Shippensburg’s outdoor track-and-field teams had an impressive weekend at the Dr. Jack M. Toms Memorial Invitational at Lynchburg University, combining for 50 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifiers, nine event wins and seven Top 10 marks in school history.
The men’s team saw both junior Gian Greggo and sophomore Jackson Hersh provisionally qualify for nationals as they won their field events. Greggo’s 58 feet, 2 inches throw in the shot put placed him second all-time at SU, while Hersh’s 224 feet, 2 inches mark in the javelin moved him to third in the Shippensburg record books.
A pair of sprinters snagged wins for the men’s team, with junior Gabriel Lewis placing first in the 100 meters at 10.66 seconds. Freshman Ke’Aune Green’s time of 21.34 seconds in the 200 meters both won the race and tied him for seventh in school history.
Junior Tommy Crum Jr. grabbed the first win of the weekend for the team, leading home freshman teammate Ben Hummel for a 1-2 finish in the 1500 meters, with a time of 3:57.52, winning by just over a second.
Several runners on the men’s team earned multiple PSAC qualifiers in the meet. These included senior Chase Hensinger joining Crum and Hummel in qualifying for the 800 & 1,500 meters, along with junior Isaiah Brightman earning qualifiers in both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles.
Greggo led the field athletes with three PSAC qualifiers, followed by junior Donovan Kitchen’s qualifying marks in shot put and discus. Overall, 22 different members of the men’s track-and-field team qualified for the PSAC Championships in at least one event.
SU’s women’s track team had a stellar weekend, headlined by sophomore Shaela Kruskie. In only her third ever 10K at Shippensburg, she won the event at 36:26.16, clearing her previous best by 3 minutes and 14 seconds and placing eighth in school history.
The track success carried over to the sprinters on Saturday, as senior Alyssa Wert was victorious in the 400 meters at 56.59 seconds, ninth best all-time at Shippensburg. Freshman Izzy Slezak also moved into the SU Top 10 on the track with her 200 meters time of 25.30 seconds, placing her third at the meet and tying for ninth best all time.
Wert was part of the 4x400 meter relay team for SU this weekend, as she joined fellow seniors Melanie Barger, Emily Calamia and Madison Malcolm to win the event at 3:55.79. Junior Ashley Laukus was also a winner for the women’s team, placing first in the high jump at 5 feet, 4.25 inches.
Sophomore Riyah Whigham finished second in the triple jump at 38 feet, 8.75 inches, moving up to seventh in SU history as a result. Other podium finishers in the field included seniors Lauren Bellows and Makayla Decker each placing third in discus and hammer, respectively.
Malcolm earned a pair of PSAC qualifiers to go with the relay victory, finishing runner-up in both the 100- and 400- meter hurdles. Also earning podiums on the track were Calamia in the 400 meters and freshman Linda Hussein in the 100-meter hurdles.
Both teams will be back in Virginia next weekend for the Dalton Ebanks Invitational at George Mason University. The two-day event begins at noon on Friday before resuming at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
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