Somers, Reider Earn All-America Status at NCAA Championships
May 27, 2006
EMPORIA, Kan. - Shippensburg men's track and field senior John Somers (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and junior Nate Reider (York, Pa./Dallastown) eached earned All-America status this weekend at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships being held at Emporia State University's Fran Welch Stadium.
A total of 620 participants will compete in the championships after qualifying by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event.
Somers had the best showing of the Red Raiders' three competitors as he placed fifth in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:03.68 in hot and windy conditions. No one in the race broke the 4-minute mark as the winner, Przemek Bobrowski of Harding, finished in 4:01.27. Somers' career-best in the event is 3:50.35 and his season-best time was 3:51.85 set at the Bison Outdoor Classic on April 14.
The All-America status in his final collegiate track race concludes a strong career for Somers who also earned All-America status with a 21st-place finish in his final collegiate cross country race in November at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. Somers was a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion, twice in the 1,500 meters in 2003 and 2005 and once in the mile during the indoor season in February.
Meanwhile, junior Richard Hanslovan (Morrisdale, Pa./West Branch), finished 12th in the 1,500-meter run this weekend in a time of 4:12.10. A qualifier in the 5,000-meter run also, he placed 14th in the prelims on Friday with a mark of 15:07.23, just two spots from qualifying for the finals.
As for Reider, he qualified for the NCAA championships for the second consecutive year after transferring to Shippensburg from Mansfield prior to last season. However, this marks his first All-American honor after he placed sixth with a career-best throw of 215-feet, 8-inches, almost four feet farther than his previous best of 211-feet, 7 1/4-inches.
Reider's mark was just two inches behind Jeremy Confer of Mansfield whose mark of 215-feet, 10-inches was good for fifth. It was also the longest throw in the conference this season.
- Red Raider Track and Field -
