Bloomsburg Track and Field Competes at PSAC Championships

BLOOMSBURG- The Bloomsburg University track and field team will compete at the 2007 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) outdoor championships this weekend at Shippensburg University. The Huskies have 12 athletes who qualified to compete in 11 different events.

On the women's side, Bloomsburg will be represented by Sarah Bounds (Shippensburg/Shippensburg), Amber Hackenberg (Middleburg/Middleburg), Andrea Kellock (Lansdale/North Penn), Connie Rainieri (Gilbertville/Saint Pius X), Beth Schwing (Hershey/Lower Dauphin) and Ashley Schuck (Milton/Milton).

Rainieri, a senior, qualified in the 200-meters, the 400-meters and the long jump. In the 200-meters, her fastest time came at the East Stroudsburg All-American meet where she ran a 26.06, the ninth best time in the PSAC. Earlier in the season she ran a 59.81 in the 400 at Susquehanna which put her ninth on the qualifying list. Rounding out her PSAC events, Rainieri posted the conference's eighth best long jump when she cleared 17' 1.25" at the Early Bird Invitational at Radford.

In order to advance to the finals in the 200- and 400-meters, Rainieri will run qualifying rounds on Friday where she will have to place in the top two. Head Coach Karen Brandt is confident that Rainieri can earn a podium finish, possibly even an All-Conference performance in the 400. "She is a very strong and determined athlete and when she keeps her emotions under control and puts her mind to doing something she just about always does it, " said Brandt.

Although hampered by several respiratory illnesses this season, Bounds will be running the 10,000-meters on Friday morning and then will return for the 5,000-meters on Saturday morning. "After a 10k a little more than 24 hours earlier, the 5k will be a tough double but there are a number of women in the conference also doing it, " added Brandt. "Sarah will be in good company among the top women in the conference."

Last year, Bounds placed second in the 10,000-meter race and hopes to make a return trip to the podium. This season, she's seeded fourth, qualifying in 38:50.16 at the Bucknell Bison Classic. In the 5,000-meters, Bounds qualified for the championships with an 18:49.83 at Susquehanna's Jim Taylor Invitational.

Hackenberg will race both the 5,000- and 3,000-meters on Saturday. Brandt is looking for her to place in the top five, if not the top three in each event. Hackenberg qualified third in the 5,000 by running a 17:28.66 at the Penn Relays. "The plan is for her to drop her time from the 17:28 she ran at Penn Relays into the low 17:20's if not the 17 teens," explained Brandt. "She is currently ranked 14th in the nation in the 5,000 and wants to make sure she remains in the top 16." The top 16 runners who have earned an NCAA provisional time at the qualification cut off point are guaranteed qualifiers for the championships.

In the 3,000-meters, Hackenberg's fastest time this season came at East Stroudsburg's All-American meet where she ran a 10:43.70. Although the 3K will be contested on the same day as her earlier 5K race, Brandt expects Hackenberg to finish on the podium and also use the race to prepare for nationals. "The 3K race is a second event in which we want her to run as fast as she is capable in preparation for the fact that she will have to run a qualifying round of the 5K at nationals before running the finals the following day," said Brandt.

Schwing will also be competing in the 5,000-/3,000-meter double and Brandt expects her to compete for All-Conference in both races. In the 5,000 meters, she qualified in a time of 18:27.71 at the Bucknell Bison Classic which is sixth in the conference. In the 3,000 meters, Schwing is seeded fourth after running a 10:35.56 at East Stroudsburg earlier this season. She will also be looking to cement a spot on the NCAA qualifying list.

Brandt feels that Schwing is better prepared for the shorter distance races because she's competed at 10,000- meters this year. "Beth has a good combination of speed and strength and with the experience she's gained this season at the much longer 10K distance she should be ready to crank out at top-quality 5K."

