CLARION’S RICHARD TO RUN AT NCAA D-II NATIONAL MEET

            Clarion University’s Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell) will run the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Division II women’s indoor track and field national meet Saturday in Boston.

            Richard qualified for the NCAA’s with a time of 17:09.48, which ranks her ninth in the country.

            “I believe Erin has a great chance of finishing in the Top Six,” Clarion’s Interim head coach Jayson Resch said. “Her workouts have been going very well, and she ran the mile at PSAC’s five seconds faster than her previous record. She has worked very hard and has remained very disciplined in her training and lifestyle. I know she is ready to go to nationals and have a great race.”

            Two weekends ago, Richard won the PSAC Title in the Indoor Mile in a PSAC meet record and school record time of 4:59.21. It was her fourth individual PSAC Track titles (2 indoors, 2 outdoors) and her fifth overall (she was a member on the indoor Distance Medley Relay team indoors in 2006). Last year, she won PSAC titles indoors in the 3,000 and outdoors in the 1,500 and 3,000 while qualifying for the outdoor NCAA National meet in the 3,000 and 5,000 finishing ninth in the 3,000 and 14^th in the 5,000.

            GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES – It is the second straight year Clarion has had a runner at the Indoor national meet. Last season, Holly Urban finished 16^th in the 800. She was the first Clarion athlete to qualify for the Indoor NCAA’s since the inception of Clarion’s program in 2003 … Richard had a solid cross country season in the fall earning All-Region honors with an 11^th place finish … Richard’s event is slated to get underway at 5:50 p.m. Saturday.