Track: Stechschulte Shines in Day One
January 27, 2006 10:32 PM | General
January 27, 2006
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The West Virginia University indoor track team had three of its members in competition Friday, Jan. 27, in State College, Pa., at the Penn State National Open.
Junior Abbie Stechschulte had the best pentathlon performance of her career to earn NCAA provisional qualifying honors. Her point total of 3,747 was second behind Virginia Tech’s Gunlid Kreb (3,861).
“I’m proud that she had a new personal best and the third best point total in school history,” head coach Jeff Huntoon said.
The Columbus Grove, Ohio, native got the afternoon off to a great start by running a first place time of 8.18 in the 55-meter hurdles. That time was two hundredths of a second off her all-time personal best (8.16) set at PSU last weekend.
She followed that start with a personal best in the high jump (1.58m) and a throw of 11.45m in the shotput. The fourth event, the long jump, proved to be crucial for the multi-event star. Her first leap cleared over 19 feet, but was called foul. After fouling again on the second attempt, Stechschulte rebounded with a jump of 17’7” for 660 points. The first jump, if legal, could have given the junior a significant boost towards her quest for nationals.
“Whenever she fouled the first two jumps of the long jump, it brought added pressure to her last jump,” Huntoon said. “It brings to mind the saying, ‘What could have been.’”
However, Stechschulte finished strong in the final event with a time of 2:24.53 in the 800-meter run, moving her from fourth to second in the final heptathlon results.
Junior Jessica Czaikowski also had a strong performance for the Mountaineers. After cruising to a first place finish in her heat of the 60-meter hurdle prelims (8.46), Czaikowski ran even more impressively in the finals to win the event (8.26) and tie her for the seventh best time in the country this year.
The Tottenham, Ontario, native then ran a time of 7.57 in the finals of the 60-meter dash, giving her the third best time in the BIG EAST this season.
Alexis Noel was the only other Mountaineer in action Friday, placing 21st in the long jump (5.24m).
Day two is set to start at 9:15 a.m. Saturday, with the final events of the men’s heptathlon.
