WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University women's track and field squad is set to return to action as a full team one final time this week in West Chester for the WCU Last Chance Invitational inside John A. Farrell Stadium on Friday afternoon to likely conclude the 2025-26 Track and Field season. West Chester heads into its final meet of the regular season after a historic second-place finish at the PSAC Outdoor Championships, the team's best finish Outdoor Championship finish since 1986.
Last Time Out
Thursday Recap
Kristina Tapia (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley) finished second in the 10K in 36 minutes and 6.33 seconds to finish second and lead the West Chester University women's track and field team on day one of the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Tapia was one of two Golden Rams in the top five of the 10K on Thursday night as West Chester scored 13 points on day one of the Championships in its first and only event of the day to sit in a tie for second on the team leaderboard heading into Friday.
Tapia sat in the top three throughout the race and finished in just over 36 minutes, while
Jessalyn Welsh (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro) was fourth in 36:18.31 to pick up five points of her own along with Tapia's eight points thanks to her All-Conference effort to begin the weekend. Tapia's effort is also the second fastest 10K in program history and the team's fastest since 2001. Legendary Golden Ram distance runner Julie Bowers Glavin retains the program record in the 10K with a time of 33:34.45.
Friday Recap
Megan Werner (Bristol, Pa./Conwell Egan) scored three more points for West Chester in the 3K Steeplechase as she finished sixth in 11:36.57 to finish off the Golden Rams afternoon on the track.
Hannah LaFave (Spring Brook Township,Pa./North Pocono) and Kaylie Groff (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra) both picked up points for West Chester in the pole vault, taking third and eighth with marks of 11 feet 11 ¾ inches (3.65 meters), while 11-7 ¾ (3.55 meters), respectively. LaFave scored six points for West Chester, while Groff scored one in this event.
West Chester's 4x100 relay squad placed second in prelims in 47.21 seconds to punch its ticket through to the finals on Saturday afternoon.
Cate Hildebrand (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South) took third in the 100 hurdles prelims in 14.46 seconds, while also placing fourth in the 400 hurdle prelims in 1:03.49 to punch her ticket to the Saturday finals in both events.
Amanda Marquis (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) also qualified for the Saturday finals in the 400 as she finished fourth in prelims in 57.02 seconds.
Katja Larsen (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) placed fourth in the 200 prelims in 25.01 seconds to qualify for the Saturday finals, while
Cassie Nugin (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) and Ember Foster (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) will both compete in Saturday's 800 finals after finishing second (2:16.57) and sixth (2:18.08) in the prelims on Friday.
Larsen was also one of three Golden Rams to qualify for the Saturday finals of the 100 as
Genevieve McDonald (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and Erin Gombert (Lehighton, Pa./Palmerton) helped West Chester finish 6,7,8 in prelims in 12.00, 12.07, and 12.11 seconds, respectively.
Saturday Recap
Nugin, who won the 800 at the PSAC Indoor Championships in March, defended her title at the Outdoor Championships with a first-place finish in 2:15.60, while
Ember Foster (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita) was close behind in third in 2:16.28 to also earn All-League honors. This was Nugin's second title of the afternoon as she started her day with a win in the 1500, as she edged out Alexis Tepper of Bloomsburg, crossing the line in 4:39.86, just .04 seconds ahead of Tepper.
West Chester started its day on the track with a 4x100 Championship in 47.14 seconds for 10 early points. West Chester finished its Championships with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay in 3:53.87.
Kristina Tapia (Ridley Park, Pa./Ridley) and
Jessalyn Welsh (Enola, Pa./East Pennsboro) took fifth and sixth in the 5K in 17:30.54 and 17:41.94, combining for 11 more points for the Golden Rams.
Katja Larsen (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) placed sixth in the 200 in 25.37 seconds to score three points as an individual after also taking second in the 100 in 12.15 seconds to add eight points to the Golden Ram total.
Genevieve McDonald (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) took sixth in the 100 in 12.26 seconds, while
Erin Gombert (Lehighton, Pa./Palmerton) was seventh in 12.32 seconds.
Amanda Marquis (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) took second in the 400 in 56.98 to add eight points and another All-Conference honor to the Golden Ram total.
Cate Hildebrand (Chalfont, Pa./C.B. South) took fifth in the 400 hurdles in 1:03.80 to add four points after finishing third in the 100 hurdles in 14.65 seconds.
