Track: WVU Faces Strong Field at National Open
January 26, 2006 05:03 PM | General
January 26, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University indoor track team returns to State College, Pa., on Friday, Jan. 27, to compete in the first day of a two-day meet at the Penn State National Open at the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.
A strong field of competition is expected with reigning 2005 national indoor champion No. 5 Tennessee competing, along with No. 15 Virginia Tech and perennial power Miami, who placed third at the NCAA indoor championships in 2005.
Many of the top BIG EAST schools are also expected at the meet including Georgetown, Pittsburgh, and Villanova, who is widely known for its exceptional distance program.
“We are taking our best athletes to compete against some of the top competition in the region this weekend,” head coach Jeff Huntoon says. “They are going to do the best they can at this point and time in the season.”
Last week, the Mountaineers had some top individual performances in the PSU Women’s Open. Junior Jessica Czaikowski placed second in the 55-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional time of 7.73. Senior Nancy Regalbuto won the high jump for the third time this season with a height of 1.70 meters and senior Jen Hall tied for first in the pole vault (3.60m), while qualifying for BIG EAST and ECAC meets in the process.
The PSU National Open will start at noon on Friday with the heptathlon.
