Complete Results through Saturday / Live Results link for Sunday

EDINBORO – Sophomore Mike Saparito anchored the men's 4x800m relay to a meet record and East Stroudsburg University's first-ever conference title in the event to highlight the first day of the 2011 PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Edinboro.

Senior Mahmoud Aldeen, sophomore Amr Aldeen and freshman Steve Werley ran the first three legs to get the baton to Saparito, who ran a split of 1:50.5 to bring the Warriors home in 7:45.11 to edge Slippery Rock by just over a second. The quartet broke the school record, set last year on the same track, by exactly five seconds.

ESU is fifth in the conference in both the men's and women's team standings entering Sunday, scoring 24 points in the women's side and 23 points on the men's side. ESU's men have been the runner-up at three straight PSAC Championships since the start of last year and are set up for a strong final day with at least one athlete expected to score in nearly every event.

Two other Warriors set individual school records, one in the finals and the other in prelims in preparations for the second day of action on Sunday.

Freshman Laura Beimfohr cleared 11-6 1/2, an NCAA Division II provisional qualifying mark, to finish third in the women's pole vault and break her own school record for the third time this season. Beimfohr topped 11-3 3/4 two weeks ago and set the school record for the first time in the season opener at Lehigh in her first collegiate meet.

Senior Asher Ashfield qualified sixth in the 60m dash and 200m, running a time of 7.01 seconds in the 60 to break teammate Ian Melhorn's record of 7.03. Melhorn ran 7.07 in the prelims to place 10th and just miss a spot in the finals. Ashfield also ran a career-best of 22.48 and was one of three Warriors to qualify for the finals in the 200.

Senior Negus Graham is the top qualifier in both the 200 and 400, turning in times of 21.89 in the 200 and 48.35 in the 400. Last year's PSAC Men's Track Athlete of the Meet at the outdoor championships, Graham will go after his first career indoor titles and also run on the defending champion 4x400m relay team in the final event of the meet. Junior Greg Pammer was the No. 6 qualifier in the 400 with a career-best time of 50.03.

ESU won three straight heats in the prelims of the 200. Junior Ian Melhorn ran 22.18 to qualify fourth for the finals in the second heat, Graham edged No. 2 qualifier Nafee Harris of IUP in the third heat and Ashfield won the fourth heat to qualify in the sixth spot. In the 60m hurdles, sophomore Corey Young qualified in the No. 2 spot for the finals and improved his NCAA provisional time by one-hundredth of a second to 8.23 seconds.

Two freshmen turned in season-best performances in field events to score for the men. James Homola was fourth in the pole vault at 15-0, and Corey Kresge placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 23-1 3/4. Homola went down to his last attempt to clear his opening height of 14-0, but was clean in his attempts at 14-6 and 15-0.

The men's Distance Medley Relay placed fifth with freshmen Chris Schneider, Christopher Walker and Tim Fields and senior Chris Zadroga finishing in 10:24.37.

The women's DMR was third as sophomore Corinne Fitzgerald anchored with a mile time of 5:07.7 to follow sophomores Bridget McCarron and Tara Getz and freshman Kim Lowry. The Warriors' time of 12:19.45 is the third-fastest in school history.

The women's 4x800m squad was fifth, as McCarron, Wernerspach, freshman Kim Lowry and Fitzgerald ran a time of 9:37.65 that is also the third-best at ESU.

The Warriors had three scorers in the women's field events. Senior Danielle Laws was fourth in the weight throw (47-3 3/4) to place in an event for the fifth time in her career, freshman Elizabeth Madden was eighth in the weight throw (45-7), and sophomore Lauren Hannan was seventh in the long jump (16-6).

Senior Jasmine Johnson and freshman Rachel Pierantozzi led the Warriors' women who qualified for finals in the sprint events. Johnson was sixth in both the 200 (25.92) and 400 (58.88) and has placed in the top five in either the 200 or 400 eight times in her career. Pierantozzi ran a season-best of 7.95 seconds to qualify sixth for the finals in the 60m dash, while freshman Nicole Brown was one spot out of qualifying in the 400m in 59.22 seconds.

Two other Warriors just missed qualifying for finals in the 60m hurdles. Senior Brittany Knowles ran a career-best of 9.31 seconds but was three-hundredths of a second from qualifying for the last spot in the finals. Sophomore Lauren Ventrella, the defending champion, was 10th in 9.40 seconds.

Junior Dan Johnson stands sixth in the heptathlon through four events with 2,559 points and is less than 100 points out of second place. He cleared 6-6 1/2 in the high jump and is ranked third in the open high jump entering the finals.

Senior Trina Carito, the defending PSAC champion in the pentathlon with the No. 7 national mark, did not compete on Saturday due to injury but is expected to go for her eight straight placewinning performance in the high jump on Sunday. Carito is also on track to be healthy enough to compete in the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Sunday's action will also see senior Lynn Mayer defend her PSAC indoor and outdoor titles in the high jump. She is ranked No. 5 in Division II with a mark of 5-9 1/4 that is tied for the school record.


Women's Results – Finals

4x800m Relay
5. Bridget McCarron (2:24.0), Kim Wernerspach (2:27.4), Kim Lowry (2:23.2), Corinne Fitzgerald (2:22.3) – 9:37.65

Distance Medley Relay
3. Kim Wernerspach (3:46.9), Tara Getz (61.3), Kim Lowry (2:23.3), Corinne Fitzgerald (5:07.7) – 12:19.45

Long Jump
7. Lauren Hannan – 16-6
17. Trina Carito – 15-9 1/2

Pole Vault
3. Laura Beimfohr – 11-6 1/2
t-18. Steph Weber – 9-7

Weight Throw
4. Danielle Laws – 47-3 3/4
8. Elizabeth Madden – 45-7
10. Jess Sekely – 44-1 1/2
18. Caitlin Keen – 37-10 1/2


Women's Results – Prelims (top 8 to finals)

60m Dash
6. Rachel Pierantozzi – 7.95
20. Lauren Ventrella – 8.19
25. Lauren Hannan – 8.27
26. Brittany Jones – 8.28

200m
6. Jasmine Johnson – 25.92
18. Nicole Brown – 26.66

400m
6. Jasmine Johnson – 58.88
9. Nicole Brown – 59.22

60m Hurdles
9. Brittany Knowles – 9.31
10. Lauren Ventrella – 9.40
14. Aniyah Williams – 9.71
17. Adrienne Dieter – 10.09


Men's Results – Finals

4x800m Relay
1. Mahmoud Aldeen (2:00.1), Amr Aldeen (1:57.5), Steve Werley (1:56.8), Mike Saparito (1:50.5) – 7:45.11

Distance Medley Relay
5. Chris Schneider (3:07.5), Christopher Walker (51.9), Tim Fields (2:00.9), Chris Zadroga (4:23.0) – 10:24.37

Long Jump
5. Corey Kresge – 23-1 3/4
21. Tim Burgio – 20-5 3/4
22. Nate Horn – 20-4 1/2

Pole Vault
4. James Homola – 15-0


Men's Results – Prelims (top 8 to finals)

60m Dash
6. Asher Ashfield – 7.01
10. Ian Melhorn – 7.07

200m
1. Negus Graham – 21.89
4. Ian Melhorn – 22.18
6. Asher Ashfield – 22.48

400m
1. Negus Graham – 48.35
6. Greg Pammer – 50.03
15. Keith Parker-Washington – 50.70
24. Kyle Tuohy – 52.78

60m Hurdles
2. Corey Young – 8.23
14. Kyle Soden – 8.72

Heptathlon (through 4 events)
6. Dan Johnson – 2,559 points