Shippensburg University sent some of its top track-and-field athletes to the George Mason Spring Invitational Saturday to compete against top-level competition.
SU shined against a strong showing of Division I athletes, grabbing notoriety and valuable experience in the process. The Raiders’ youth came through in a big way, putting on strong performances across the board.
Sophomore Abby Wagner brought her A game, improving her personal record in the triple jump with a distance of 40 feet, 5 inches, an NCAA provisional mark, breaking her into the Top 10 nationally. Wagner’s jump was good enough for fourth place, but it is the consistency she has been jumping with that may be most impressive. Wagner has now registered three consecutive 40-foot jumps in the triple jump.
Her banner day did not end there, though. Wagner smashed her best mark in the long jump, taking flight with a distance of 18 feet, 9 1/4 inches. Wagner’s jump finished fourth at the George Mason Spring Invitational and fourth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rankings.
For SU’s Sarah Hunt, who has dominated jumps all season long, it was just another day at the office. Hunt grabbed a second-place finish in the long jump, Shippensburg’s strongest event Saturday, tying the best jump in the PSAC at a distance of 19 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Hunt’s jump also sits in fourth in Division II.
The triple jump saw two Raiders break the top five, with Hunt taking fifth and Wagner at fourth. Both of Hunt’s events were good enough for NCAA provisional qualifiers.
Jumps were successful across the board Saturday, and the pole vault was no different. Shippensburg’s Kali Hepner has been steadily improving this season, setting PRs in back-to-back meets.
Saturday, Hepner cleared 12 feet for the first time in her career, becoming just the second PSAC athlete to do so. In the championship pole vault, Hepner reached 12 feet, 1 1/2 inches to grab second place.
SU’s Tamara Ovejera had a trio of PSAC qualifiers, with her best throw coming in the discus. Ovejera’s 142 foot, 7-inch throw snagged fifth place in the discus, but Ovejera continued to be an asset to Shippensburg throughout the rest of the meet. The hammer throw and shot put both saw Ovejera break into the top eight, capping off an impressive series of throws on the day.
On the track, SU’s depth shined, with all five sprinters in the 100 and 200-meter finishing the day with PSAC qualifiers. Freshman Mary Ramsden led the way in both events.
The Raiders hit the road for a two-day matchup at Kutztown University beginning Wednesday. Shippensburg will look to continue hitting impressive marks at the Mondschein Multis meet.
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