Five Athletes Named to USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team

July 20, 2006

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Five Shippensburg track and field athletes, one woman and four men, were honored for their work in the classroom as they were named to the 2006 Division II U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's and Women's All-Academic Track & Field Team.

The five honored were Megan Schweighofer (Tyler Hill, Pa./Honesdale), Bernie Richards (York Haven, Pa./Northeastern York), Dan Helfrick (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan), John Somers (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) and Allen Hanslovan (Morrisdale, Pa./West Branch).

The USTFCCCA honors individuals and teams for their academic and athletic accomplishments during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. To qualify, an individual athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher and must have met the NCAA Division II national qualifying standard in his or her event.

Schweighofer took home third-place in the weight throw at the PSAC indoor championships before earning three top-10 finishes at the outdoor championships, placing third in the hammer throw, seventh in the shot put and eighth in the discus. Her wieght throw of 53-feet, 1 1/2-inches at the indoor championships set a new school record, breaking her old mark set in 2005.

Richards posted the team's fastest time in the 55-meter hurdles during the indoor season, finishing second at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships in 7.70 seconds. At the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he recorded an NCAA provisional time of 53.27 seconds with his second-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles while also finishing in third-place in the 110-meter hurdles.

Helfrick captured the 5,000 meter title at the indoor conference championships with a time of 14:52.98 and took third-place in the 10,000-meter run at the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His eighth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the indoor championships was the second best on the team this season.

Somers had the team's top times in both the mile and 3,000-meter run indoors, finishing first in the mile at the conference championships. At the outdoor conference championships, Somers finished in third-place in the 1,500-meter run before taking second-place in the 5,000-meter run with an NCAA provisional time of 14:47.16.

Hanslovan finished second behind Somers in the mile at the PSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships and at the outdoor championships, finished second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:57.84. Hanslovan also took fourth in the 5,000-meter run. He posted the PSAC's top outdoor time in the 5,000-meter run with a mark of 14:25.70 at the Penn Relays.

- Lady Raider Track and Field -