Sunday, April 15
Lewisburg, Pa.
10:30 a.m.
West Virginia University
at
Bison Outdoor Classic
Photo by: PrettySporty/Cheryl Treworgy
WVU Battles Weather, Finishes Strong at Bucknell
April 15, 2018 07:57 PM | Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team fought through dropping temperatures, wind and rain on the final day of the Bison Outdoor Classic, in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Results
The Mountaineers earned four top-10 finishes at Bucknell University's Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, including a victory in the women's 4x800-meter relay. Redshirt senior Amy Cashin, redshirt sophomore Candace Jones and redshirt freshmen Antigone Archer and Abby Colbert finished in 9:19.98 to place first in the event.
In all, WVU registered six top-10 finishes on the weekend.
"As with most of outdoor track season, we're at the mercy of Mother Nature," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "Saturday was really the first hot day of the year, which was welcomed for all track teams across the East Coast. The evening dipped in temperatures, which made for a great track day. Having said that, today's weather turned miserable with temperatures in the 30s and 40s with wind and rain. The coaching staff was nervous for a few in the program and felt like it was better to play it safe than sorry. We have a quick turnaround; we're back in uniform on Friday at Virginia. We want to make sure we're ready for it.
"We ended the weekend on a positive note with a victory in the 4x8. They had some smiles on their faces, and it was nice to see Tig and Abby to get a chance to experience a win."
WVU also saw a pair of strong performances in the women's pole vault, as senior Sara Finfrock and freshman Ellie Gardner earned top-five finishes. Finfrock recorded an outdoor personal-best mark of 4.02 meters (13 feet, 2.25 inches), good for the third-best mark in program history. Gardner, meanwhile, took fifth place with a mark of 3.85 meters (12 feet, 7.50 inches).
"I was encouraged by the vault group; we seemed to make another step this weekend toward reaching their potential," Cleary said. "Sara's jump today has qualified for the NCAA Regionals every year of its existence. Hopefully, she did enough to garner a spot. With that said, she still has the potential to clear another couple of bars. Ellie also got back on track and is getting close to a major breakthrough."
Earlier in the day, Archer tallied a second-place finish in the women's 3,000 meters. She earned a time of 10:17.48, ahead of redshirt sophomore Andrea Pettit, who took 39th in 11:22.32.
WVU also was represented in the women's 800 meters and women's long jump on Sunday. Redshirt freshman Sarah Wills (2:18.30) placed 28th in the 800, while redshirt senior Rebecca Wendt (2:19.89) took 43rd. Freshman Michaela Ashford finished 28th in the long jump with a mark of 4.84 meters (15 feet, 10.50 inches).
On Saturday, the Mountaineers cashed in on a pair of top-10 finishes in the women's high jump. Junior Faith Penny earned a sixth-place finish with an outdoor career-best-tying mark of 1.66 meters (5 feet, 5.25 inches). Redshirt freshman Kyrielle Williams tied for 10th place with a mark of 1.62 meters (5 feet, 3.75 inches).
"It was nice to see Faith jump at bars that she hasn't looked at in over a year," Cleary said. "We feel very confident that she's going to continue to progress as the season goes. We also expect to see Kyrielle back as strong as ever over the next few weeks."
Other notable finishes on Saturday included Jones and Wills in the women's 1,500 meters. Jones finished in 16th place (4:28.99), while Wills placed 35th (4:35.81).
"I was especially pleased with Sarah Wills and Candace Jones," Cleary added. "Candace looks to have gotten her role back from indoors, and Sarah continues to get better every time she races. I expect some big races out of them over the remainder of the season."
The Mountaineers return to action at the Virginia Challenge, from April 20-21, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Results
The Mountaineers earned four top-10 finishes at Bucknell University's Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, including a victory in the women's 4x800-meter relay. Redshirt senior Amy Cashin, redshirt sophomore Candace Jones and redshirt freshmen Antigone Archer and Abby Colbert finished in 9:19.98 to place first in the event.
In all, WVU registered six top-10 finishes on the weekend.
"As with most of outdoor track season, we're at the mercy of Mother Nature," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "Saturday was really the first hot day of the year, which was welcomed for all track teams across the East Coast. The evening dipped in temperatures, which made for a great track day. Having said that, today's weather turned miserable with temperatures in the 30s and 40s with wind and rain. The coaching staff was nervous for a few in the program and felt like it was better to play it safe than sorry. We have a quick turnaround; we're back in uniform on Friday at Virginia. We want to make sure we're ready for it.
"We ended the weekend on a positive note with a victory in the 4x8. They had some smiles on their faces, and it was nice to see Tig and Abby to get a chance to experience a win."
WVU also saw a pair of strong performances in the women's pole vault, as senior Sara Finfrock and freshman Ellie Gardner earned top-five finishes. Finfrock recorded an outdoor personal-best mark of 4.02 meters (13 feet, 2.25 inches), good for the third-best mark in program history. Gardner, meanwhile, took fifth place with a mark of 3.85 meters (12 feet, 7.50 inches).
"I was encouraged by the vault group; we seemed to make another step this weekend toward reaching their potential," Cleary said. "Sara's jump today has qualified for the NCAA Regionals every year of its existence. Hopefully, she did enough to garner a spot. With that said, she still has the potential to clear another couple of bars. Ellie also got back on track and is getting close to a major breakthrough."
Earlier in the day, Archer tallied a second-place finish in the women's 3,000 meters. She earned a time of 10:17.48, ahead of redshirt sophomore Andrea Pettit, who took 39th in 11:22.32.
WVU also was represented in the women's 800 meters and women's long jump on Sunday. Redshirt freshman Sarah Wills (2:18.30) placed 28th in the 800, while redshirt senior Rebecca Wendt (2:19.89) took 43rd. Freshman Michaela Ashford finished 28th in the long jump with a mark of 4.84 meters (15 feet, 10.50 inches).
On Saturday, the Mountaineers cashed in on a pair of top-10 finishes in the women's high jump. Junior Faith Penny earned a sixth-place finish with an outdoor career-best-tying mark of 1.66 meters (5 feet, 5.25 inches). Redshirt freshman Kyrielle Williams tied for 10th place with a mark of 1.62 meters (5 feet, 3.75 inches).
"It was nice to see Faith jump at bars that she hasn't looked at in over a year," Cleary said. "We feel very confident that she's going to continue to progress as the season goes. We also expect to see Kyrielle back as strong as ever over the next few weeks."
Other notable finishes on Saturday included Jones and Wills in the women's 1,500 meters. Jones finished in 16th place (4:28.99), while Wills placed 35th (4:35.81).
"I was especially pleased with Sarah Wills and Candace Jones," Cleary added. "Candace looks to have gotten her role back from indoors, and Sarah continues to get better every time she races. I expect some big races out of them over the remainder of the season."
The Mountaineers return to action at the Virginia Challenge, from April 20-21, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Sprints/Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
Pole Vault
/ Track & Field
High Jump
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Distance
/ Track & Field
Jumps
/ Track & Field
Distance
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