For the first time in school history, the Shippensburg University outdoor men’s track-and-field team has broken through the Top 10 in the NCAA Division II national rankings.

That was in April, when they slotted in at No. 9 in the country. Now, the outdoor men’s track-and-field team has climbed up to the No. 7 seed, and they are looking to continue the most successful run that the squad has seen in school history. The SU men’s team is also currently the top-ranked outdoor track-and-field team in the Atlantic region. Coach Dave Osanitsch and his team are looking to win its eighth straight outdoor championship.

“It’s been a great season for the men’s and women’s program,” Osanitsch said. The success of this year’s team has been a total team effort. The men jumped up from the No. 12 seed to No. 7 with recent strong performances at Seth Grove Stadium in the Paul Kaiser Classic and the Shippensburg University Invite.

“Our goal is to win both [men’s and women’s] PSAC Championships and we will continue to train hard this upcoming week to achieve that goal.”

Osanitsch’s team has a chance to make history this weekend. “If our men can win the championship this year, we will tie West Chester University with 23 championships since track and field was started in the PSAC in 1928.”

With Osanitsch’s current track record, it is hard to believe that this year’s team will not take the title of the most successful PSAC track-and-field team in the conference.

“We have 85 individuals qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships next week and we have recorded over 30 NCAA provisional and automatic qualifying performances for Nationals,” Osanitsch said.

Coach Osanitsch’s body of work since taking over the head coaching position for the Raiders has been outstanding. He has led the outdoor and indoor track teams to 27 PSAC championships in his 10 seasons as an SU coach. The rest of the PSAC teams have combined for just 13 league titles.

The PSAC Outdoor Track-and-Field Championships begin Thursday, and will last through the weekend in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The event will feature some of the best Division II regional athletes in the state, including the Raider’s Dru Adighibe, a sophomore, who recently set a school record in the 200 meter with a time of 21.6 seconds. Juniors Caleb Bartlett and Timmy Usher will also compete in the PSAC Championships, along with senior and Michael McGinley, who will be competing in the Championships for the first time after breaking the record time in the 10k at the Paul Kaiser Classic with a time of 32 minutes and 19.5 seconds.  

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