ERIE, Pa.- The West Chester men's track and field squad is finalizing its preparations for the 2021-22 PSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, following a one-year hiatus for the 2020-21 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
FAN INFORMATION
In an effort to permit at least minimal fans, each participant of the 2022 PSAC Track and Field Championships will be able to designate
NO MORE than TWO visitors for each day. Fans will also be required to wear a mask at ALL TIMES. Tickets to the Championship will be $10 per day for those who are designated by a participant at the meet. Students from PSAC Institutions will be admitted free of charge with a current, valid ID, if they are on the spectator list.
For fans unable to attend the Championships, live results will be available via this
link and a live
stream of the Championships will be available on the PSAC Digital Network via the following link.
VENUE INFORMATION
The 2021-22 PSAC Indoor Championships return to Erie once again this year, being held on the campus of Edinboro University inside the
Mike S. Zafirovski Sports and Recreation Dome. The Dome, which has been a frequent home to the Indoor Championships, includes an oversized, 230M flat track, which will create a somewhat different environment for many of the competitors. When asked about the potential impact of competing on the oversized surface, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country,
Melissa Ferry acknowledged, "There will be some slight differences for our athletes runner some of the longer, multi-lap races and the relay exchanges will be somewhat different. We will be able to go on Friday to see the facility to walk and talk through any differences, and get our student athletes a map they can look at overnight to know exactly what they are looking at going into competition," explained Ferry. "Thankfully a number of our athletes who could be impacted by this have already seen and competed in the facility in previous years, so it won't be totally new to them this weekend," noted Ferry.
FLOCK TALK
When asked about the 2021-22 Indoor season to this point, "I thought indoor went well overall. Almost all of our student-athletes have had a personal best or college best in at least one of their events. We have had personal bests and success across the board, whether it has been in field events, or on the track," continued Ferry.
Entering the Championships, a number of West Chester's student-athletes are top-10 seeds in their respective events led by
William Rivers (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) who boasts the top triple jump mark in the league with a distance of 48 feet 2 ¾ inches, which he set at the Gotham Cup in January. Rivers mark also serves as an NCAA Provisional Qualifying mark in addition to going as the second-best mark in program history.
On the track,
Aaron Williams (Kirklyn, Pa./Upper Darby) has the one of the top performances in the PSAC in the 200, with a time of 22.25 seconds, which he set at the Rutgers Open in the Golden Rams final competition of the season.
Amarre Mayo (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) will join Williams in the 200 as the 14
th seed with a time of 22.80 seconds in this event from earlier in the 2021-22 season.
Competing at the Rutgers open and against a number of strong Division I programs throughout the season was an area, which Ferry talked about throughout the season as a benefit for West Chester entering the Championships, saying "Having the chance to compete against some big Division I programs have allowed our athletes to see that they can compete beyond their accustomed scope and consistently gain growth opportunities through being challenged. This also gives them good perspective when coming back to meets that are Division II competitions, such as the PSAC Championships as they know that they have tested themselves in waters beyond what they are used to and have great confidence entering the Championships," explained Ferry.
Chad Mowbray (Lancaster, Pa./Penn Manor) will lead West Chester in the 400 with a time of 49.92 seconds, which ranks seventh best in the league while
Orion Frazier (Roslyn, Pa./Abington) and
Jack Wasserman (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) are ninth and 12
th with times of 49.99 and 50.49, respectively.
Nick Page (Laurel, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) enters as the Golden Rams top competitor in the 60 meters, a time of 7.08 seconds while
Tyrese Reid (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) will also compete for West Chester having registered a time of 7.12 seconds earlier this season.
Reid and Page will also compete for West Chester in the long jump as Page enters with the eighth-best performance with a mark of 22-7 ¼ while Page is 14
th with a mark of 22-1.
Zahir Madyun (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) will also compete for West Chester in the long jump, entering the Championships with a mark of 21-11 ¾, which is tied for 17
th best in the Conference.
In the distance events,
Philip Smith enters as the top-seed for the Golden Rams among the various distance races, entering as the 12
th seed in the 3k with a time of 8:55.31 while
Chase Knorr (Birdsboro, Pa./Twin Valley) is 14
th in the mile with a time of 4:26.21 and
David Kramer (Washington Boro, Pa./Penn Manor) is 16
th in the 800 with a time of 1:58.66.
In the remaining field events,
Michael Nieman (Lansdale, Pa./Lansdale Catholic) will look to continue his strong season in the high jump, entering as the 14
th seed in this event with a mark of 6-0 ¾ while
Andrew Puz (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and
Andrew Bosche (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) will compete in the pole vault, with Puz entering with a mark of 14-1 ¾, which is sixth best in the league while Bosche is 11th with a mark of 13-5 ¼.
Geraldo Medina (Willow Street, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) will round out the West Chester field contingent this weekend, competing in the weight throw, with the eighth best mark in the weight throw with a mark of 51-7 ¾.
West Chester will also have a pair of relay squads in action, competing in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) and 4x400 relay as the fifth seed in each of those events with times of 10:27.05 and 3:23.94, respectively.
"Our staff and athletes have worked hard all year to prepare for each meet and this Championship. I think this a lot like preparing for an exam, you do your prep work early to get ready and take confidence from that to know you are prepared to execute in the Championship," explained Ferry. "My final message to the team will be to remind how hard they have worked, the competitions they have already competed in at a high level, and to take confidence from all that and go into the Championships and simply execute as they have been doing. We would certainly love to have a week full of PRs but this team can be successful this weekend at the highest level in the PSAC by continuing the performances they have had all year, which is a testament to the work they have been doing for the last few months," concluded Ferry.
The PSAC Championships begin on Saturday and will continue through Sunday afternoon. Live
results and
video will be available via links above and recaps of each day of competition will be posted on wcupagoldenrams.com and social media at the conclusion of each day. Additionally, fans can follow @PSACSports and @PSACTF on twitter for live updates, including photos throughout both days of the Championship.
