The Slippery Rock University women’s track team ventured to Raleigh, N.C. last weekend to participate in the Raleigh Relays.
On the first day of action, senior Stephanie Case placed 10th in the elite section of the 10,000-meter race; finishing with a time of 35:16.80.
Case was one of six runners that placed Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference qualifying marks on the first day at Raleigh. Case’s performance also hit the NCAA provisional qualifying time.
Case said that she felt good about her performance at Raleigh, and that she could not have planned it better.
“I was thrilled with my performance,” Case said. “There’s nothing better than making a plan, and then exceeding your expectations.”
Case went on to say that she thought the team as a whole did very well at Raleigh, but they still have a ways to go.
“Even though it’s early, we’ve had some solid performances, and I think we all have significant room for improvement over the next month.”
Freshman Mariah Burns led the Green and White in the long jump, placing second in the section with a leap of 5.62 meters.
Sophomore Angelica Bagwell placed second in the third section of the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:35.94.
Bagwell said that Raleigh was a good test for the team, and it was nice to have a solid challenge to face.
“Raleigh was an excellent chance for us to raise the bar,” Bagwell said. “It was great having a higher than normal level of competition.”
Bagwell also said that the team is doing well so far this season, and she also agreed with Case, saying that the team still has a vast amount of room for improvement.
“I think we are headed in the right direction, but we have so much more talent that we have not yet shown.”
Also on Friday, sophomore Katelyn Wetzel hit the PSAC mark in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.52 seconds. Sophomore Samantha Zampetti also hit the PSAC mark with a time of 12.85 seconds.
Freshman Lexie Nowakowski also hit the PSAC standard in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.11.
On the second and final day at the Raleigh Relays, the ladies once again had a strong showing.
Senior Lexi Arnold hit the PSAC mark in the javelin and placed fifth with a throwing distance of 43.69 meters.
Freshman Sam Taylor also hit the PSAC mark, placing eighth with a throwing distance of 41.35 meters. Both girls hit the NCAA provisional qualifying standard with their throws.
Senior Kim Goth hit the PSAC mark in the javelin placing 12th with a throw of 39.88 meters.
Senior Angela Schroeder hit the PSAC mark in the pole vault, placing sixth with a clearance of 3.35 meters.
Paired with her strong long jump performance on Friday, Burns also qualified for PSACs in the triple jump, placing 17th with a leap of 11.00 meters.
The final qualifier of the weekend was freshman Summer Weinheimer, who hit the PSAC mark in the 400-meter hurdles, placing 49th with a time of 1:07.80.
In the 4×100-meter relay, Zampetti, Wetzel, Nowakowski, and freshman Emily Moroco combined to run a time of 48.92 seconds, their best of the season.
The Rock will host the SRU Open Friday, April 5.
