Behrend Outdoor Track & Field Defends CSAC Championships This Weekend

ERIE, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's and women's track and field team will head to Washington, D.C. for the 2023 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championships hosted by Gallaudet University beginning on Saturday and concluding on Sunday.

Schedule/Coverage:
Day One, Saturday, May 6, 2023 (Video | Live Results | Championship Page)
Day Two, Sunday, May 7, 2023 (Video | Live Results | Championship Page)

Men's News & Notes:

* The Lions are competing for their seventh straight CSAC Championship
* Behrend holds the top seed in 11 events headed into the weekend
* Matt Laslavic (Evans City, PA/Seneca Valley) hopes to repeat as champion in the javelin and triple jump
* Laslavic is ranked first in each event heading into the meet
* Also in the field events, Samuel Hetrick (New Bethlehem, PA/Redbank Valley) and Islam Daghestani (Meadville, PA/Meadville) are poised to capture the high jump and pole vault, respectively
* Blake Burns (Jefferson, OH/Jefferson Area) looks to defend his title in the 110m hurdles, while Kody Klein (North East, PA/Cathedral Prep) holds the fastest time in the 800m (1:56.07) and hopes to repeat as champion

Women's News & Notes:

* The Lions are looking for back-to-back championships and their fifth overall
* Behrend has nine events with at least one athlete ranked in the CSAC top five
* Olivia Nola (Erie, Pa/Collegiate Academy) holds the top time in the 5000m, 1500m and 800m events
* Nola is looking to defend titles all three events from last season
* Savanna Carr (Franklin, PA/Franklin) was the 3000m steeplechase champion a year ago and holds the fastest time this season among the CSAC
* Ivy Laffan (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) holds the top time in the 400m
* Madison Kappeler (Cecil, PA/Canon-McMillan) leads the CSAC with a 3.29m mark in the pole vault
* Kappeler is the reigning champion in the pole vault and also ranks third in the long jump (5.09m)