Schuck, in her first PSAC Championship meet, will compete along side Hackenberg and Schwing in the 5K/3K double. "Ashley has been running more evenly paced races and therefore producing better results, like her qualification for the conference 3K just this past weekend at Shippensburg University," commented Brandt. At Shippensburg, she ran a 10:49.35 in the 3,000-meters which gives her the eighth best time in the PSAC.

Brandt also expects Schuck to compete for a podium spot in the 5K. She comes into the event seeded eighth after qualifying at Susquehanna University in 18:46.04.

Rounding out the competitors for the women is Kellock, a freshman. A complete novice to the sport of track until the indoor season this winter, she will be competing in the 5,000-meters. Kellock qualified for the championships after winning the event at the Paul Kaiser Classic last week in Shippenburg after running a 19:00.48. "Andie needs to really let her talent out on Saturday because she's only just scratched the surface of what she is capable of doing," added Brandt. "If she does, I know she will be on the podium for sure."

For the men, qualifiers include Mike Dalton (Lake Hopatcong, NJ/Pope John XXIII), Ben Holmes (Waynesboro/Waynesboro), Matt Krum (Hatfield/North Penn), Mikhail Litvinov (Drums/Hazleton), Justin Shepherd (Cranberry Twp./Seneca Valley) and Jimmy Stockley (Elverson/Twin Valley).

Shepherd is qualified in both the 10,000- and the 5,000-meters and has a difficult goal in mind for Friday morning's 10K race. While his PSAC-qualifying time put him on the national performance list, it is not in the 16 best times in the nation. He is going to attempt to run about 20 to 25 seconds faster than he did at Penn to place himself in one of those guaranteed national positions. "Any 10K is a difficult proposition, but to try to run a really quick one that early in the morning is especially difficult," commented Brandt.

Shepherd is currently third on the conference qualifier list in the 10,000-meters and has a goal of earning All-Conference for his efforts. He qualified for the event by posting a 30:43.98 at the Penn Relays. In the 5,000- meters, Shepherd qualified for PSACs by running a 15:08.15 at the Bucknell Bison Classic but may not run the event if he makes the national time in the 10K.

Also in the 10,000-meters, Litvinov and Holmes are both qualified and are looking to run personal records. Litvinov is seeded 17th after running a 32:58.20 at the Bucknell Bison Classic. Holmes qualified for the event at Susquehanna University running a 32:58.20 and is seeded 19th. "They are both very tough minded men who don't leave anything out on the track," said Brandt of the pair. "Both of them will wring out every bit of effort they have Friday morning."

Krum will be racing in the 800-meters for Bloomsburg where he will have to qualify for the finals by running in the preliminaries on Friday afternoon. He comes into the race with the 17th fastest time in the PSAC this season running a 1:57.48 at Susquehanna University. "Matt is a talented young man who unfortunately the past few races has let other racers get into his head and dictate his race rather than taking control and doing what he is capable of doing," said Brandt of Krum. "I feel sure that if he gets himself in to the final it will give him the confidence he needs to go for it again."

Dalton will be making his first appearance in the conference championships running the 5,000-meters. Having only raced twice this season at the distance, he is a relative newcomer. Dalton qualified for the championships by running a 15:27.12 at Susquehanna in his first ever 5K race. He is seeded 17th but Brandt expects that his talent will help him lower his personal record and move him up the list. "Mike will need to make good tactical decisions as the race progresses and if he does he should find himself well placed at the end of the race. "

Stockley will be racing the 3,000-meter steeplechase on Saturday morning. To qualify for the championships, he ran a 9:54.24 at Susquehanna which places him 12th in the conference. Brandt feels that a podium finish is well within his reach. "He raced somewhat tentatively in the second half of his last steeple race after putting out an opening mile that would have taken him to a 9:45 finish," she adds. "Jimmy needs to see himself as a quality racer and finish the job he starts so well in the opening mile of his event."

Heptathlon and Decathlon events will take place on Thursday May 3rd, but the majority of the competition will take place on Friday, May 4th from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 5th from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. More information is available at: http://webspace.ship.edu/sid/07-psac-outdoor-track.html.