw of 118 feet 8 inches.
Freshman
Megan Breski never made it back to the pole vault lanes on Saturday but finished the meet with the second-place effort that secured her a trip to the national championships. Breski cleared 12 feet 4.5 inches to finish just behind Slippery Rock's Jen Hansen.
At the sand pits, Spickler and sophomore
Lauren Redington achieved sixth and seventh place in the triple jump with respective marks of 37 feet 3.75 inches and 37 feet 1.25 inches.
The competition ended with the Lady Raider 4x400-meter relay squad of Hess, senior
Shannon Hare, Henzy and Craven taking second place with a time of 3:48.62.
The 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships will begin Thursday, May 27 from Charlotte. The three-day meet will be hosted by Johnson C. Smith University.
Notes: The women have won the outdoor title in 1984, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2010.
Complete PSAC Placewinners
Pole Vault
2.
Megan Breski (3.77 meters)
High Jump
3.
Rebekah Newhart (1.67 meters)
4.
Jessica Yates (1.62 meters)
8.
Erin Flick (1.62 meters)
Long Jump
4.
Rebekah Newhart (5.49 meters)
5.
Amanda Spickler (5.48 meters)
5.
Lauren Redington (5.48 meters)
Shot Put
3.
Krysten Goetter (12.63 meters)
4.
Steph Harrison (12.44 meters)
Javelin Throw
4.
Brittany Harlacker (38.72 meters)
6.
Margaret Merlie (37.35 meters)
7.
Jillian Weikel (37.33 meters)
10,000-Meter Run
7.
Sarah Strayer (37:49.17)
4x100-Meter Relay
8.
Courtney Martin,
Katie Craven,
Amanda Spickler,
Amanda Dubs (53.43)
100-Meter Hurdles
5.
Caitlin Stuetz (14.97)
7.
Rebekah Newhart (15.03)
400-Meter Dash
2.
Erica Hess (55.33)
5.
Laura Henzy (57.32)
100-Meter Dash
3.
Katie Craven (12.69)
5.
Courtney Martin (12.97)
7.
Amanda Dubs (13.08)
800-Meter Run
2.
Amanda Raudabaugh (2:09.10)
3.
Mary Dell (2:13.62)
4.
Abby Huber (2:14.45)
6.
Emily Dubs (2:16.06)
400-Meter Hurdles
6.
Caitlin Stuetz (1:02.96)
200-Meter Dash
3.
Katie Craven (25.37)
4.
Erica Hess (25.37)
6.
Amanda Spickler (26.00)
Discus Throw
2.
Sarah Brotzman (41.04 meters)
5.
Steph Harrison (37.47 meters)
6.
Jenn Szarzynski (36.17 meters)
Triple Jump
6.
Amanda Spickler (11.37 meters)
7.
Lauren Redington (11.31 meters)
5,000-Meter Run
1.
Neely Spence (16:54.38)
3,000-Meter Steeplechase
1.
Mary Dell (10:52.90)
1,500-Meter Run
1.
Mary Dell (4:33.65)
2.
Neely Spence (4:33.69)
4.
Abby Huber (4:37.15)
3,000-Meter Run
1.
Neely Spence (9:31.43)
4.
Abby Huber (10:05.37)
7.
Sarah Strayer (10:17.80)
4x400-Meter Relay
2.
Erica Hess,
Shannon Hare,
Laura Henzy and
Katie Craven (3:48.62)