CLARION’S CLARK EARNS ALL-PSAC HONORS BY FINISHING 10TH AT PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Clarion men’s 7th place team finish ties for best since ‘81
Clarion University sophomore cross country runner Chris Clark (Hadley/Commodore Perry) earned All-PSAC honors with a 10th place finish at Saturday’s PSAC Cross Country Championship at Slippery Rock.
Clark, who finished the race in a time of 23:31, is the first Clarion men’s runner to earn All-Conference honors since Ian King finished 12th in 1999. He is the first Top 10 finishers for the Golden Eagles since Jim Snyder was 10th in 1986 and 7th in 1985.
“Chris has worked hard this season,” Clarion’s first-year head coach Daniel Caulfield said. “He started to peak at the right time.”
Behind Clark’s run, the men’s team finished seventh at PSAC’s with 183 points, the team highest finish since a 7th place ending in 1999 and tied for the highest PSAC finish by the Eagles since 1981. The 1985 team also finished seventh while the ’81 squad was sixth.
“These kids have put their mind to achieving something special,” Caulfield said. “They are working harder than they initially thought was possible in order to bring their goals to fruition. Their hard work and firm belief in their abilities is leading to success every weekend. With this determination, only bigger goals lay in their future.”
Overall, the Golden Eagles had four runners in the Top 50 at PSAC’s.
Sean Williams (Austintown, Ohio/Austintown-Fitch) was 27th (26:36), Bill Herrmann (Centereach, NY/Newfield) was 43rd (27:12) and Matt Reinhold (Pittsburgh/Chartiers Valley) was 49th (27:26).
Aaron Neely (54th – Pittsburgh/North Hills), Jason South (74th – Lewis Run/Bradford) and Zach Shekell (81st – Foxburg/A-C Valley) rounded out the top seven for the Golden Eagles.
Clarion returns to action Saturday at the NCAA Division II East Regionals at Lock Haven.
CLARION WOMEN ALSO SEVENTH AT PSAC’S
The Golden Eagle women’s team also finished seventh at PSAC’s with 180 points just nipping host Slippery Rock for the spot. It is the fifth straight season that Clarion has been in the Top 7 at the meet.
“They ran a respectable and consistent performance,” Caulfield said. “At the same time, they are capable of much more. There is still room for improvement.”
Four Top 40 runners helped Clarion to the seventh place finish led by sophomore Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell), who finished 20th in a time of 23:31. Junior Tasha Wheatley (Saltsburg/Kiski Area) was just one second behind Richard in 21st place (23:32). Senior Katie Jarzab (Oil City/Oil City) was 39th in a time of 24:09, while junior Autumn Shaffer (Imperial/West Allegheny) was a second behind Jarzab in 40th (24:10).
Freshman Kate Ehrensberger (60th – St. Marys/Elk County Catholic), senior Mary Smith (63rd – Portage/Forest Hills) and sophomore Holly Urban (67th – Doylestown/Central Bucks East) rounded out the top seven for Clarion.
The Eagles return to action Saturday at the NCAA DII East Regionals at Lock Haven.
“If they believe in the potential of their team, big things will happen Saturday,” Caulfield said.
BOTH OF CLARION’S TEAMS BREAK INTO THE TOP 10 IN THE REGION
Coming off their strong performances at PSAC’s, both the Clarion men’s and women’s cross country teams broke into the Top 10 in the East Region for the first time this season.
The men’s team is ranked ninth and the women’s 10th.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – Clarion’s women were 5th at PSAC’s and 7th at Regionals last year while the men were 10th at PSAC’s and 12th at Regional … The women’s team had a school-best 3rd place finish at PSAC’s and 2nd place finish at Regionals in 2002.
Chris Clark - All-PSAC
Erin Richard