YSU TRACK Weekend preview

May 1, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

MEN

The Youngstown State men’s track and field team returns five Horizon League event champions from last year’s title-winning team as the Penguins open defense of their crown today at Rochester, Mich., on the Oakland campus. Returning champs from last year are: Eric Rupe who won the 5,000 meters; Austin McLean who won the steeplechase; Conner Neu who won the hammer throw; Arnaldo Morales who won the high jump; and Jay Jakovina who won the long jump. YSU claimed the title last year with a strong performance to snap Milwaukee’s streak of 11 straight wins. The Penguins outscored the Panthers 199-189 a year ago for the victory. The Penguins have another strong all-around lineup and will be looking to pile up the points in the sprints, distance, jumps and throwing events to repeat as league champions. The Penguins have three of the top sprinters of the league in Carl Zallow, Leighton Antonio and Marcellus Embry. In the 100m dash, Zallow has best time at 10.51 seconds, Antonio is second at 10.60 seconds and Embry third 10.64 seconds. In the 200m dash, the group ranks second through fourth in the league led by Zallow’s 21.42 seconds. Antonio’s best time is 21.43 seconds while Embry is fourth at 21.57 seconds. The 4x100-meter relay will be hottly conteste with Milwaukee, YSU and Oakland all tightly bunched. In the hurdles, Sam Shaviss , Caleb Lloyd and Clay Febus are all in the top five. Shaviss leads the way at 15.06 seconds. Rupe and McLean are 1-2 in the 1,500 meters and the steeplechase. Rupe has the best time in the 1,500m at 3:51.28 while McLean is second at 3:51.59. In the steeplechase, McLean is first in the event with a time of 8:53.17 while Rupe is at 9:03.20. Their closest competition is 11 seconds behind. The 5,000-meter run could be a way for the Guins to pickup some key points with Nick Gliha sitting fourth, Rupe fifth and Ryan Sullivan sixth in the pack as of race time. Sullivan ranks second in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 31:38.39. Morales also ranks second in the long jump with a leap of 6.72 meters. Neu is second in the hammer throw with a best toss of 61.60m and trails Detroit’s Colin Cashner (63.40m) in the event. Joe Dixon is second in the javelin with a best throw of 58.12 meters. Freshman Ryan Booth has the second-best shot put throw at 16.52 meters. Garrett Mathias is third in the pole vault clearing a height of 4.35 meters and Fillian Lee is fourth in the triple jump.

WOMEN

YSU’s women’s track and field team will look for a strong performance from its sprinters and in the field events to repeat as Horizon League Champions. YSU has won five straight league track and field/cross country titles entering the meet in Rochester, Mich. The Penguins, who won the indoor championship by one point over Milwaukee to win its fifth straight title, will have the bulk of its points come in the sprint and field events. Leading the way will be returning Horizon League Champions, Nina Grambling (100m and 200m), Jessica Parham (javelin) and Jennifer Neider (shot put). All have the top marks in the conference. Grambling is the favorite in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. In both events she has the best time in the events this season by a half-a-second. In the 100m, she has a best time of 11.61 seconds while her teammate Taylor Thompkins is second at 12.15 seconds. In the 200m, Milwaukee’s Anuli Okonkwo is second (24.65 seconds) as Grambling’s best time is 24.09. Jennifer Shiley sits second in the 400m dash and fourth in the 200m entering the league meet. Destiny Hall ranks sixth in the 100m and seventh in the 200m. Taylor McDonald ranks second in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.77 behind Milwaukee’s Michelle Garner who has a season-best time of 1:01.22. The 4x100 will be tight with the Penguins having a season-best time of 46.96 while the Panthers have clocked a time of 46.74. Neider has the season’s best shot put with a heave of 13.59m and is second in the hammer throw with a toss of 49.62m. Parham has the top javelin throw by more than nine meters. She uncorked a school-record throw of 45.42m last time out. YSU has three of the top five high jumpers in Mackenzie Sturtz, Leanna Hartsough and Chenera Lacey. Sarina Mauerman is third in the pole vault at 3.38m. Savannah Osborne sits second in the long jump at 5.66m and third in the triple jump. In the distance events, Brittany Stockmaster is fourth in the steeplechase with a time of 11:23.24. McKinsie and Melissa Klim will look to nap points in the 5,000 meters and 10,000-meter runs.