Women’s Track and Field Crown CSAC Champs; Pell Named Athlete of the Year

GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's track and field team won the Colonial State Athletic Conference (CSAC) title Sunday afternoon after combining for a team score of 246.50 points.

Rachel Pell (Elizabeth, PA/Elizabeth Forward) was honored with the Track Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Meet.

Pell had a huge weekend for the Lions, taking first in the 400 meter dash and 400 meter hurdles, while also taking second in the 100 meter hurdles and 200 meter run. She set a new CSAC record in the 400 meter run with a winning time of 58.46. She then posted a first-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles with a final time of 1:07.54. Pell continued on the day to finish second-place in the 100m hurdles and 200m dash with times of 15.53 and 26.21, respectively.

Tiayerra Stroncek (Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills) scored 2650 points to award her the winner of the CSAC Heptathlon Champion. Later in the day, she competed in the high jump where she tied for sixth with leap of 1.30 meters.

In the distance, Courtney Sargent (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) had first-place finishes in both the 3000 steeplechase and 800 meter race. She ran the steeplechase in 12:20.18, edging out teammate Becca Worley (Townville, PA/Maplewood) who finished in fifth at 12:59.98. Sargent then finished the 800 in 2:27.31, while Kelley Giles (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) placed third at 2:30.88.

Also in the distance, Riley Crissman (Bradford, PA/Bradford Area) and Savanna Carr (Franklin, PA/Franklin Area) took the top two times in the 5000 meter run. Crissman won the race with a time of 18:37.21 and Carr came in second at 18:42.38. Caitlin Plazony (Fairview, PA/Fairview) and Erica Koenig (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) took sixth and eighth, respectively. Plazony crossed in 20:4.79 while Koenig finished at 21:04.53.

Haley Yenchik (Cecil, PA/Canon McMillan) performed well on day two of the championships. She took first-place in the pole vault with a final jump of 3.73m, while also qualifying for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships in the 100 meter run with a time of 12.85. Yenchik leaped a distance of 5.20 meters in the long jump for third place.

Yenchik was also a part of the winning 4x400 relay squad. Along with Yenchik, Gabriella Loeffler (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin), Ashlyn Carlsson (Butler, PA/Knoch), and Carr won for the third consecutive year with a final time of 4:14.18.

The 4x100 meter relay squad, on the other hand, made up of Yenchik, Carlsson, Loeffler, and Pell took second at 50.46.

Carlsson also took fifth in the 400m run with a time of 1:02.13, fifth in the long jump at 4.91m, seventh in the 200 with a mark of 27.70, and ended in eighth in the 100m run with a time of 13.52.

In the discus, Myeisha Sanders (Erie, PA/East) placed third with a toss of 33.43 meters.

Behrend will be back in action on Friday when they compete in the Allegheny Gator Invite beginning at 9 a.m.