After finishing first on day one of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships (PSAC), Slippery Rock men’s track and field finished second following day two.
Both Slippery Rock men’s and women’s track and field squads posted impressive days from Rauch Fieldhouse at Lehigh University.
On Sunday, Feb. 18 the White and Green’s day came to an end as they sat atop the pedestal.
In the long jump final, graduate student Bryan Dworek leaped his way to first place with a 7.28m score. This was the third PSAC title of the Brookville, Pa. native’s career.
Following Dworek’s impressive start to the day, sophomore Kanye Thompson recorded a first-place finish himself as well.
Thompson posted a personal best 6.81m score in the 60m dash preliminaries. Not far behind Thompson was junior AJ Virata who claimed fourth in the same event with a 6.91m tally.
Virata’s illustrious season continued with a 22.20 score in the 200m dash prelims. These first-place finishes for Thompson and Virata in their respective events qualified them each for finals.
Day two of the PSAC Championships brought more wins for both the men’s and women’s track and field competitors.
Upon qualification from the previous day, Thompson and Virata followed up with clutch performances.
Thompson finished the 60m dash event with a 6.83 score, solidifying him as the event’s first-place finisher.
Once again, Virata was just behind his teammate with a 6.90 score, claiming himself a fifth-place finish.
Virata got his win shortly after when he competed in the 200m dash final. His 21.94 score gave him the victory and further built upon his impressive 2023-24 campaign.
Virata’s performance at the meet won him the Most Outstanding Track Athlete of the meet as voted by the league’s coaches. The York, Pa. native claimed the honor for the second consecutive year.
Teammate Matthew Crow joined Thompson and Virata in the winner’s circle. The sophomore ran for a 60m hurdle finish of 8.11. For Crow, this was his second PSAC Championship victory with the White and Green.
