BETHLEHEM, Pa- After an excellent indoor track and field regular season, the West Chester University women's track and field team will look to conclude its indoor slate on a high note as the team heads to Rauch Field House on the campus of Lehigh University for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships this weekend. Action for the large contingent of Golden Rams making the trip to Bethlehem gets underway on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. and will conclude on Sunday afternoon.
"We've had a good indoor season," started Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Colin Leak. "The student-athletes have worked hard all year and have done a great job putting themselves in a good position for a strong showing at the conference championships this weekend. We've seen strong development from this group across the board and I think that is really a testament to how hard they've worked since they got together earlier in the fall."
The PSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships return to Rauch Field House on the campus of Lehigh University once again this weekend with the men's long jump beginning competition at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the 4x400 wrapping up competition on Saturday afternoon at 3:40. Saturday will feature a number of field event finals along with multi competition, the DMR, 5K, and prelims for the 400, 200, 60 hurdles, and 60 meter dash. A full schedule of events is available
here.
Spectator tickets must be purchased in advance from Lehigh University via this link. Adult prices are set at $15, while children ages 2-12 are $9. No complimentary tickets will be available; however, PSAC passes will be accepted. Additionally, students from PSAC Member Institutions with a valid, current ID will be admitted free of charge. For fans unable to make the trip to Lehigh, live results are available
here, with live video available via the
PSAC Digital Network.
Following an excellent indoor season, West Chester returns to Lehigh this weekend looking to build off an eighth-place finish at the 2025 Championships as the team finished the last indoor championship with 29.5 points.
"Indoor track and field season is always challenging," acknowledged Leak. "I still always look at indoor as a step and progress to get ready for a strong outdoor season so we can try to end the year on the highest note possible. Of course, we want to have a strong showing throughout the Indoor season and this weekend especially. This weekend I want to see us continue improving over where we were last year and see if we can continue building tradition and raising the bar of where we have been in recent years. With how hard this group has been working, we have shown that we are more than capable of standing above where we have been in the past, so I'm excited to see how we compete, and I know the team is excited too."
A quartet of Golden Rams is set to compete in the 60-meter dash, led by
Katja Larsen (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts), who enters with the fourth fastest time in the field of 7.79 seconds, along with
Genevieve McDonald (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown), Ava Mills (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton), and Gabby Curtis (Harrisburg, Pa./C.D. East). McDonald also has a top-10 time in the PSAC, the eighth fastest time of 7.84 seconds from the Alvernia Winter Invitational to start 2026.
McDonald and Larsen will also be part of a group of four Golden Rams competing in the 200 alongside
Abigail Hanneman (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro) and
Cate Hildebrand (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South). Hildebrand remains the top seed for West Chester in this event with a time of 25.57 seconds, which is the 10
th fastest in the league.
Hanneman will be another two-event Golden Ram as she will compete alongside
Molly Minor (Haddonfield, N.J/.Haddonfield Memorial) in the 400, Hanneman is the top seed for West Chester in this event with a time of 59.30 seconds from the Fasttrack National, which is 14
th in the PSAC.
Cassie Nugin (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) and
Ember Foster (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) will lead West Chester in the 800 with Nugin entering as the Golden Rams' top-seed with a time of 2:19.12, which is the seventh fastest in the PSAC.
Kirstina Tapia (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley) will compete in the 3K and 5K, entering with times of 10:01.74 and 17:21.16, which rank third and first in the PSAC heading into the Championships. Tapia will be joined in the 3K by
Jessalyn Welsh (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro), who will also compete alongside Tapia in the 5K with the addition of freshman
Megan Werner (Bristol, Pa./Conwell Egan). Welsh enters with a 3K time of 10:34.18 and an 18:23.64 5K, while Werner enters with an 18:39.61 5K time.
Morgan Pera (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh), Cate Hildebrand (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South), and Wasko will represent West Chester in the 60-meter hurdles with times of 9.24, 9.13, and 9.09 seconds, respectively.
West Chester will also compete in both the 4x400 relay and Distance Medley Relay (DMR) with times of 4:00.29 and 12:47.31, respectively.
In the field events, West Chester will have a trio of athletes competing in the pole vault, led by
Kaylie Groff (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) and her mark of 11 feet 5 ¾ inches (3.50 meters), which is seventh best in the PSAC.
Hannah LaFave (Spring Brook Township, Pa./North Pocono) and
Emily Donegan (Hershey, Pa./Hershey) will join Groff in this event with marks of 11-3 ¾ (3.45m) and 10-11 ¾ (3.35m), respectively.
West Chester will also have a pair of student-athletes in the triple jump as
Nikolien Bezuidenhout (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) will compete in both the triple jump and long jump with marks of 37-0 ¼ (11.28m) and 17-6 ¾ (5.35m), while
Leah Wasko (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) will join her in the triple jump with a mark of 36-2 ¾ (11.04m).
Emma Deyarmin (Leesport, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) is the final Golden Ram competing in multiple events this weekend as she will compete in both the shot put and weight throw with marks of 38-1 ½ (11.62m) and 45-10 ½ (13.98m), respectively.
"The Championship environment is always a lot of fun to be a part of," continued Leak. "We have a big group going on both the men's and women's side, which always lends itself to great team energy, and hopefully that will help us this weekend. It's always great to watch the team energy build throughout a Championship weekend and see how energy and a strong performance in one event can flow into the next and help the entire team have a great weekend."
All-conference honors will once again be up for grabs this weekend, with the top three finishers in each event earning All-League honors.
