
Mountaineers Close Competition at PSU National Open
February 01, 2020 06:56 PM | Track & Field
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University track and field team concluded action at the Penn State National Open in the final night of competition on Saturday, at the Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Redshirt senior Candace Archer led the Mountaineers in her season debut with WVU's lone win of the day, notching first place in the 1,000-meter run. With the victory, Archer has now collected wins at the PSU National Open in two of the last three years. WVU also tallied three other top-five finishes to conclude its weekend at Penn State.
"Peter-Gay (McKenzie) and Candace (Archer) had very strong, competitive results today," Mountaineer coach Sean Cleary said. "We had about six to seven lifetime-best times throughout the day, which is good to see. As a team, this felt like our real team season opener, and we should only get better from here."
Sophomore Tessa Constantine opened the day on the track for West Virginia, placing 11th in the 400 meters with a time of 58.43. A pair of Mountaineers competed in the 600-meter run, as redshirt freshmen Amber Dombrowski and Mikenna Vanderheyden crossed the line in ninth (1:37.05) and 12th (1:37.63), respectively.
In the 1,000 meters (unseeded), sophomore Samantha Hatcher placed fourth with a time of 2:57.54, while Archer's victory came in the seeded 1,000-meter race, after she crossed the line in 2:52.49. Redshirt junior Sarah Wills also made her season debut at Penn State, finishing in 11th place in the women's mile with a time of 5:08.76.
Freshman Michaela Rose represented WVU in the 200-meter dash, placing 24th in 26.36. In the 3,000 meters, redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah notched a third-place finish for the Mountaineers, posting a time of 10:07.19. Redshirt sophomore Hayley Jackson concluded the Mountaineers' evening on the track, finishing in seventh place in the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:09.18.
Sophomore Peter-Gay McKenzie was the lone Mountaineer field event competitor, as she earned a new lifetime best distance in the long jump, reaching a mark of 5.93 meters.
The Mountaineers' weekend at Penn State marked the squad's 10th visit to the home of the Nittany Lions since the start of the 2014-15 season. West Virginia returns to PSU on Friday, Feb. 21, for the Penn State Tune-Up.
WVU is back in action when it visits Akron, Ohio, for the 16th Annual Akron Invitational. Action at Akron's Stile Athletics Field House is slated to take place from Friday, Feb. 7 to Saturday, Feb. 8.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Redshirt senior Candace Archer led the Mountaineers in her season debut with WVU's lone win of the day, notching first place in the 1,000-meter run. With the victory, Archer has now collected wins at the PSU National Open in two of the last three years. WVU also tallied three other top-five finishes to conclude its weekend at Penn State.
"Peter-Gay (McKenzie) and Candace (Archer) had very strong, competitive results today," Mountaineer coach Sean Cleary said. "We had about six to seven lifetime-best times throughout the day, which is good to see. As a team, this felt like our real team season opener, and we should only get better from here."
Sophomore Tessa Constantine opened the day on the track for West Virginia, placing 11th in the 400 meters with a time of 58.43. A pair of Mountaineers competed in the 600-meter run, as redshirt freshmen Amber Dombrowski and Mikenna Vanderheyden crossed the line in ninth (1:37.05) and 12th (1:37.63), respectively.
In the 1,000 meters (unseeded), sophomore Samantha Hatcher placed fourth with a time of 2:57.54, while Archer's victory came in the seeded 1,000-meter race, after she crossed the line in 2:52.49. Redshirt junior Sarah Wills also made her season debut at Penn State, finishing in 11th place in the women's mile with a time of 5:08.76.
Freshman Michaela Rose represented WVU in the 200-meter dash, placing 24th in 26.36. In the 3,000 meters, redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah notched a third-place finish for the Mountaineers, posting a time of 10:07.19. Redshirt sophomore Hayley Jackson concluded the Mountaineers' evening on the track, finishing in seventh place in the women's 800 meters with a time of 2:09.18.
Sophomore Peter-Gay McKenzie was the lone Mountaineer field event competitor, as she earned a new lifetime best distance in the long jump, reaching a mark of 5.93 meters.
The Mountaineers' weekend at Penn State marked the squad's 10th visit to the home of the Nittany Lions since the start of the 2014-15 season. West Virginia returns to PSU on Friday, Feb. 21, for the Penn State Tune-Up.
WVU is back in action when it visits Akron, Ohio, for the 16th Annual Akron Invitational. Action at Akron's Stile Athletics Field House is slated to take place from Friday, Feb. 7 to Saturday, Feb. 8.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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