GOLDEN EAGLES RICHARD NAMED PSAC TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

            For the second time this spring, Clarion University junior track standout Erin Richard (Erie/McDowell) is the PSAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week.

            Richard earned the award thanks to her performance at last week’s Penn Relays where she took third and was the fastest collegiate runner in the 5,000-meter run in a school-record time of 16:41.39. That time is an NCAA provisional qualifying time as well as the fastest time in the PSAC by nearly 30 seconds and the third best time in NCAA Division II this year.

            A 2-time PSAC Indoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Week during the 2007 Indoor season, Richard was also the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Association East Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year during the indoor campaign after winning the PSAC title in the Mile. She went on to earn All-American honors in the indoor 5,000 at the NCAA D-II national meet in Boston with a seventh-place finish. In 2006, Richard won four PSAC gold medals including becoming the first-known Clarion women’s runner to win two individual outdoor PSAC titles in the same season when she won the 2006 1,500 and 3,000. She also won indoor PSAC titles in 2006 in the 3,000 and the Distance Medley Relays while taking second in the mile. At the 2006 NCAA Division II outdoor championships, she finished ninth in the 3,000, just missing All-American honors, while taking 14^th in the 5,000. She was also an All-Region runner with an 11^th place finish at the 2006 NCAA Division II East Region Cross Country championships in the fall.

            GOLDEN EAGLES NOTES: Richard also was the PSAC outdoor women’s track athlete of the week April 17 and was the indoor athlete of the week Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 … She was also PSAC Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week April 4, 2006 … Richard and the rest of the Clarion team returns to action Thursday through Saturday at the PSAC Championships where Richard is the top seed in both the 3,000 and 5,000 … Richard holds four Clarion outdoor school records (1,500, 3,000, 5,000, 10,000) and five Clarion indoor school records (1,000, Mile, 3,000, 5,000, Distance Medley Relay).