WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's track and field team competed at the Washington and Jefferson Invitational on Saturday afternoon.
With a total of 107 points, the Lions tied for third out of 11 competing teams.
Senior Victoria Harwood (Fair Haven, NJ/Rumson-Fair Haven) led the way for Behrend with an outstanding day on both the track and in the field. Harwood won the pole vault at 3.15m. She placed second in the 400m with a time of 59.76. Harwood's time in the 400m also qualified her for ECAC's. She was also a part of two relay teams. Harwood teamed up with Alex Paget-Blanc (Paris, France/Aelene Boucher), Jamie Szramowski (Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland Catholic), and Katie Spade (Warren, PA/Warren) for the 4x400m relay. The squad qualified for ECAC's while taking second at 4:07.96. In the 4x800m relay, Harwood, Szramowski, Spade, and Catie Bertges (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) set a new school record with a time of 9:54.88, also good enough for ECAC's.
Spade competed in the 400m with Harwood and was close behind in third place at 1:00.85. She also took fifth in the 200m dash at 27.75. Jen Gibson (Hookstown, PA/South Side) tied for seventh in the 200m with a time of 28.21.
The Lions had two more ECAC qualifiers in Bertges and Haley Hughes (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton). Bertges took second in the 5000m at 18:28.13 while Hughes won the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:54.38.
Also participating in the 5000m run was Katie Patterson (Erie, PA/Villa Maria) and Katie Manno (Erie, PA/McDowell). The duo had times of 20:55.87 and 21.19.14, respectively. Patterson crossed the line in seventh place with Manno finishing in 10th.
Danielle Stanko (Saegertown, PA/Saegertown) placed second in the 3000m steeplechase, right behind Hughes with a time of 12:25.29.
Three Behrend athletes had great performances in the hurdling events. Paget-Blanc took first in both the 100m hurdles and the 400m hurdles with times of 16.31 and 1:08.29, respectively. Angela Sweeney (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) took seventh in the 400m hurdles at 1:11.40 with Szramowski in ninth at 1:13.17.
Stephanie Stoughton (Chicora, PA/Karns City) and April McDermott (Atco, NJ/Hammonton) led the Lions in the field events. Stoughton took third in the javelin throw with a distance of 34.34m and tied for fifth in the discus throw at 33.53m. McDermott was ninth in the javelin at 28.14m and 10th in the discus after hitting 29.49m.
Behrend will be back in action on Saturday at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. Start time is set for 10 a.m.
