The Slippery Rock University women’s outdoor track and field team had a strong performance, recording 29 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks and 10 event wins at the John Papa Invitational on Thursday, hosted by The Rock.
Track and field athletes from 19 different colleges traveled to the William Lennox Track at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium for SRU’s second home meet of the season.
The morning opened up with the hammer throw. Sydney Hale took a fifth-place finish and a PSAC mark to start off strong for the White and Green.
Hale also placed in the top 10 in the discus throw to add another mark to her tally.
Tayla Kurzawa claimed two first-place event wins in the triple jump and high jump, earning PSAC and NCAA markings.
The other NCAA provisional came from Isabella Bartoletti when she took first in the javelin throw.
The White and Green dominated the top five in the triple jump, with Alice Bogia and Julia Coffaro placing third and fourth with PSAC marks of their own.
SRU saw a fourth-place tie in pole vault between Allie Taylor and Paige Harding, both reaching a height of 3.40 meters.
Along with the two field event wins, The Rock took seven event wins on the track.
Kamryn Ross (200-meter dash), Ava Reagle (400-meter dash), and Carissa Flynn (10,000-meter run) were the only Rock athletes to compete in their respective events, each taking first place. Reagle and Flynn earned PSAC marks.
Ross earned a mark of her own in the 100-meter dash with a fourth-place finish in a time of 12.38.
Grace Lennon (second place) and Lydia Reed (fifth place) also claimed PSAC marks to continue adding to the total.
The relay team of Grace Lennon, Reed, Ross and Reagle took another event win in the 4×100-meter relay.
Rock took first place in both hurdle events. Ondrea Young led the way in the 100-meter hurdles along with Leighanne Swan and Kathryn Morrison, finishing in the top 10. Evabella Cox placed in the 400-meter hurdles, followed by Madison Smalheer in third, just microseconds behind her.
Slippery Rock’s women’s track team turns their focus on splitting their squad next weekend for the final meets before the PSAC Championships. The team will be sent to compete at the Allegheny Invitational on Friday and the Ashland Alumni Open next Friday and Saturday.
