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(Lock Haven, Pa.) - The Lock Haven
University of Pennsylvania men’s and women’s track and field teams under
the guidance of 15th year head coach Mark Elliston are set to defend
their titles at the 3rd Annual Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track & Field Championship, hosted by East
Stroudsburg University from Sat.-Sun., Feb. 28-29.
For the men, 25 Lock Haven student-athletes have qualified for the
conference championships in a total of 61 individual events. Six of those Bald
Eagles, along with two relays, enter the weekend meet as the top seed in the
16-event competition.
The Haven men’s
team will be led by a talented pack of distance runners who have placed at
least two runners among the top five on the PSAC performance list ranging from
800 meters up to the 5,000 meter run. Junior
Chris Cowan (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads)
headlines the distance squad with a pair of number-one seeds in the mile
and 5,000 meters. Junior Paul
Hallman (Langhorne/Neshaminy) and freshman Ryan
Blood (Summerdale/East Pennsboro) top the other two
distance events, Hallman checking in with the fastest time in the 800 meters
while Blood’s time leads all prospective competitors in the 3,000 meters.
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Junior Chris Cowan will lead the men's distance
contingent while senior Melissa Namey will help
to anchor the Lady Eagles in the sprints at the
2004 PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
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Freshman high jumper Jim
Dempsey (Blue
Bell/Wissahickon) leads the list of
qualifiers in his respective event, while sophomore Keith
Veldhuis (Thamesford, Ontario/Ingersoll DCI) enters competition
ranked as the top pentathlete in the conference.
In the sprints,
senior Bald Eagle Anesu Mushonga (Harare,
Zimbabwe/Prince Edward) has a top-three spot
in the 55, 200 and 400 meter dashes and is a member of the conference leading
4x400 meter and distance medley relays.
Andy
Pollison (Long Branch, N.J./West Morris Central) was last
year’s outdoor champion in the pole vault, and his current indoor mark puts
him second in the conference entering into the weekend.
In the jumps, the
Bald Eagles look to pick up points from the performances of Jacob
Merrill (Kingsley/Montrose), who has the second-best mark in the
triple jump, along with Keith Veldhuis,
who ranks third in the PSAC in the long jump (22’11-1/2”).
Julius
Magrino (Temple/Meadville) and Fieldon
Daubert (Annville/Annville-Cleonia) will help out in the throwing
events, Magrino seeded among the top three in the 35-pound weight throw and
Daubert among the top five in the shot put.
The
Lady Eagles have qualified 20 student-athletes in 36 individual events as they
aim to collect a third-straight PSAC title. Junior Brooke
Rangi (Kawerau, New Zealand/Kawerau
College) is expected to pilot this young
Haven squad, qualifying in three individual events (55 meter hurdles, high
jump, long jump) and the heptathlon.
Senior and two-time
All-PSAC recipient Melissa Namey (New Kensington/Burrell) is qualified for the 55,
200 and 400 meter dashes and will also provide leadership in the 4x400 meter
relay. Looking to add to Lock
Haven’s efforts will be sophomore hurdler Precious
George (Philadelphia/Academy
Park), who ranks fifth in the 55 meter
hurdles. Freshman Maggie Borden (Hanover/Delone Catholic), who has qualified
in both 200 and 400 meter races, is ranked fourth in the conference in the 400
meter dash.
In the jumps, Rangi
and Sara McCleary (Rockton/Dubois) are three-four on the high
jump list.
Lock Haven’s Shelly
Levy (Philadelphia/West Philadelphia) and Richelle
Reed (Georgetown/South Side Beaver) rank among the top ten in the shot
put, and are joined by Jessie Williams
(Northumberland/Shikellamy) among the list of top ten performers in
the 20-pound weight throw.
Championship action will
begin Saturday, February 28 and conclude on Sunday, February 29. Events start
at
1 p.m.
on Saturday and
10 a.m.
on Sunday. The Bald and Lady
Eagles each won their respective team titles the past two seasons.
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