PSAC Men’s Championship Preview

         This year’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Men’s Track and Field Championship looks to be a battle among the perennial powers. Indoor champion Lock Haven will look to earn its first outdoor title in four seasons, while Kutztown, the defending champ, along with Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and Millersville, are also serious contenders.
          The event to watch at this year’s meet is definitely the javelin, which contains no less than eight of the top 16 javelin throwers in the nation.  In all, the PSAC has 27 student athletes who have hit NCAA qualifying marks in 12 events.  
          Senior leadership will have to carry Lock Haven, which has at least one person ranked in the top five in 16 of 20 events.  Joe Webster is ranked second in both the 200 and 400 meters, while Matt Stinson leads the decathlon list and joins Webster on the two relays.  Andy Pollison (Pole Vault) and Gary Fisher (Long Jump) could also be significant players in their events. Underclassmen who will be counted on include distance runner Chris Cowan, ranked among the top five in four different events, Nick Slotterback in the javelin, and Jacob Merrill in both the triple jump and 400 meter hurdles.  
         Shippensburg, last year’s runner-up, will prove to be a strong contender after LHU edged them out by seven points for the 2003 indoor title.  A dominant force in the throws, the Red Raiders boast three of the top five athletes in the shot put led by senior Matt Peters. Peters is the PSAC leader in both the shot put and discus.  John Pacovsky and Nick Ishman provide a potent threat in the javelin, one of the hottest events at this year’s meet.  Junior Alton Richards and sophomore Will Perry will lead the team in the sprints, while senior Aaron Rich and rookie Kenrick Marsh will take charge in the distance events.  Defending champ Mark Piccolo will look to defend his 400-meter hurdle title.
         Senior Shaun Landis and junior Justin Collins will navigate Kutztown’s drive toward a fourth-straight title.  Landis is second on the decathlon list, but is also a threat in the high jump, triple jump, discus and a number of other events.  Collins currently sits second on the 100-meter list, is in control of the long jump and could contend for significant team points in the triple jump. Greg Yerkes will challenge for the title in the 3000-meter steeplechase, while senior Scott Eisenhart is the man to beat in the 400 meters after taking second at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
       Millersville is led by a powerful pack of distance runners.  Senior Mark Stallings leads the 5,000-meter list and is second in the 10,000-meter ranks, while junior Chris Trill will look to defend his 3,000-meter steeplechase title from 2002.  Senior Russ Stellmach (3000 Meter Steeplechase) and junior Steve Pizzulli (5000 and 10000 Meters) could also surprise the leaders.  Sophomore Brian Good is a potential challenger in the long jump.
          Joining Millersville in the distance ranks will be Edinboro’s Aaron Rowe, who is a threat anywhere from 800 to the 10,000 meters.  Teammate Kimmo Lassila should also be a factor in the longer races, while Nick Price and Ed Brown could challenge for titles in the shot put and discus.
          Slippery Rock’s hurdling contingent is the toughest in the conference.  Junior Ben Steingrab leads teammates Andy Tessena and Derrell McBroom in the top three spots on the 110-meter hurdle list.  Tessena, McBroom and Shayne Cooper are in the 400 meter hurdle hunt, while a slew of pole vaulters, led by senior Nick Wilpula, could score valuable points for The Rock.
          The East Stroudsburg duo of senior Brad Fees and junior Mike Newhard should battle out a hotly contested high jump, while senior teammate Mark Stinson could add an interesting flavor to the 400-meter hurdles in his first year competing in the event.
         Indiana rookie Jermaine Clayton sits atop both the 100 and 200 meter entry list, while teammate Noah Christian enters the competition as the 2002 NCAA Runner-Up in the javelin.  West Chester’s Ryan Waltermyer has turned in the conference’s best time in the 800 meters and should lead a pack of closely seeded contenders.   

