RELEASE DATE: 4/23/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Mountie Women Shine at CTC Championship With Second Place Finish – Cummings Dual Winner on Men’s Side

CENTER VALLEY, PA – Sister’s Charity (Walker) and Tricia Learn both set new school records to help pace an extraordinary effort by the Mansfield University women’s track and field team to a second place finish in the 15 team field at the College Track Conference (CTC) Championship at DeSales University Sunday afternoon.

“It was an extraordinary day and an extraordinary effort by our women,” said head coach Mike Rohl. “As a team it was just an outstanding effort and outstanding day.”

Charity (Learn) Walker won the 3,000 steeplechase with a school record time of 11:05.81 with teammate Rachel Hall finishing second at 11:16.21. Both performances are provisional qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Championships while Walker's time is the seventh fastest in the Nation this year.  Kristen Weller was fourth at 12:52.55.

Younger sister Tricia Learn finished second in the 3,000 racewalk in the first time she ever competed in the event with a school record time of 15:43.60 with Weller (16:18.90) finishing third and teammates Sarah Groat (16:28.70) and Jamie Sweitzer (17:29.0) placing fourth and fifth.

Rachel Hall won the 5,000 meters in a time of 18:42.21 with Charity Walker finishing right behind in second at 18:42.60.

Also finishing first for the Mountaineers was freshman Marisa Fronczkiewicz in the 400 meters with a winning time of 1:00.3 with teammate Amber Hamlin finishing fifth (1:02.83).

Fronczkiewicz was also second in the 200 at 26.10 with Amanda Fedish fourth at 26.76 and Katrina Brumfield seventh at 26.94. Clarissa Corell was third in the 800 meters in a personal best time of 2:26.35. Robyn Ireland was also third in the 10,000 at 43:05.60.

Brumfield had an outstanding afternoon also finishing third in the high jump at 5-3, fourth in the triple jump at 10.37 meters and sixth in the triple jump at 15-01.00. Jessica Lown finished sixth in the 400 hurdles 1:10.49 and seventh in the 100 hurdles (16.51).

Tricia Learn was seventh in the 1500 (5:11.95) with teammate Heather Wida finishing eighth (5:12.41).

The women's 400 meter relay team of Fedish, Fronczkiewicz, Brumfield, and Hamlin finished third (51.10) while the same four girls finished third in the 1600 meter relay as well (4:09.72).

The Learn sisters paired up with Rachel Hall and Clarissa Correll to finish second in the 3200 meter relay (10:08.90).

On the men’s side, Chris Cummings won the 1500 meters (4:05.14) and 5,000 meters (15:18.88) with teammate Matt Zimmerman placing eighth in the 1500 (4:16.36) and  Bryan Morseman finishing seventh in the 5000 (15:46.25). Joe Trapani took first in the 5000 racewalk with a school record time of (23:47.90).

Adam Keir was second in the decathlon with 5113 points. Bryan Morseman finished fourth in the 3000 steeplechase (10:00.67). Doug DeBenedetto was eighth in the 400 while Jon Holtz (1:58.64) was eighth in the 800.

Cummings and Holtz teamed up with freshmen Zeb Dunn and Matt Zimmerman to finish fifth in the 3200 meter relay.

The men finished sixth overall out of 18 teams.