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First Gator Invite a Success
May 11, 2007
MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College women’s track and field team matched its mettle with some top-notch competition, and in doing so, made the inaugural Gator Invitational a complete success. Held at the newly renovated Frank B. Fuhrer Field, the invite sported a competitive field which translated into numerous national qualifying times and personal bests.
Similar to the men’s meet, the women’s side was highlighted by Olympic hopefuls in the pole vault. Andree Pickens, a 2004 graduate of the University of Alabama, and Kira Sims, a 2004 alumnus of Akron University, took to the blue and sunny skies in the afternoon, aiming for some qualifying standards. Pickens hit her mark, clearing 14 feet, 1.25 inches to easily meet the Olympic provisional standard. Sims, who was an Olympic trials finalist in 2004, ended up in a second-place tie with Slippery Rock University’s Jennifer Hansen, who met the NCAA Division II provisional mark with a height of 12 feet, 6 inches.
The Gators did their share of hitting marks in a field that included a large number of scholarship athletes. Junior Liz Earley (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township), just one week removed from being named North Coast Athletic Conference Field Athlete of the Year, set yet another school record in the hammer throw, heaving the implement 175 feet, 7 inches and passing the automatic qualifier. She finished first in the event, while picking up a third-place effort in the shot put (39-7.25) and grabbing fourth in the discus with a career-best toss of 124-06.
Junior Emily Pfeufer (St. Marys, Pa./Elk County Catholic) took the field in four individual events on the day, grabbing a runner-up and a trio of fourth-place finishes. She placed second in the long jump (17-4.75), while finishing fourth in the high jump (5-1), triple jump (35-11.5), and javelin (119-21).
Katie Pankowski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) picked up the javelin and hurled the instrument 126 feet exactly for her second-best effort of the spring and a second-place finish overall.
A trio of Gators achieved personal bests, including Carley Latus (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon), who placed third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:19.55 and Andrea Patterson (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), who came up with a career-best mark of 12:20.93 to grab sixth-place in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Michelle Corkum (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) also notched a personal best by running 18:25.30 in the 5,000 meters, a race won by Allegheny alumnus Leah Shouey in 16:55.95.
Freshman Hannah Smith (Rice Lake, Wisc./Rice Lake) rounds out Allegheny’s top finishers with a fourth-place effort of 16.25 in the 100-meter hurdles.