Spriggs Picks Up Two Victories at DeSchriver Invitational, Speca, Kihm Also Winners
Feb. 5, 2006
EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Senior Sonia
Spriggs (Avondale, Pa./Avon Grove) picked
up victories in the women's shot put and weight throw as the Shippensburg
University men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Sixth
Annual DeSchriver Invitational hosted by East Stroudsburg University on
Sunday at Koehler Fieldhouse.
On the men's side, the Red Raiders totaled 13 top-10 finishes led by a victory
from sophomore Troy Litten (Gettysburg, Pa./Gettysburg) and runner-up finishes
by freshman James Wilson (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata), freshman Mike
Murphy (Reamstown, Pa./Cocalico), junior Bernie Richards
(York Haven, Pa./Northeastern York) and junior Nate Reider
(York, Pa./Dallastown).
Spriggs, who has already qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
(PSAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships in two weeks, posted team and
personal season bests in both events to earn her first two victories of the
season. Her mark of 41-feet, 3-inches in the shot put was almost three feet
further than her previous best set at the Bison Open on January 27 while
her throw of 47-feet, 9 3/4-inches in the weight throw was over two feet
farther than her mark at the Terrapin Invitational.
Sophomore Megan Schweighofer (Tyler Hill, Pa./Honesdale) finished second
in the weight throw behind Spriggs after posting a season best mark in the
shot put of 37-feet, 7-inches to place fifth. Like Spriggs, Schweighofer
has also qualified for the PSAC Championships in both events.
Elsewhere on the women's side, junior Monica Speca (Mechanicsburg,
Pa./Trinity) came in first in the high jump with a mark of 5-feet, 4-inches, surpassing
her old mark of 5-feet, 3-inches set at the Bison Opener on December 3. Freshman
Shae Conrad (Selinsgrove, Pa./Selinsgrove) also posted a season best in the
high jump while freshman Christine Kihm (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) reached
11-feet in the pole vault for the third time this season.
Freshman Siobhan Richards (York Haven, Pa./York Haven) came in second in
the 55-meter dash with a team-best time of 7.44 seconds in the finals after
posting the fastest time in the preliminaries at 7.47 seconds. She then was
fourth in the 200-meter dash in a team-best 27.16 seconds. Freshman Alisa
Murray (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) was eighth in the 200 meters before
running a team-best time of 1:02.63 in the 400 meters to place ninth.
In the 55-meter hurdles, freshman Denai Thomson (Harleysville, Pa./Norristown) finished fourth with in 8.98 seconds, joining senior Anna
Mack (Olyphant, Pa./Lakeland) as the only person to break nine seconds. Together, the two
are half of the four athletes that Shippensburg has qualified for the PSAC
Championships in the event.
Highlighting the men's performances, Reider posted an NCAA provisional mark
of 55-feet, 11-inches in the weight throw, the best mark in the conference
by more than four feet. Senior Matt Rudderow (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and freshman David
Green (Waynesboro, Pa./Southwestern) each posted season
bests in the event as Rudderow became the fifth athlete from Shippensburg
to qualify for the PSAC Championships for the event.
After finishing in ninth-place in the pole vault at the New Balance Collegiate
Invitational on Saturday, Litten won the event on Sunday with a mark of 14-feet,
6-inches, a mere three inches shy of his personal best. Wilson tied his season
best in the finals of the 55-meter dash with a mark of 6.61 seconds to place
second before coming in seventh in the 200 meters.
In running in his first 400-meter dash of the season, Murphy posted the second
fastest time on the team in 51.97 seconds, a mark that qualifies him for
the PSAC Championships. Murphy, who has already qualified in the 55-meter
hurdles, came in 10th on Sunday behind teammates Richards and sophomore Anthony
Hankerson (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg).
Richards posted a season best time of 8.04 seconds in the preliminaries before
becoming the first on the team to break eight seconds in the finals, running
a time of 7.84 seconds to finish second. Hankerson, who had held the previous
best time of 8.00 seconds at the DuCharme Invitational, came in third in
8.01 seconds.
Freshman Zach Pretty (Littlestown, Pa./Littlestown) finished third in the
long jump with a PSAC Championship qualifying mark of 21-feet, 1-inch.
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday at the PSAC East Challenge
hosted by Kutztown University.
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Lady Raider Track and Field -
