Gators Sweep Track Titles at Outdoor Championships

Apr 30, 2005

Men's Results
Women's Results

Delaware, Ohio – The men’s and women’s track and field teams followed up their outstanding Friday with an even better Saturday winning the Outdoor Championships by nearly 100 points each. The men’s team finished with an NCAC best score of 232 points, topping their own record of 213 from 2004, while the women totaled 217 points, also an NCAC record.

Allegheny’s Kevin Pool (New Windsor, Md./ Westminster) was named the Men’s Distance Runner of the Year after winning a total of three events at the Championships. On Saturday he added the 1,500- and 5,000 meter titles to his 10,000 meter title he won Friday. To the right is Pool receiving his award from Dennis Collins, the NCAC Executive Director (left) and Tom Mulligan, the Hiram College Athletic Director and AD liaison for men's track.

Pool (right) was the first of five Allegheny runners to score points in the 1,500 meter run. His time of 4:00.80 beat Denison’s Andrew Schaefer’s time by two-seconds. Allegheny teammates freshman Ryan Place (Meshoppen, Pa./ Elk Lake), senior Jeff Conroy (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Baldwin), and senior David Washousky (Clarence, N.Y./ Clarence Central) finished three, four, five, and senior Matt Popowicz (North East, Pa.) placed eighth to earn a total of 26 points in the event.

Allegheny then had five runners earn points in the 5,000 with Pool, Conroy, and junior Chris Carrier (Lyndhurst, Ohio/ Charles F. Bush) sweeping the first three spots and sophomore Ben Mourer (Chicora, Pa./ Karns City) and Place taking fifth and sixth. Carrier was another title winner for the Gators, as he won the 3,000 meter steeplechase by five seconds in a time of 9:31.55.

Both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams for Allegheny finished third. Sophomores Marcus Solomon (Rockwell, Texas/ Dallas Christian), Gary Gorski (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Mt. Lebanon), Josh Rhue (Brimley, Mich./ Clonlara) and junior Troy Moles (Royersford, Pa./ The Hill School) finished the 4x100 in 43.96 seconds, just over one second behind the first place team of Wabash (Ind.) College. Gorski and Moles teamed up with freshman Craig Ball (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Penn Hills) and junior Mark Delaney (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Mt. Lebanon) for a 3:26.74 time in the 4x400, five seconds off the pace by Wabash.

The men’s team finished third in three of the sprints, with junior Dave Griffin (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Montour) taking two of those in the 110 hurdles (16.06) and the 400 hurdles (56.48). Rhue also place third in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.54. Delaney missed the 800 meter title by one second, as he finished behind Wabash freshman Geoff Lambert with a time of 1:56.07.

The last men’s crown came in the field events as sophomore Pat Confer (Bradford, Pa.) won the hammer throw by nearly six feet with a toss of 147-00, which set a new school record. The Gators also placed in the top three in the triple jump and high jump. Sophomore Mark Dobish (New Wilmington, Pa.), who placed second in the pole vault, had a jump of 40-10.25 for a third place finish in the triple jump. Freshman Justin Schwab (Kill Buck, N.Y./ Salamanca) took second place in the high jump, clearing 6-4.25.

For the women, senior Leah Shouey (Franklin, Pa.) added to her career-year with the Women’s Distance Runner of the Year award after two first place and one third place finish. Shouey (left) and her sister Lindsey went one, two in the 5,000 meter run and one, three in the 1,500 meter run. Their times of 17.55.28 and 17:56.24 beat the NCAC record previously held by Lynda Kohl of Allegheny, set in 1991. Leah’s time of 4:33.36 in the 1,500 is an NCAA automatic qualifying time and an NCAC record.

Above is Leah receiving her Runner of the Year trophy from Collins and Mulligan.

Following Leah (3rd – 2:23.31) in the 800 meters were freshman Caroline LaRochelle (Meadville, Pa.) and sophomore Rashelle Glass (New Castle, Pa./ Shenango), with times of 2:25.79 and 2:27.26 for fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Freshman Sarah Sammel (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Bethel Park) finished third and fourth in the 200 meter and 100 meter dashes, with times of 27.66 and 13.33. Also finishing in top places for the Gators in the sprints were sophomore Heather Knupp (Canonsburg, Pa./ Canon-McMillian) and freshman Liz Straus (Kirtland, Ohio) in the 400 meter hurdles. Knupp finished in the third with a time of 1:08.44 and Straus was right on her heels with a fourth place finish in 1:08.88.

In the field, freshman Liz Earley (Venetia, Pa./ Peters Township) nearly became a double champion, as she took the hammer throw title with a new school record of 133-03 and finished second in the shot put (37-8).

Following the meet, Head Coach Bill Ross earned two more Coach of the Year awards to give him five on the season. He earned the Women's Coach of the Year honor after leading the Gators to their sixth outdoor title in seven years and was named Co-Coach of the Year with Wabash College's Rob Johnson after Ross helped guide the Gators to the NCAC triple crown of titles with the cross country, indoor and outdoor championships.

Both Gator teams have members heading to the NCAA Championships held May 26-28 at Wartburg College in Iowa and the teams will be competing in two meets until that time. On Saturday, May 14 they will travel to the North Central (Ill.) College Invitational and head to the Baldwin-Wallace Twilight meet on May 20.

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