PSAC Championships home page (psacsports.org) l Complete Results: Men l Women

Saturday recap l ESU preview

EDINBORO - Senior Christina O'Connor tied a conference record in the women's high jump to earn Women's Field Athlete of the Meet honors, leading four individual champions for East Stroudsburg University at the 2015 PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Sunday at Edinboro.

O'Connor cleared 5-10 to win her fourth career PSAC championship and tied a conference mark set in 1977 by Maureen Fitzpatrick (West Chester). She broke a school record of 5-9 1/4 shared by current assistant coach Karen Way Gaita (1991) and Lynn Mayer (2011).

Senior Danielle Smith set a program record with her eighth career PSAC championship, winning the women's 60m dash (7.62) and finishing second in the 200m (24.92) to set school records in both events.

Senior Damien Boham won the men's 800m (1:54.01), following up his 2013 outdoor title in the 400m to become the second athlete in school history to win PSAC titles at both distances. John Duda won the 440yd and 880yd runs in 1934.

Sophomore Steven Morgan won his second career PSAC championship, winning the men's 60m hurdles in 8.19 seconds. He was the 110m hurdles champion outdoors as a freshman last spring.

ESU's men's team finished fourth of 13 schools, the 13th straight top-four finish for the program since the start of the 2009 season and the 16th in the last 17 championships. The Warriors had been runner-up in seven of the last 11 championships, including both indoors and outdoors in 2014.

ESU's women were seventh, matching their 2014 outdoor finish. ESU was the runner-up indoors a year ago.

ESU WOMEN

O'Connor's clearance of 5-10 produced her fourth career PSAC title and third straight indoor title, extending ESU's dominance in the event. O'Connor and Lynn Mayer have both won four PSAC titles since 2010, giving ESU eight of the 11 championships contested in that time span.

She was tied for ninth in DII at 5-8 entering the weekend and solidified her spot at the NCAA Division II Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Birmingham, Alabama. O'Connor is a two-time All-American and three-time national qualifier.


Smith won her third straight PSAC indoor 60m dash title in a time of 7.62 seconds, lowering her school record from 7.66 (set in 2013) and edging Millersville's Kiara Allen, who finished in 7.64 after running a conference record 7.60 in the prelims.

Smith ran 24.92 in the 200m but was edged by Slippery Rock's Jasmine Bailey, who set a conference record in 24.85. Smith broke a 15-year-old school record of 24.94 set by Cheryl Griffin in 2000.

Smith's eight PSAC championships break a tie with distance runner Sue Carden (1979-82) for the most in school history. She has won five titles indoors (60m three times, 200m in 2013 and 2014) and three titles outdoors (100m in 2012 and 2013, 200m in 2012).

Sophomore Allison Decker was third in the 3000m in 10:02.11, the fifth-fastest time in program history. Decker, the PSAC cross country runner-up in the fall, was ninth in the conference in the 3K during the regular season (10:28.74).

ESU's 4x400m relay finished third in 4:00.08 with contributions from sophomore Erin Brady, freshman Hope Decker, freshman Jaid Harsch and Smith.

On Saturday, the Warriors were third in the 4x800m relay (Kaylyn West, Heather Spadola, Hope Decker and Brady) and fourth in the DMR (Samantha Young, West, Lauren Toth and Allison Decker).

ESU MEN

ESU had 11 athletes score in individual events, led by PSAC championships from Morgan and Boham and a runner-up finish from junior William Berry in the high jump.

Morgan had the top time in the 60m hurdles in both the prelims and finals, turning in a PR of 8.19 in the final, the second-fastest in school history. He ran 8.22 in the prelims Saturday and was also fifth in the long jump.

Morgan won last year's PSAC outdoor 110m hurdles title and is one of six ESU men's hurdlers to win multiple PSAC championships in his career.

Boham had an impressive run in the 800m, powering through in 1:54.01, also the second-fastest in school history. He was fifth on the entry list with a season best of 1:54.94 earlier this winter.

Berry, last year's outdoor champion in the high jump, cleared 6-8 3/4 with Shippensburg's Jalen Ramsey winning on the number of jumps. Berry has placed in the top three in the high jump in all five PSAC championships in his career.

Sophomore Ronald D'Eliseo was sixth in the both the 60m hurdles (8.43) and 200m (22.41) on Sunday. He had PR's in both events (8.33 and 22.32) in the prelims on Saturday.

In other finals on Sunday, junior Derrick Washington was fifth in the 400m (49.35), senior Mike Smith was fifth in the shot put (50-1 1/4) and freshman Ernest Pendleton placed eighth in the 60m dash (7.12).

Junior Adam Robertino was eighth in the 60m hurdles (7.75), giving ESU three finalists and 14 points in the event.

Junior Eric Conard was fifth in the men's heptathlon (4,447 points), just off his PR, and moved up from 10th through four events after the first day of action on Saturday.

ESU's 4x400m relay of Boham, D'Eliseo, Washington and freshman Juwaan Walker was fifth in 3:23.20.

