The Slippery Rock outdoor track and field team traveled to Myrtle Beach, SC over Spring Break for the Shamrock Invitational.
The three-day invite, which started on March 15 and ended March 17, hosted 54 teams and over 1,700 athletes.
The men’s team was led by junior Cameron Daugherty, who posted the highest clearance in the nation this season for the pole vault. Daugherty cleared an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 5.05 meters.
Also in the pole vault was junior Ryan Camody, who cleared 4.30 meters and placed 18th. Sophomore Andrew Coscia competed in the “B” pole vault competition and placed eighth with a clearance of 4.15 meters.
Both clearances met PSAC qualifying standards. Junior Eric Geddis took third place in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:32.55.
In the decathlon, junior Andrew Greenslade and sophomore Derick Fiedler registered the second and fifth highest decathlon point totals in the PSAC this season.
Greenslade placed fifth in the event with 5,730 points while Fiedler earned 5,321 points and placed 11th.
Slippery Rock alumnus and volunteer coach Brady Wert took second in the event with 6,531 points.
“As a coach, I enjoy watching the athletes I work with succeed, even if it means adding some friendly competition,” Wert said.
Wert is working hard to earn the respect of the team and has been trying to prove himself as a coach since he joined.
He hopes to see the athletes score higher than he did and is eager to watch them improve.
Junior Kevin Jewel came in fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.71 just missing the NCAA provisional qualifying standard.
In the shot put, senior Chad Noce hit a mark of 15.81 to come in sixth place and junior Kyle Toms placed eighth with a throw of 15.43 meters.
Freshman Hunter Williams qualified for PSACs in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.58 seconds.
Sophomore Travis Arrigoni placed ninth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:18.56.
The women’s team was led by junior Stephanie Case in the 3,000-meter run. Case placed fourth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:02.94. Her time was the fastest 3,000-meter time ran so far in the PSAC.
Junior Brittany DiMare ran her personal best time of 5:00.74 and placed 31st in the 1,500-meter run to qualify for the PSAC meet.
In the javelin throw, juniors Kim Goth and Lexi Arnold had top-10 finishes. Goth placed sixth with a mark of 39.30 meters and Arnold came in ninth with a mark of 38.34.
Goth said that the adrenaline she gets from a big meet is what fuels her to get better and accomplish her goals. This season she hopes to make it to nationals again and as always, have the team win the PSAC.
“We had a great indoor season and I feel we will carry that success into outdoor and give the teams that may be more favored than us a run for their money,” Goth said.
Senior Kelly Fischer came in 10th in the long jump with a jump of 4.87 meters. Junior Emily Vaughn and freshman Keriann Hill tied for eighth place in the “B” pole vault event with clearances of 3.05 meters.
In the 400-meter hurdles, senior Jayme Stanek ran a time of 1:04.65 to finish 16th.
The Rock will head back down south on March 30 to compete at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, NC.
On March 31, SRU will send some athletes to compete at the Washington and Jefferson Invitational.
