ERIE, Pa. - The Penn State Behrend men's and women's outdoor track and field teams each won a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championships May 7, and a total of 26 men and all 18 women earned All-Conference honors by finishing in the top three of their respective events.
Head Coach Greg Cooper caps off the spring as the Coach of the Year for both the men's and women's teams for the second year in a row. He led the Lions to the CSAC Title after winning 22 of the 42 events, 12 coming on the women's side and 10 on the men's. The women combined for 306 points, 144 more than second-place Marywood, while the men tallied 92 more points than Marywood, finishing with 280 combined points.
On the men's side, Mitchell Obenrader (Fryburg, PA/North Clarion) was named Field Athlete of the Year and earned a spot on the First Team with wins in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw. Matthew Grafton (Worthington, PA/Kittannig) was honored with Track Athlete of the Year while also being named to the First Team after winning the 110 hurdles and running a leg in the 4x100 relay. He also added three CSAC Second Team honors and two Honorable Mention.
Tyler McClimons (Conneaut Lake, PA/Conneaut Lake) represented the Lions on the All-CSAC Sportsmanship team.
Dylan Buffington (Brookville, PA/Brookville) earned two All-CSAC First Team honors after winning the 800 and 1500 meter races. Alex Kubala (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills), Aaron Peters (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) and Luke Aaron (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) each won their respective events to earn spots on the First Team.
Kurt Eberhardt (Gibsonia, PA/Hampton), Grant Rodgers (Oil City, PA/Oil City), and Luke Patten (West Middlesex, PA/West Middlesex) joined Grafton on the First Team after each running a part of the winning 4x100 meter relay.
Stefan Carlsson (Butler, PA/Knoch) finished just behind Buffington in the 800 meter run to earn Second Team and Chris Drozynski (Stoneboro, PA/Lakeview) also earned Second Team, placing second in the 1500 race. Elijah Dangrow (Greenville, PA/Greenville) and Jarrod Lipsey (Kersey, PA/St. Mary's Area) rounded out the Second Team, earning honors in the pole vault and 3000 meter steeplechase, respectively.
Katelyn Hancock (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) earned a spot on the First Team and was named Track Athlete of the Year while Haley Yenchik (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) earned Field Athlete of the Year and also made the First Team. The pair each won two individual events and were also a part of a first-place relay team.
Hancock won the 800 meter and 1500 meter dash while also running a leg in the 4x400 meter relay. She finished second in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles, earning her a spot on the Second Team in both of those events as well. Hancock was also named to the CSAC All-Sportsmanship team to go along with her athletic accomplishments. Hancock
Yenchik won the pole vault, triple jump, and was part of the 4x100 team that came in first. She also earned Second Team in the long jump and Honorable Mention in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and high jump.
Paige Allen (Butler, PA/Butler) and Rachel Pell (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward) also won two individual events and ran legs in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Allen was First Team in the 100 and 200 meter dash, 4x100 and 4x400 relays, and Honorable Mention in the high jump and long jump.
Pell earned First Team after winning both the 100 and 400 meter hurdles, 4x100 and 4x400 relays, and made Honorable Mention in the 200 meter dash and high jump.
Ashlyn Carlsson (Butler, PA/Knoch) was part of both winning relay teams to pick up First-Team honors. She also made Honorable Mention in four events that included the 100 and 200 meter dash, long jump, and triple jump.
Courtney Sargent (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) garnered five All-CSAC honors including First Team in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. She made Second Team in both the 800 and 1500 meter runs and earned Honorable Mention in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles.
Rounding out the First Team is Riley Crissman (Bradford, PA/Bradford Area), who won the CSAC 5000 meter race. She also added Honorable Mention status in the 1500 meter run.
A complete list of all the All-Conference and Honorable Mention honorees can be found through the CSAC website: http://www.csacsports.org/news/2017/5/11/MTRACK_0511170833.aspx
