Track and Field's indoor season concludes, records set in the process
The Behrend track and field teams closed out the indoor season by competing at ECACS, and three athletes competed at nationals.
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At Ithaca College, the track and field teams competed at the eastern college athletic conference championship. Both teams finished in seventh place out of 48 schools total. The men’s team had one champion, and several other athletes placed. Luke Patten won the pole vault with a jump that tied his personal and the school record. Mitchell Obenrader was the runner up in the shot put, and set a school record with his throw. Another top finisher was Matthew Grafton in the 60 meter hurdles and the 500 meter race. He placed third and fourth in these events and set school records in both. Grafton also competed in the record-breaking 4x200 meter relay team, along with Patten, Kurt Eberhardt, and Grant Rodgers. The women’s team that competed at the championship also performed very well. Paige Allen finished second in the 60 meter dash, and Haley Yenchik placed fourth in the pole vault. Allen and Yenchik both competed on the eighth place finishing 4x200 meter relay team along with Maura Costa and Ashlyn Carlsson.
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At the national level, Behrend had three athletes qualify to compete at the national meet. Paige Allen set a record by being the first female track and field athlete from Behrend to advance to the national meet. She did not place and finished 15th out of 17 athletes after being ranked 16th coming into the event. Luke Patten, who won the pole vault at ECACs, finished sixth after being ranked eighth. He was awarded All American status for his sixth place medal. Mitchell Obenrader placed third and set a new school record with his throw in the shot put. He was ranked fifth coming into the event, and he was also awarded his fifth All American honor for his achievement. When asked about his achievement Obenrader stated, “It feels pretty damn good. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing all of your hard work pay off.” He also stated that for the outdoor track season he has a goal to become the first D3 athlete to be an All American in shot put, javelin, and discuss.
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The indoor track and field season is officially finished, and athletes are looking ahead to the outdoor season. The first outdoor meet will be on March 25 at the California early bird.