In Saturday's finals, the Warriors had three finalists in the long jump in freshman Zach Dillon (3rd, 22-3 1/2), Morgan (5th, 21-10) and sophomore John Alston (8th, 21-8 3/4).

ESU was third in the 4x800m relay (Sean Halligan, Steve Ruch, Eli Mercado and Chris Ott) and fourth in the DMR (Ott, Robert Garvey, Ruch and Anthony Ruiz).


ESU Notes
* Danielle Smith has 20 combined career scoring performances (14 individual, 6 relays), ranking 3rd at ESU:
24 - Jasmine Johnson (13 11)
23 - Trina Carito (18 5)
20 - Danielle Smith (14 6)

* Damien Boham has 16 combined career scoring performances (7 individual, 9 relays), ranking 4th at ESU:
21 - Keith Parker-Washington (9 12)
17 - Ian Melhorn (9 8)
17 - Chris Reddick (9 8)
16 - Damien Boham (7 9)



WOMEN'S RESULTS (Sunday)

60m Dash
1. Danielle Smith - 7.62 [ESU Record - lowers her previous record 7.66 from 2013] [8th career PSAC title - ESU record] [improves NCAA provisional]

200m
2. Danielle Smith - 24.92 [ESU Record - breaks 24.94 by Cheryl Griffin in 2000] [improves NCAA provisional]

800m
16. Lauren Toth - 2:23.72

3000m
3. Allison Decker - 10:02.11 [ESU #5 time]

4x400m Relay
3. Erin Brady, Hope Decker, Jaid Harsch Danielle Smith - 4:00.08

High Jump
1. Christina O'Connor - 5-10 [4th PSAC title - ESU record - breaks 5-9 1/4 by Karen Way 1991 and Lynn Mayer 2011] [improves NCAA provisional]
18. Kelley Anne Stuetz - 5-0 1/4

Triple Jump
15. Tirzah Johnson - 34-8 1/4

Shot Put
20. Alysha Menzies - 36-8 1/4


Finals (Saturday)

5000m
17. Caitlin Perry - 18:24.53

4x800m Relay
3. Kaylyn West, Heather Spadola, Hope Decker, Erin Brady - 9:48.12 [ESU #9 time]

Distance Medley Relay
4. Samantha Young, Kaylyn West, Lauren Toth, Allison Decker - 12:24.89 [ESU #6 time]

Long Jump
20. Tirzah Johnson - 16-2 1/4

Weight Throw
17. Alysha Menzies - 44-11


MEN'S RESULTS (Sunday)

60m Dash
8. Ernest Pendleton - 7.12

200m
6. Ronald D'Eliseo - 22.41

400m
5. Derrick Washington - 49.35 [ESU #4 time]

800m
1. Damien Boham - 1:54.01 [2nd career PSAC title - ESU #2 time]
16. Sean Halligan - 2:00.22

Mile
10. Steve Ruch - 4:23.17
19. Anthony Ruiz - 4:34.25

3000m
14. Alec Lederer - 8:53.29

60m Hurdles
1. Steven Morgan - 8.19 [2nd career PSAC title - ESU #2 time] [improves NCAA provisional]
6. Ronald D'Eliseo - 8.43
8. Adam Robertino - 8.75

4x400m Relay
5. Damien Boham, Ronald D'Eliseo, Derrick Washington, Juwaan Walker - 3:23.20

High Jump
2. William Berry - 6-8 3/4

Triple Jump
9. La Treil Ridgeway - 44-4
13. Brad Najac - 42-10 1/4
17. Zach Dillon - 40- 11 1/2

Shot Put
5. Mike Smith - 50-1 1/4

Heptathlon
5. Eric Conard - 4447
[8.98 60H, 13-9 3/4 PV, 2:48.31 1000]


Finals (Saturday)

5000m
--. Alec Lederer (dnf)

4x800m Relay
3. Sean Halligan, Steve Ruch, Eli Mercado, Chris Ott - 7:58.53

Distance Medley Relay
4. Chris Ott, Robert Garvey, Steve Ruch, Anthony Ruiz - 10:30.03

Long Jump
3. Zach Dillon - 22-3 1/2
5. Steven Morgan - 21-10
8. John Alston - 21-8 3/4
13. Sean Hagerty - 21-0 3/4

Weight Throw
10. Mike Smith - 51-10 1/2



TEAM SCORES

Women
1. Shippensburg - 122
2. Slippery Rock - 114
3. Bloomsburg - 71
4. California - 70
5. Edinboro - 62
6. West Chester - 59
7. ESU - 51
8. Millersville - 33
9. Seton Hill - 31
10. Kutztown - 28
11. Lock Haven - 17
12. IUP - 13
13. Cheyney - 12
t-14. Mansfield - 8
t-14. Clarion - 8
16. Pitt-Johnstown - 3

Men
1. Shippensburg - 200.5
2. Slippery Rock - 131
3. Lock Haven - 81
4. ESU - 74
5. California - 48
6. West Chester - 46
7. Kutztown - 39
8. IUP - 34.5
9. Cheyney - 16
10. Bloomsburg - 15
11. Seton Hill - 13
12. Mansfield - 2
13. Pitt-Johnstown - 1