2008 Woodie Awards
Hansen wins pole vault at University of Maryland Invitational
By Terry Rodgers
Rocket Contributor
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
The SRU track and field team was spread out over the weekend but received a strong showing from some familiar names.
At the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md., Jennifer Hansen claimed the top prize in the pole vault with a leap of 12 feet 6 inches, which landed her a provisional berth in the NCAA Division II national competition.
Hansen was battling an illness all week and said she did not feel as though she performed to her full potential.
She also said the weather was also a factor over the weekend.
"It's hard to have record-breaking performances when it is 45 (degrees) and windy," Hansen said via e-mail. "I was using shorter poles than normal because of the cold (and illness)."
Hansen has had continued success in national competitions, earning a second-place finish last May at the NCAA Division II national championships and finishing as the second runner-up at the indoor national championships in Mankato, Minn., on March 15.
Along with Hansen, two other Rock athletes made their mark at the Maryland Invitational.
Chris Warning, a sophomore discus thrower and last year's conference champion, won his signature event with a throw of 150 feet, 6 inches, while Nate Hardic, a junior whose specialty is the javelin, won his event with a toss of 192 feet, 1 inch.
At the Maryland event, SRU was without 15 of its student athletes, who had been suspended for the invitational after a team member posted photos of a drinking party that occurred during a team trip to San Diego in mid-March.
The Rock representatives at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., were not to be forgotten, as three athletes earned provisional spots in the NCAA's.
The Raleigh Relays were primarily for Rock distance runners. At the event, the distance races take place at night. Rock Head Coach John Papa said that this involves significantly better conditions for distance runners.
Jeff Weiss and Pat Reagan each fared well in the 5,000-meter run, placing 11th and 17th, respectively.
Weiss turned in a time of 14:12.44 and Reagan finished at 14:25.53. Both earned a provisional spot in the NCAA Division II national championships.
On the women's side, Jen Harpp turned in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 17:31.56 in the 5,000-meter run at Raleigh.
The remainder of the team that was unable to make the trips to either Raleigh or Maryland due to class schedules competed in the Western PA Championships in Pittsburgh.
The men's team took home a 12th-place finish, while the women's squad finished 13th at the event held at Carnegie Mellon University.
Serena Bond captured first place in the triple jump to help lead the Rock.
"We are back at full strength this week, so we are very excited," Papa said.
The Rock outdoor team is back in action tomorrow at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium as it hosts the PSAC West Challenge.
At the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md., Jennifer Hansen claimed the top prize in the pole vault with a leap of 12 feet 6 inches, which landed her a provisional berth in the NCAA Division II national competition.
Hansen was battling an illness all week and said she did not feel as though she performed to her full potential.
She also said the weather was also a factor over the weekend.
"It's hard to have record-breaking performances when it is 45 (degrees) and windy," Hansen said via e-mail. "I was using shorter poles than normal because of the cold (and illness)."
Hansen has had continued success in national competitions, earning a second-place finish last May at the NCAA Division II national championships and finishing as the second runner-up at the indoor national championships in Mankato, Minn., on March 15.
Along with Hansen, two other Rock athletes made their mark at the Maryland Invitational.
Chris Warning, a sophomore discus thrower and last year's conference champion, won his signature event with a throw of 150 feet, 6 inches, while Nate Hardic, a junior whose specialty is the javelin, won his event with a toss of 192 feet, 1 inch.
At the Maryland event, SRU was without 15 of its student athletes, who had been suspended for the invitational after a team member posted photos of a drinking party that occurred during a team trip to San Diego in mid-March.
The Rock representatives at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., were not to be forgotten, as three athletes earned provisional spots in the NCAA's.
The Raleigh Relays were primarily for Rock distance runners. At the event, the distance races take place at night. Rock Head Coach John Papa said that this involves significantly better conditions for distance runners.
Jeff Weiss and Pat Reagan each fared well in the 5,000-meter run, placing 11th and 17th, respectively.
Weiss turned in a time of 14:12.44 and Reagan finished at 14:25.53. Both earned a provisional spot in the NCAA Division II national championships.
On the women's side, Jen Harpp turned in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 17:31.56 in the 5,000-meter run at Raleigh.
The remainder of the team that was unable to make the trips to either Raleigh or Maryland due to class schedules competed in the Western PA Championships in Pittsburgh.
The men's team took home a 12th-place finish, while the women's squad finished 13th at the event held at Carnegie Mellon University.
Serena Bond captured first place in the triple jump to help lead the Rock.
"We are back at full strength this week, so we are very excited," Papa said.
The Rock outdoor team is back in action tomorrow at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium as it hosts the PSAC West Challenge.
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