Red Raiders Earn Second-Place Finish at PSAC Indoor Championships, James Shatters PSAC Record
Feb. 25, 2007
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - In
the history of the PSAC Championships for men's indoor track, two schools
have been the name of the game: Lock Haven and Shippensburg. Unfortunately
for the Red Raiders, a three-peat was not in order this weekend, as Lock
Haven earned its fourth indoor championship by recording a total of 140
team points. The Red Raiders finished in second place, 23 points behind
the Bald Eagles.
While the team came up short in its quest for a third team championship,
sophomore Jamal James (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin) turned in several phenomenal
performances Sunday, including a record-shattering performance in the 200-meter
dash. James finished the 200-meters in a career-best time of 21.94 seconds
that shattered his-own PSAC record set last year in Koehler Field House at
the 2006 PSAC Indoor Championships (22.12 seconds). His time also earns him
an automatic qualifying position for the NCAA Indoor Championships held in
two weeks.
James also won the 55-meter dash by edging Lock Haven's Greg Mock by one-hundredth
of a second. James ran the event in 6.45 seconds, and his two first-place
finishes gave
Shippensburg a total of 20 team points.
Another first-place finish for the Red Raiders came in the 400-meter relay,
as Shippensburg recorded the top time of 3:20.93. The 800-meter relay team
finished in second place with a time of 7:55.77, as Shippensburg accumulated
18 team points over the course of the two events.
Four Red Raiders placed in the shot put and combined for 17 team points in
the event. The top finisher for Shippensburg was sophomore Shaun
Minnich (Churchville/Council Rock South), who took second place with a shot put of
51-feet, 10-inches. Junior Mark Anderson (Nanty Glo/Central Cambria) finished
in fourth place, while senior Nate Reider (York/Dallastown) finished in sixth
place and sophomore David Green (Waynesboro/South Western) finished in eighth
place.
Throwing events are traditional strong points for the Red Raiders, as Saturday's
major highlight for Shippensburg was the team's performance in the weight
throw. Reider won the event with a heave of 61-feet 6.75-inches that shattered
the previous PSAC Championship record by more six whole feet. Reider's throw
also surpassed the previous best mark in the PSAC this season by more than
two whole feet, a mark that he set at the PSAC East Challenge. The Red Raiders
dominated the event and totaled 20 points, as Green took home third place,
junior Justin Ackerman (Broomal/Marple Newton) earned sixth place, and Minnich
finished in eight place.
Earning a second-place finish in the 1-mile run was senior Allen
Hanslovan (Morisdale/West Branch) with a time of 4:15.17 that earned Shippensburg eight
team points. Hanslovan still holds the PSAC Tournament record in the event,
as he ran his career-best time of 4:12.12 in 2005.
Red Raider hurdlers finished third and fourth in the 55-meter hurdles to
earn 11 team points. Senior Bernie Richards (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern
York) took third place with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.71 seconds,
while junior Dan Robinson (Hagerstown, Md./Boonsboro) took fourth place with
a time of 7.74 seconds.
Talented freshman Nick Malenka (Orwigsburg/Blue Mountain) posted an impressive
third-place finish in the pole vault with a vault of 14-feet, 5.5-inches
that gave Shippensburg six team points. Meanwhile, sophomore Joe
Wagner (Biglerville/Biglerville) finished in fourth place in the 400-meter dash, just 0.17 seconds off his
season best time of 49.62 seconds in the event. Wagner's fourth-place finish
earned Shippensburg five team points.
Other pointgetters for Shippensburg included freshman McKenzy Rene
(Lebanon/Cedar Crest), who finished in fifth place with a triple jump of 45-feet, 5.75-inches,
while the distance medley team finished in fourth place.
The NCAA Indoor Championships will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and
Athletic Center in Boston, Mass. on March 10 and 11.
- Red Raider Track and Field -
