Track Records Shatter on Day One of ECACs

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Penn State Behrend men's and women's track team had an outstanding first day of Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship competition Friday, breaking four school records.

For the women's team, Paige Allen (Butler, PA/Butler) started the day off strong. In the 60m dash preliminaries, she broke her own indoor school record with a time of 7.76 seconds. She finished fifth and qualified for tomorrow's finals.

Then in the women's 4x200m relay, Allen teamed up with Haley Yenchik (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan), Ashlyn Carlsson (Butler, PA/Knoch) and Rachel Pell (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward) to break another school record. They finished ninth, posting a time of 1:46.52. 

On the men's side, Mitchell Obenrader (Fryburg, PA/North Clarion) broke his own indoor school record for the second time this season. He finished in second, throwing a monster distance of 54' 10" (16.72m). 

In the distance medley relay, Dylan Buffington (Brookville, PA/Brookville), Matt McWilliams (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf), Josh Natalie (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy-Strong Vincent) and Matthew Grafton (Worthington, PA/Kittanning) broke the school record they set earlier this season, finishing second with a time of 10:03.57.

To close out the day for the Lions, Luke Patten (West Middlesex, PA/West Middlesex) set a personal record in the pole vault. He finished in the fourth positing at a height of 4.71m.

Behrend men sit third in the team standings with 20.50 points after day one. The ECAC Championships continue tomorrow as the Lions look to build on their record-breaking first day.