When asked about the start of the new season, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Colin Leak said, “Friday kicks off a new season for us, and we are very excited to get going. We always want to start things off on the right foot and I think we are in a strong position to do just that. Our athletes had a great fall training block to get ready for this point, so we will be looking to capitalize on all that work and start off strong.” Check out our full conversation with Coach Leak here.
Friday’s visit to Ocean Breeze will be the first of four visits to Staten Island this year for the Golden Rams. The team will be right back in Ocean Breeze next weekend for the Widener Shootout before opening 2025 in New York for the Gotham Cup on January 17.
The Golden Rams will stay in Pennsylvania for a few weeks following this, competing at the Widener Invitational on January 24 and 25 at the Ott Center on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania before heading to Bucknell the following weekend for the Bucknell Multi/Open.
West Chester will make its final visit to Ocean Breeze on February 8 for the Fast Track National before returning to Penn for the Widener Classic on February 14 and 15. The Golden Rams conclude their 2024-25 indoor regular season with a visit to Penn State for the Penn State Tune Up on Friday, February 21, before competing in the PSAC Championships on March 1 and 2 at Lehigh University.
At the 2024 PSAC Indoor Championships, West Chester finished eighth thanks in large part to individual podium finishes from Will Rivers (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central), Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), Derrick Lukomski-Pizzo (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), and Sammy Jenkins (Malvern, Pa./Conestoga).
Rivers won the PSAC Triple Jump crown at the Indoor Championships, while Miller finished eighth in the 800. Miller also played an important role in the Golden Ram DMR squad's fourth-place effort on the first day of the Championships.
Lumkomski-Pizzo took sixth in the weight throw with a mark of 51 feet 6 ¼ inches, which also served as a new personal best. Jenkins vaulted his way onto the podium again with a mark of 14-7 ½, which was good enough for a seventh-place finish in the pole vault.
On the distance side, West Chester will also be looking to build off tremendous momentum from a strong 2024 cross-country season, which saw the team place ninth at the PSAC Championships and 12th at the Regional Championships.
Matt Remishofski (Wall, N.J./Wall) had an excellent rookie campaign on the cross-country course for the Golden Rams, finishing 29th at the PSAC Championships to earn All-League honors before finishing 45th at the Regional Championships. Jason Vogt (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) was close behind at Regionals, finishing in 59th just 19 seconds back of Remishofski after finishing 33rd at the PSAC Championships, narrowly missing out on All-League honors for what would have been the second consecutive year.
Lukomski-Pizzo, Thomas Smith (Wallingford, Pa./Cardinal O’Hara), and Ben Thornton (Lincoln University, Pa./Salesianum) are some of the top returning throwers for West Chester as they look to build off excellent seasons in 2023-24.
Josh Farrell (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), Junior Duffault (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg), Amarre Mayo (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), and Alijah Serrano (Womelsdorf, Pa./Conrad Weiser) highlight a veteran group of sprinters for West Chester, who will look to make continued strides in the 2024-25 campaign.
David Burnshaw (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) enters his junior campaign as a multi-athlete for West Chester, and he has excellent potential to score important points for the Golden Rams at the PSAC Championships later this winter.
In addition to a strong group of returners, West Chester also welcomes several talented newcomers, 23 to be exact, who are all expected to help contribute to the Golden Rams' success in 2024-25.
As always, fans are encouraged to visit wcupagoldenrams.com and follow West Chester Athletics on social media for all the latest news and notes on the Golden Rams varsity athletic programs.
