The Shippensburg University men's track and field program enjoyed a great season a year ago in 2004-05. The team won its first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Championship and followed that success with a dominating championship performance at the PSAC Outdoor Championship to capture its third consecutive championship. With the return of many conference placewinners, conference champions and NCAA Division II Championship qualifiers, the Red Raiders are an early favorite to defend both championships.

Distance/Mid-Distance

Two words best describe this group, talented and committed. Junior and 2005 NCAA Division II All-American Allen Hanslovan will lead this pack of awesome distance runners. Hanslovan achieved All-American honors last year at the 2005 NCAA Division II Indoor Championships by placing eighth. He was also the PSAC indoor champion in the mile and 3,000-meter run, setting new meet records in both events and was named championship MVP for his efforts. During the outdoor season, Hanslovan was second in the 1,500-meter run and qualified for the NCAA championships in the 5,000-meter run for the second-straight year. He will continue to build on his impressive resume this upcoming season and be a factor at the national level.

Senior John Somers returns as well for the Red Raiders as the defending PSAC outdoor champion in the 1,500-meter run, a championship he also captured as a freshman. Last year marked his first NCAA championships appearance for Somers in his top event. In 2005, he was named as the NCAA Division II Regional Athlete of the Year and will look build on his national appearance and aim for All-American status this season.

Senior Daniel Helfrick dominated the distance events at last year's PSAC outdoor championships. He won the very competitive 10,000-meter run and then returned at the end of the championship to dominate the 5,000-meter run as well. Helfrick will be looking for his first NCAA appearance this season.

Senior Kenrick Marsh will again be the main man in the 800-meter run for the Red Raiders. A consistent scorer at the conference championships year after year, Marsh will again be a major factor in the team's success. Marsh was second in 800 meters at the PSAC indoor and outdoor championships this past spring. An NCAA provisional qualifier, he will be looking to challenge for his first national appearance this season. Junior Greg Weiss will also be looking to achieve All-PSAC honors this season in the 800 meter-run. He has placed in the top three twice at the PSAC Indoor Championships and will be relied upon this year to solidify the middle distance runners.

Juniors Stephen Lobianco and Dustin Willgohs return to bolster the team in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Both were conference place winners last season. Sophomore Matthew Krum, who was a member of the PSAC indoor champion 4x800-meter relay team returns along with junior Devon McKenzie to add stability and depth to the middle distances.

Joining the Red Raiders this season is a very talented crop of freshmen. Stephen Thomson, Jonathan Hughes, Andrew Rohmann, Dillon Gracey and Jordan Shick are all Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic Association (PIAA) state qualifiers in either cross country or track and field. Also joining Shippensburg will be Andrew Amey, John Coopersmith and Andrew Musselman.

The future of the Red Raiders' distance program looks bright with this plethora of talent.

Throws

Year after year, the men's track and field program is built upon the strong foundation of the throws group and this upcoming season will be no different. Junior NCAA javelin qualifier Nate Reider and sophomore Mark Anderson will lead a very deep and talented throwers unit. Last season, Reider was fourth at the PSAC indoor championships in the 35-pound weight throw. Outdoors, he placed fourth in the javelin with a toss of 204-feet. Anderson burst onto the conference scene as a freshman and never looked back. He placed second in the weight throw at the PSAC indoor championships last year and followed that with a second-place finish in the discus at the outdoor championship.

Also returning for Shippensburg are 35-pound indoor conference qualifiers, senior Matt Rudderow and sophomore Justin Ackerman. Sophomore Jacob Kautz will also be returning in the javelin while sophomore Jarrod Shull, who placed third in the discus in 2004, is back from elbow surgery.

Joining the Red Raiders this season are junior transfers James Dart and David Green. Dart competed in the PSAC last season and is one of the finest shot put and discus throwers in the conference while Green was a former PIAA AAA state qualifier in high school in both the shot and discus. Freshmen Shaun Minnich and Adam Henderson will round out the squad. Minnich was third in the shot put at the PIAA state championships and also qualified in the discus, finishing eighth. Both Green and Minnich spent the fall season with the Shippensburg football team.

Sprints

A model of consistency, the sprint crew had another banner year in 2004-05. Leading the squad this season will be sophomore Jamal James who came off a freshman year that included a second-place finish in both the 100 and 200 meters at the PSAC Outdoor Championships. A phenomenal talent, he will look to continue his rise to the top of the conference and possibly the national level.

A strong group of veteran runners also return. Senior Steve Huffman will again be a solid 200 and 400-meter runner and valuable relay member. Sophomore Alex Terrell will also be looked upon to be a top point scorer for the Red Raiders. Junior Ryan Koppenheffer, sophomore Maurice Barbour and sophomore James Dubinski return as well to add depth and stability to the sprinters.

Newcomers to the sprint squad will be freshman Sean Cohick and highly touted freshman James Wilson. Wilson was a PIAA state qualifier in the 100 and 200-meter dashes and is considered by many as one of the fastest sprinters in the state. Sophomore Eric Baker, a transfer from the College of William & Mary, will also be joining Shippensburg as a talented 400 and 800-meter runner. He was the 2003 PIAA state champion in the 400 meters.

Hurdles

The hurdles will continue to be strong for the Red Raiders. Junior Bernie Richards will be Shippensburg's top hurdler after being a conference placewinner in the 55-meter high hurdles in both 2004 and 2005. Two years ago, he was an All-conference performer in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles placing second at the PSAC outdoor championships. Hampered by a nagging ankle injury last season, Richards will look to once again be a dominant force for the Red Raiders.

Joining Richards in the hurdle events will be freshmen Mike Murphy and Anthony Hankerson. Murphy had a stellar high school career and was a two-time PIAA state qualifier in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Jumps

The jumps crew continues to improve every year for the Red Raiders. Leading the charge again will be All-PSAC jumpers, senior Jake D’Arcangelo and junior Carl Dean. D’Arcangelo has earned All-conference in the high jump five times, taking third place at the PSAC Indoor Championships in 2004 and 2005 and third at the 2005 PSAC Outdoor Championships. Dean returns as one of the conference's best triple jumpers and will look to become a dominant force as well in the long jump.

Joining Dean in the triple jump will be sophomore Maurice Barbour who was a placewinner at last year's PSAC Outdoor Championships. Sophomore Troy Litten was a conference placewinner in the pole vault at the PSAC Outdoor Championships in 2005 and looks to become one of the conference's best while sophomore Luke Hershey returns for the Raiders in the high jump.

Joining the jumps squad will be freshmen Zach Pretty, Tyler Shaw and Dylan Stoelzl. In 2005, Stoelzl was a PIAA state qualifier in the pole vault.