PSAC Women’s Championship Preview 

          With the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference celebrating its 25th year of competition at the championship level for women, 2003 has all the elements of a banner year.  While 2002 team champion Lock Haven will have the opportunity to defend its title at home this year, the Lady Eagles will be hard-pressed by very deep squads from a number of schools.  A tough battle will also take place in the individual events, as the PSAC boasts 30 athletes meeting NCAA Championship standards in a total of 17 events.
          Hurdlers at both 100 and 400 meters provide a potent one-two punch for Slippery Rock.  Senior Linsey Westerman, the returning champion in both hurdle events, leads the way with national-qualifying performances in the two races, while the freshman trio of Andi Rose, Melissa Sopher and Jill Rekich provide an abundance of support.  Junior Meredith Hubbard should provide valuable points in the distance events, and senior MacKenzie Gurcak was the PSAC discus champion one year ago, and this year leads the conference in both the shot put and discus entering into championship action.  Junior Karyn McCready will give the Rock support in the javelin and again be in the mix to defend her conference title, having consistently thrown conference-leading marks all season.
          Seniors Jennifer Farrow, Sandy Ritz and Jocelyn Held will have to perform well if Lock Haven hopes to repeat.  Farrow will look to become just the eighth women in the 25-year history of women’s PSAC competition to win an event four times when she tackles the field in the 400 meters.  Ritz will look to defend her titles from last year in both the long and triple jump, while Held will go after her third-consecutive pole vault championship. Sophomore Brooke Rangi will defend heptathlon and high jump titles for the Lady Eagles, while classmate Bri Palazzi will take her top billing in both the long jump and triple jumps to the runway.  
         East Stroudsburg’s Natasha Jarrett, Tawny Youtz and Becky Fitz will lead the pursuit of the Warriors first team title.  Both Jarrett, a junior, and Youtz, a sophomore are ranked highly in the short sprints, in addition to Jarrett’s strong marks all year in the shot put.  Fitz sits as a darkhorse in the long and triple jumps in her final year of competition while rookie Jill Koscielecki will challenge for the 400-meter hurdle title in her first outdoor championship.
          Kutztown junior Niya Adams will aim for her third-straight 800-meter crown with junior teammate Lauren Maxwell closely in tow.  Rookie Latisha Johnson could challenge in the 400 meters in addition to providing valuable legs of the relays, and junior Emily Cook leads a talented corps of well-ranked pole vaulters for the Golden Bears.
          A talented Tunisa Lacy heads a strong crop of Shippensburg athletes.  The sophomore leads the triple jump with one of the top marks in the nation, and is ranked high in both the 100-meter hurdles and long jump.  Junior Kelly Stewart is back to defend her 10,000-meter title, but could be a threat in any distance event, while senior Steph Hauze will aim for her first 400-meter title.
          Indiana’s assault will be directed by junior Becky Bullard, the top ranked high jumper in the conference and a national qualifier in the hepthatlon.  Mindy Sawtelle will challenge in the longer distance events, while Janelle Coleman presents a formidable threat in the discus.
         Clarion’s strong javelin contingent, consisting of juniors Carrie Bullman, Jessica Crouch and Julie Evenosli, will look to lead the Golden Eagles at this year’s championship.  Strong distance performances by juniors Evelyn Abiola and Jennifer Boerner are expected, along with sophomore Mel Terwilliger and freshman Bridget Sardo.
         Joining Clarion in the distance races are a number of Fighting Scots from Edinboro, including Kelly Richards and Shannon Loewke at the front of the 3,000-meter steeplechase competition and Lindsey Roberts in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races.  Bloomsburg sophomore Danielle Kramer along with freshmen Amanda Pisano and Cherise Mercer will also contend in the distance events, as will Mansfield rookie Charity Learn.  
        West Chester’s Tanya Novik, a national qualifying heptathlete, could surprise many in a number of events ranging from the high jump to the 200 meters.  Millersville will rely on sophomore Christina Carpenter, who has worked her way to the top of the 100-meter list and is highly ranked in the 200 meters.  Senior Theresa Mazurek will also vie for the 1,500-meter title.

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