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California
(PA) Athletic Website Championship Area
EDINBORO, PA – The Edinboro University
track & field team will take part in the Pennsylvania State
Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on
Thursday, May 4 to Saturday, May 6. California University of
Pennsylvania is hosting the event. The championships get underway
with several events for the heptathlon and the decathlon on
Thursday, May 4.
A total of nine men’s runners and 12 women
will represent the Fighting Scots. As usual, head coach Doug Watts
expects the distance runners to exhibit the most success at the
meet, although several other individuals have enjoyed solid
seasons and could challenge at the conference meet. In addition, a
week ago three distance runners – Julie Nemergut, Rachael
Lanzel and Kelly Richards – turned in strong showings at the
Penn Relays, their main emphasis on training in recent weeks.
Ashley Argenta and Kristin Malloy will get
things going for the women’s team, competing in the
heptathlon. Malloy earned All-PSAC honors a year ago with a third
place finish. Nemergut paces the distance runners, with her time
of 17:04.06 in the 5,000 meters the sixth best in Division II this
year. Rachael Lanzel is right behind her with the eighth-best time
at 17:15.72, with both NCAA provisional qualifiers. However, Watts
will likely only enter Nemergut in the 5,000, with Lanzel,
Nemergut and Richards all competing in the 3,000. Richards’
time of 10:19.74 is the fourth-fastest in the PSAC this season.
Richards also owns the top time in the PSAC in the 3,000 meter
steeplechase at 10:39.67, another NCAA provisional qualifying
time. Sara Baker will also compete in the 3,000 meter
steeplechase.
Michele Kelly owns the top time in the PSAC in
the 1,500 meters, but she will instead concentrate on the 800
meter run at the PSAC’s. The senior was named the Outstanding
Track Athlete at the PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships
after winning both the 800 and the mile. Kiersten Buckley will
represent Edinboro in the 1,500, while Ashley Ferraro will join
Nemergut in the 5,000. Ashley Young will represent the Fighting
Scots in the sprints, qualifying in the 100 meter dash.
In the field events, Argenta will compete in
the javelin, as will Ashlee Highfield. Highfield owns the
third-longest throw in the PSAC this year at 131’2”.
Katie McKenrick rounds out Edinboro’s women’s
qualifiers, competing in the discus.
On the men’s side, freshman Kyle Wunz has
enjoyed an outstanding season while competing in the 200 and 400
meter dashes. He will look to unseat California(Pa.)’s
Bradley Rager, who won both events a year ago. Wunz’ time of
21.34 in the 200 is bettered in the PSAC only by Rager’s
21.24, and Wunz holds the third-best time in the 400 at 48.40.
Travis Prejean and Dave Blend will compete for
the Fighting Scots in the 1,500 meters. Prejean, another freshman,
has the fourth-best time at 3:56.80. Jeremy Boehm and Dave Niemira
will compete in the 5,000, with Niemira also expected to double
and run the 10,000. He’ll be joined in the 10,000 by
Josh Arthur, yet another freshman to keep an
eye on. Niemira owns the fourth-best time in the PSAC in the event
(31:19.63).
Edinboro will also have two competitors in the
3,000 meter steeplechase, with both John Moneyhon and Dan Field
just off the NCAA provisional qualifying time. Moneyhon owns the
third-fastest time in the PSAC at 9:27.20, while Field is fourth
(9:29.27).
Franklin Duruobasa rounds out the list of
Edinboro men’s qualifiers, and will compete in the long jump.
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