The West Chester University men’s and women’s track teams celebrated the first day of spring on Friday by heading outside to kick off their outdoor seasons.The Golden Rams Collegiate Invitational was held on a chilly afternoon at John A. Farrell Stadium. The event marked the first home track meet for either team this season.
It was the middle distance runners who lead the way for the men’s team.
Adam Samborski finished second in the 110m hurdles with a time of 16.92 seconds. For Samborski, it was his first competition since an injury forced him to miss the entire indoor season.
The Golden Rams captured the top three spots in the 800m event, with Matt Langdale, Sean Devolites and Kevin Selinsky winning first, second and third respectively. Langdale finished with a time of 2:01:71, Devolites with 2:05:17, and Selinsky with 2:05:19.
West Chester continued their dominance in the 400m event. Craig Espenshade won it with a time of 50.56 seconds, while teammate Matt Houser finished in second thanks to his time of 51.33.
The men also found success on the field as Kyle Miller won the pole vault event by clearing a height of 13 feet, 5 _ inches. Josh Bacon captured the triple jump event with a leap of 41-3. Thrower Rob Johnson won the discus event with a distance of 127-7. Johnson also managed a second place finish in the hammer throw event with a distance of 141-7.
It was also a successful day for WCU’s women’s team, which won six field events in addition to claiming several top spots on the track.
C.J. Jacob led the way for the Rams as she captured first in two events. Her distance of 16 feet, 1 ¬ inches was good for first in the long jump event. Also, her 15.62 second time in the 100m hurdles gave her first place in that event as well. Jacob took third in the high jump event with a height of 4-9.
Also shining for the Rams was Melinda Wentz, who scored a pair of third place finishes in addition to one runner up spot. Wentz placed third in the 100m hurdles with a time of 16.77 and third in the long jump with a distance of 15-5. She finished second in the high jump with a height of 4-9.
Brittany Foye placed second behind teammate Jacob in the long jump event with a distance of 15-10 . She also won the triple jump with a distance of 35-0 ¬.
Dana Dietrich claimed second place in the triple jump with a distance of 33-9 ¬. The women continued to own the field events as Kamber Schrann won the pole vault, clearing a height of 9-5 _.
WCU’s throwers also got into the mix as Liz Jackson won the discus event while teammate Noreen Seymour placed second. Jackson recorded a distance of 118-9, while Seymour had 114-3.
The two throwers flip-flopped positions in the hammer throw as Seymour placed first with a distance of 123-7 and Jackson as the runner-up with120.8.
West Chester continued their success on the track as Sam Smarkola won the 100m dash with a time of 12.87. Smarkola also captured a second place finish in the 200m dash event with a time of 26.48. Placing behind Smarkola was Mackenzie Lauro, who grabbed second in the 100m dash with a time of 13.28.
Distance runner Lyndsey Ratasiewicz also had two top place finishes, taking the first in both the 1500m, with a time of 5:03.63, and the 3000m, with a time of 10:49.17.
The Golden Rams will be back in action on Friday as they kick off competition at the Widener Invitational. Events will take place on both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
Colin McGlinchey is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in Journalism. He can be reached at CM646588@wcupa.edu.