We are in the middle of track season as the Golden Rams look to continue to reach the PSAC championships and take the title back to West Chester. We are now in the beginning stages of the outdoor season as the spring weather is finally here and hopefully staying for a while. The men’s last track meet was a WCU open on Saturday, March 26 against Kutztown, Bowie State, Cheyney, Lincoln and Franklin and Marshall Universities. Not forgetting about our Lady Rams, their last meet was also on March 26 and against the following opponents: Kutztown, Bryn Mawr, Lincoln, Cheyney, Bowie State and Franklin and Marshall.
Starting off with the men’s track team from the meet on March 26, thrower Greg Raudenbusch came close to his own school record in the hammer throw, and West Chester’s men qualified 16 for the PSAC Championships in the outdoor opener Saturday afternoon inside John A. Farrell Stadium. The Golden Rams took four first-place finishes on the track and three more in the field events to win its own WCU Open with 201 points. Kutztown was second with 157 while Bowie State was third with 74.5. Cheyney placed fourth with 63.5, Lincoln (Pa.) fifth with 60 and Franklin & Marshall sixth with 26 points. Raudenbusch threw the hammer 159 feet, 10 inches to qualify for PSACs. On the day, Raudenbusch hit qualifying distances in three different throwing events. He put the shot 44’9” and tossed the discus 131’5” as well on Saturday. Nick Robinson also hit a PSAC qualifying distance in the discus with a toss of 136’6” that was good for third place. Matt Hook threw the javelin 170’1” to qualify for PSACs. That effort was good for eighth on the school’s all-time Top 10 list. All totaled, the men’s track and = field team had five Top 10 performances on the day. Joey DeCecco posted a pair of wins in the field events, taking first in the high jump by clearing 6’6.75”. He won the triple jump with a leap of 44-11. Both of those marks will send him to the PSAC Championships in May. Saybrim Medina and Mark van Teyens went second and third in the 400-meter hurdles as well. Both stamped their tickets to the PSAC meet in May while they also landed in the Top 10 at West Chester. Medina’s 55.45 time is eighth in school history, and van Teyens’ 55.72 is 10th all-time The men’s team had a very strong showing in all events and look to carry that momentum toward the road of the PSAC Championships.
The Lady Rams were not far away from the men’s team, as they also saw a lot of success during their meet. Taylor Pugh won both the 100-meter hurdles and the triple jump, and West Chester’s women qualified 11 for the PSAC Championships in the outdoor opener Saturday afternoon inside John A. Farrell Stadium. The Lady Rams took five first-place finishes on the track and three more in the field events to win its own WCU Open with 189.5 points. Kutztown was second with 147, while Bryn Mawr placed third with 89.5. Lincoln (Pa.) was fourth with 67 points while Cheyney was fifth (43), Bowie State sixth (33) and Franklin and Marshall seventh with five points.
Holly Szita won the high jump, clearing 5’4.25”, which was a PSAC mark and also tied her for fifth on West Chester’s Top 10 list. Sarah Kosenske placed second in the triple jump (35’8.5”) but still qualified for PSACs with that distance and landed ninth on WCU’s all-time Top 10. She also won the long jump (16’7”), but did not meet a PSAC qualifying distance. Emily Field was runner-up in the hammer, throwing it 127-7. It fell short of a PSAC distance but is fifth all-time at WCU. Field also placed fifth in the javelin (107’3”). Sammi Lowery finished third in the pole vault, clearing 10’4”. That places her sixth all-time at WCU. The Lady Rams look to continue this pace as their next couple of meets will be outdoor and continue on the road toward the PSAC championship.
The Golden Rams look to continue on the road toward the PSAC championships as we switched gear and are ready for outdoor meets and we look forward to the rest of the season. Their next meet will be on Friday, April 8 at WCU as we continue to run toward the end of the season.
Marcelus Council-Jones is a fourth-year student. He can be reached at MC785844@wcupa.edu.