GRANVILLE, Oh. – The Penn State Behrend men's and women's track and field teams took part in the Denison Last Chance Meet Friday evening.
Junior Paige Allen (Butler, PA/Butler) had an outstanding day on the track for the women's side, taking first place finishes in two events. She tied he own Behrend school record in the 60m with a time of 7.79. Her 60m time broke the all-time fieldhouse record at Denison as well.
In the 200m, Allen posted a season-best 25.66 for her second first-place finish. That time was the top time in Behrend history on a 200m flat track.
With Allen's time in the 60m, she ranks ninth in the ECAC and 20th in all of Division III. In the 200m, her time is ranked as the sixth fastest ECAC time and 17th fastest in Division III.
On the men's side, the Lions swept the 800m race, grabbing the top four and sixth place time. In order first through fourth, Dylan Buffington (Brookville, PA/Brookville) Matt McWilliams (Waterford, PA/ Fort LeBoeuf), Josh Natalie (Erie, PA/ Collegiate Academy-Strong Vincent), and Cody Cornell (Conneaut Lake, PA/Conneaut Lake) combined to complete a top four sweep.
The top four finishers for Behrend were all within less than a second of each other. Buffington finished in 1:55.61, McWilliams ran a 1:55.75, Natalie posted a 1:56.45 and Cornell took a time of 1:56.52. These four runners have now combined to beat the 800m school record eight separate times this season, with McWilliams holding onto the record currently.
In sixth, Devin Beggs sprinted a time of 1:58.39, missing a complete top five sweep by just .19 seconds.
The Lions who made ECAC qualifying times will compete this weekend, starting March 4, in Staten Island, NY in the ECAC Championships.
