NEW ORLEANS – Nine Slippery Rock University women's indoor track and field standouts earned all-region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their performances during the 2010-11 season.
This is the first season in which the USTFCCCA has given out all-region awards. A total of 1,039 athletes received 1,482 all-region nods in the inaugural class. The top five from each region in individual events and each member of a relay team ranked in the region's top three earned the All-Region distinction for the 2011 indoor season.
Representing Slippery Rock on the USTFCCCA All-Region team were
Whitney Hendershot,
Kelly Bruder,
Crystal Burnick,
Angela Schroeder,
Kelly Fischer,
Caitlin Hancox,
Jen Harpp,
Rachel Knapp and
Kaela Snyder.
Hendershot, a three-time All-American, was recognized for her performance in the high jump. Hendershot, who placed second at last weekend's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, recorded the 11th-best clearance in the country of 1.71 meters at the Kent State Tune-Up on Feb. 19. She will set her sights on a fourth All-America selection March 12 at the Division II National Championships.
Bruder recently won the PSAC title in the pentathlon after accumulating 3,366 points. The point total was the second-most in the PSAC in 2010-11 and the 14th-best in Division II.
Burnick registered a career-best time of 17:00.08 in the 5000-meter run at the PSAC Indoor Championships to earn the USTFCCCA's honor. She ranked fifth and 22nd in the PSAC and nation respectively.
The Rock placed two pole vault athletes on the USTFCCCA All-Region team in Schroeder and Fischer. Schroeder earned the honor thanks to a mark of 3.52 meters at the PSAC Indoor Championships. The mark was tied for the third-best clearance in the PSAC this season and 25th nationally. Fischer reached her top-clearance of 3.51 meters at the Kent State Tune-Up on Feb. 19. The height was the fifth-best mark in the PSAC and 30th nationally.
The Slippery Rock distance medley relay team of Hancox, Harpp, Knapp and Snyder earned USTFCCCA All-Region accolades after clocking a time of 11:59.81 and placing second at the PSAC Indoor Championships. Their time was the 16th-fastest time of any DMR team in the nation.
Hendershot will represent Slippery Rock March 11-12 at the national championships with the rest of the track team beginning the outdoor season Saturday (March 5) at the Coastal Warm-Up Meet in Myrtle Beach S.C.
