Chris Clark

Erin Richard

Sonya Swanson

Tasha Wheatley

TWO LONG-TIME CLARION TRACK RECORDS FALL; FOUR RECORDS SET IN ALL

            Two long-time Clarion University track and field records fell and four records were set in all during the Golden Eagles Easter weekend trip to the state of California.

            Chris Clark (Hadley/Commodore Perry) broke the 20-year old record in the men’s 5,000-meter run, while Sonya Swanson (Kersey/St. Marys) toppled a 26-year old record that she had tied last week in the women’s 200-meter dash. Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell) also broke a 2-year old record in the women’s 3,000-meter run, while Tasha Wheatley (Saltsburg/Kiski Area) bested her own mark in the women’s 3,000-meter Steeplechase.

            Clark ran the 5,000 in a time of 14:32.37 at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational Friday , which broke the previous school record of 14:40.6 set in the 1986 by Jim Snyder. Clark’s time, an NCAA Provisional qualifying mark, is the second fastest in the PSAC this year and the 13th fastest time in the nation.

            Swanson’s time of 25.85 in the 200 at the Soka University Invitational Saturday bested the previous mark of 25.9 that Penny Gray originally set in 1980 and Swanson tied April 8 at California (Pa.). Swanson’s time is the fourth best in the PSAC this year.

            Richard ran the 3,000 at Soka University in 9:59.56 nearly 20 seconds faster than the previous school record of 10:19.06 set in 2004 by Melissa Terwilliger. The fastest time in the PSAC this year, Richard’s time is also the 13th fastest in the nation, which is an NCAA Provisional qualifying mark.

            Wheatley ran the Steeplechase in 11:19.62 at Pomona-Pitzer topping her previous school record of 11:21.99 ran last season. Her time is the top time in the PSAC this year and the 12th fastest in the nation while also being an NCAA Provisional qualifying mark.

            NOTES – Richard has now broken two records this year also setting the school mark in the 5,000 in a time of 17:41.94 at Carnegie Mellon April 1 … Clarion returns to action Saturday at IUP … The PSAC’s are May 4-6 at Cal, while the NCAA’s are May 25-27 at Emporia, Kansas.