2005 PSAC Women’s Championship Preview

             Based on this past season’s Indoor Championship and pre-championship rankings, Slippery Rock will face a tough challenge in holding on to its PSAC crown from last year.         

The Rock will face pressure from Kutztown, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg , IUP and Edinboro in their quest to repeat.

Not only will the battle for the team championship prove exciting, the 3000m steeplechase and 5,000 and 10,000 meters each feature six national provisional qualifiers.

            Although the two time defending Rock has no returning individual champions from last season’s event, they still have plenty of scoring firepower. Kristen Jones has posted the second best time in the 100 and 200 this season and placed in each event last year. Abby McKissick is the top pole vaulter in the conference coming into the championship while Sunny Daugherty has the second best time in the 100 hurdles and Kristen Jones and Heather Kozchowsky rank second in the long jump and shot put respectively.

With a third place finish from last year’s outdoor championship, Kutztown comes off the indoor season as the women’s team champion and has high hopes of capturing the outdoor title. Sara Otis and Jaci Pfeiffer are at the top for Kutztown in the sprints. Laura Kline is an all-conference athlete returning in the 400m. Madonna Paterson, the indoor 800m champion, will take a shot at an outdoor title this season. Molly Lare is provisionally qualified in the 5k, and Danielle Mousley ranks the highest in the conference in the 1500m.  

The Lock Haven women’s team also has several standouts, which will contribute to their drive towards a team championship. After finishing second indoors, Lock Haven will be a team to watch. Maggie Borden is the returning outdoor 400m champion and is presently sitting third on the outdoor performance list and fourth in the 200, just ahead of teammate Ashley Hartman. In the 800m and 1500m, Brittany Turner is up at the top pack for mid-distance races. In the longer distances, Holly Bofinger is just shy of provisionally qualifying for the 10k.

            The Warriors of East Stroudsburg also have a set of athletes that could bring them into contention for a high team finish. Tawny Youtz is seeded at the top in the 400m and was the runner-up in the event last year. Vanessa Andes, a runner up indoors in the 3000m and 5000m, will be someone to look out for in the distance races outdoors. She is currently provisionally qualified for the 5k and 10k and has the ability to become an individual champion. Kelly Curry is a factor in the steeplechase race, where she currently has the fourth best time of the conference. Relay teams for East Stroudsburg should contribute to their fight for the top, with the 400m relay having the second best time and the 1600m relay team having the fastest time in the conference this season.

            IUP is a team that could edge out others in the close battle this year. Calista Shoaff has the second farthest throw this season for the javelin. Becky Bullard is ranked amongst the best in the heptathlon and has the best height in high jump. Mindy Sawtelle is ranked number one in the women’s 5000m as well as the 10,000m.  Lahnor Ridley, Gabrielle Hoffman, and Angela Watson should all be factors in the triple jump.

            Edinboro is led by Michelle Kelly, who could prove to be the top runner in the 800m with the fastest time in the conference this year. Kelly Richards is a contender for the 1500m, where she is followed by teammates Lisa Gallagher, Rachael Lanzel, the top seed in the 500m, and Shannon Loewke, who was fourth in last year’s 1500m, in the event. Richards also has the number one seed in the steeplechase this year. Lindsay Roberts could be a threat in the 10,000m this year, along with Lanzel. On the field side, Kristin Malloy is ranked third in the Heptathlon.

            Mansfield returns junior Charity Learn, who is seeded near the top in the steeple chase. Teammate Rachel Hall, who finished third last year, is also back again in the event. Freshman Katrina Brumfield has the second best height of the year in high jump and Casey Root could end up giving the Mountaineers points in the javelin throw.

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