Cashin, Smith Pace WVU with Victories

Saturday, February 17

University Park, Pa.

11:30 a.m.

West Virginia University

Penn State Tune-Up

February 17, 2018 06:47 PM | Track & Field

By: Joe Mitchin

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Redshirt senior Amy Cashin and freshman McKenna Smith combined for three victories for the West Virginia University track and field team at the Penn State Tune-Up in University Park, Pennsylvania, and the UCS Invitational in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Saturday.

Penn State Tune-Up Results | UCS Invitational Results

Cashin won the women's mile at the UCS Invitational, earning a time of 4:39.63 at the JDL Fast Track, while Smith was victorious in the women's 200 meters (24.73) and 400 meters (55.88) at Penn State's Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track.

In all, the Mountaineers combined for nine top-five finishes at the two meets.

"We feel like this weekend served its purpose on numerous levels," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "It was a nice tune-up for us before we head to the Big 12 Championships. Over at Penn State, the highlight for us was McKenna Smith dropping time in the 400. We're excited about her progression over the last couple of weeks.

"In North Carolina, Amy seems to have done enough to qualify for the National Championships. Of course, we won't know that for another week, but with the conversion they give for a flat 200-meter track, it looks like it'll be enough for her to get in."

Cashin topped a competitive field of 43 runners in her UCS victory. For Smith, her two wins marked the second consecutive weekend in which the Bridgeport, West Virginia, native secured multiple first-place finishes at one meet.

The Mountaineers also earned four third-place finishes at Penn State, including redshirt senior Meghan Jean-Baptiste in the women's 60-meter hurdles, redshirt freshman Sarah Wills in the women's mile, senior Shamoya McNeil in the women's triple jump and redshirt senior Rebecca Wendt in the women's 600 meters.

After advancing through qualifying earlier in the day, Jean-Baptiste crossed the finish line in 8.98 in the 60-meter hurdles, while Wills earned a time of 4:58.36 in the mile. McNeil, who entered the week ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional in the triple jump, registered a mark of 12.37 meters (40 feet, 7 inches) on Saturday. Wendt finished the 600 meters in 1:38.58.

Redshirt sophomore Candace Jones joined Cashin on the trip to the UCS Invitational, earning a fifth-place finish in the women's 800 meters. Jones finished the event in 2:12.94.

At Penn State, freshman Michaela Ashford tallied a fifth-place finish in the women's 60-yard dash finals, earning a time of 8.01 in the process. Ashford also placed eighth in the women's long jump, recording a mark of 4.95 meters (16 feet, 3 inches).

The Mountaineers were joined by fellow Division I schools Penn State, Towson and UMBC at the Penn State Tune-Up, as well as a variety of institutions across the East Coast at the UCS Invitational.

The meet at Penn State marked WVU's second trip to the school this indoor season. The Mountaineers also competed at the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track during the Penn State National Open on Jan. 26-27.

Saturday also marked the conclusion of the 2017-18 indoor regular season for WVU. The team next competes at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship, from Feb. 23-24, in Ames, Iowa.

"We just need to rest and prepare mentality for next week's Big 12 meet," Cleary said.

For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.