Successful ECAC Trip for Behrend Track and Field Athletes
It was a successful weekend of action for the Penn State Behrend men's and women's indoor track and field teams at the ECAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at St. Lawrence University. Thirteen out of fourteen athletes that made the trip earned All-ECAC honors by finishing in the top eight in at least one of their events.
Behrend's top performer was Isiah Meek (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) who took second place in the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 7.74. This was a new Behrend record and also a provisional NCAA qualifying time. Also on the men's team, Donnie Hackworth (Monroeville/Gateway) took eighth position in the pole vault with a height of 4.24 meters. Jon McKinney (Summerville/Union) was another eighth placed finisher for Behrend in the triple jump with a distance of 13.10 meters. Rounding out the men's individual performers was Shane Rock (McKean/General McLane) who placed twelfth in the triple jump with a distance of 12.75 meters.
Staci Banaszek (Erie/Harborcreek) qualified for three separate jumping events. Her top performance came in the triple jump where she placed sixth with a distance of 10.71 meters. Banaszek also placed twelfth in the high jump and nineteenth in the long jump. Leisl Soergel (Evans City/Butler) took eighth spot in the women's 500-meter dash with a time of 1:22.84. This time was a new Behrend record.
Both Behrend relay teams placed sixth in school record time. The women's 4x800-meter team of Leslie Gentile (Corry/Corry), Nicole Minewasser (Warren/Warren), Claire Manelick (Youngsville/Youngsville), and Leisl Soergel ran a time of 10:01.62. The men's 4x800-meter team consisting of Brad Ruffo (West Middlesex/West Middlesex), Eric Diluzio (Erie/Cathedral Prep), Mike Barlett (Erie/Iroquois), and Joe Wilcher (Irwin/Penn Trafford) finished in a time of 8:05.07.
"We are extremely pleased with the performances of all our athletes at ECACs," said head coach Dave Cooper. "We had a record number qualifying this year, which was great, but to have 13 athletes earn All-ECAC status was amazing. The competition was outstanding but our people rose to the occasion," added Cooper.
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