YSU roundup: Hamilton runs to record in Pre-National Invitational

Staff reports

TERRE HAUTE, IND.

Youngstown State cross country runners Samantha Hamilton and Anna Pompeo made history Saturday in the NCAA Division I Pre-National Invitational on Saturday.

Hamilton and Pompeo ran the fastest times YSU has ever posted in the women’s 6k Run Cross Country White Race.

Hamilton finished third and Eric Rupe was the top performer for the men, placing ninth. In the team race, the women were ninth out of 35 finishing ahead of some solid BCS programs. The men were 14th out of 20.

Hamilton ran a time of 20:41. Pompeo came in 10th at 21:22. Finishing out YSU’s top five were freshman McKinsie Klim (22:27, 77th), junior Brittany Stockmaster (23:07, 137th) and freshman Libby Rogenski (23:10, 140th).

Megan Monte (23:39) was among the other YSU runners helping the women compete against 35 of the best Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and MAC teams, some including Texas Tech, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Indiana, Kent, Akron, and Clemson.

Rupe led the men again with his ninth-place finish and with a personal-best time of 25:01 in the Men’s 8k White Race. The performance marked Rupe’s second week in a row with a personal-best time in the 8k race.

The next Penguin to finish was sophomore Austin McLean, who cracked the top 20 by two seconds, placing 19th out of 135 runners at a time of 25:24. Junior Nick Gliha, sophomore John Hutynan, and freshman John Richmond all competed in the race, with Gliha finishing 57th (26:03), Hutynan 102nd (26:45), and Richmond 110th (26:54).

SOCCER: Valpo TOPS penguins

Youngstown

Rita Craven scored a second-half goal and assisted on another to lead Valparaiso to a 2-0 Horizon League victory over YSU (4-10-1, 2-3) on Saturday at Farmers Bank Field.

After a scoreless first half, the Crusaders’ Rita Craven scored just over two minutes into the second half to give Valparaiso a 1-0 lead.

After a rebound off of a YSU defender, Craven took the ball on the left side of the box and beat YSU goalkeeper Jackie Podolsky with a shot to the lower right corner at the 47:41 mark.

The Crusaders (8-5-2, 2-2-1) added a second goal at the 56:53 mark. Valparaiso goalkeeper Kristen Manski boomed a punt to the YSU side of the field and found Craven, who streaked down the right side.

Craven’s center into the box found Robin Wenzel, who scored her first goal of the season.

VOLLEYBALL: MILWAUKEE ROLLS

MILWAUKEE

Rachel Neuberger had a match-high 15 kills as Horizon League-leading Milwaukee swept YSU 25-10, 25-23, 25-13 at the Klotsche Center.

The win gave the Panthers a perfect 7-0 record at the completion of the first-half of Horizon League play. YSU finishes the first half at 4-3 in conference play and 12-10 overall.

Milwaukee hit .381 as a team and had three players register at least 12 kills.

Shannon Watson led YSU with 10 kills.