The Shippensburg University men’s indoor track & field team had its first competition in six weeks on Saturday in Lewisburg, traveling to Bucknell University and finishing second to the host Bison in the Gulden Invitational held inside Gerhard Field House.

Shippensburg brought its full arsenal and finished just six points behind Bucknell, 82-76, with Duquesne (38 points) in third.

The meet was originally to feature nine teams in competition, but the inclement weather forced East Stroudsburg, Mount St. Mary’s, Towson and Howard to back out. What resulted was a glorified tri-meet between Bucknell, Duquesne and the Raiders along with select competitors from Bloomsburg and Saint Francis. Therefore, the meet only scored the top four places as a result, with the modified scoring awarding five points to each event winner.

Shippensburg finished the day with 41 individual performances that satisfied the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying standard, including four throws that stood as NCAA provisional qualifying marks. Bucknell, a team that finished second in the Division I Patriot League last season, combined with the Raiders to win 15 of the day’s 18 events.

Senior Grant Smith (Jefferson, Maryland/Brunswick (Hagerstown C.C.))) won both the shot put (56 feet, 5 ¼ inches) and the weight throw (57 feet, 10 ¼ inches) on Saturday. His weight throw is a collegiate personal best that ranks 21st on the Division II performance list. His shot put, meanwhile, is a season PR that moved him up to tenth on the D-II list. He is the current PSAC pace-setter in both throws as well.

Smith has a Raider behind him in each throw. Sophomore Alec Rideout (Canonsburg, Pennsylvania/Canon-McMillan) placed third in the shot put, with his top mark traveling 53 feet, 0 ¼ inches. He sits 19th on the Division II performance list. Graduate newcomer Wulf Sutcliffe (Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania/Cedar Crest (Monmouth)) made his Raider debut with a third-place weight throw of 57 feet, 5 ¾ inches that ranks second in the PSAC and 23rd in Division II.

Sophomore Bryan Pearson (Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania/Bangor Area (Rutgers)) met the PSAC standard in both throws, notching a new season PR in the weight throw of 50 feet, 2 ¾ inches. His fourth-place shot put traveled 51 feet, 2 ¾ inches. Senior Ryan Hart (Downingtown, Pennsylvania/Downingtown East (DeSales)) had a shot put of 44 feet, 9 ¾ inches, and senior Garrett Vandebrake (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania/Shippensburg Area) threw the weight 49 feet, 10 inches.

Other notables in the field included senior LeQuan Chapman (Reading, Pennsylvania/Exeter (West Chester)), who won the triple jump on a top mark of 46 feet, 3 ¼ inches and took second in the long jump on a season PR of 22 feet, 9 inches. Chapman currently ranks second in the PSAC for the long jump and third in the triple jump.

Twelve of SU’s 13 jumps on the day met the conference standard. Sophomore Tra-C Davis (Coatesville, Pennsylvania/Coatesville Area) tied for second in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 6 ¾ inches, while senior Jalen Ramsey (Norristown, Pennsylvania/Norristown Area) debuted in the high jump (6 feet, 4 ¾ inches) and the long jump (21 feet, 5 ¼ inches).

Sophomore Austin Shupp (Palmerton, Pennsylvania/Palmerton) made his indoor triple jump debut success, placing third on a mark of 45 feet, 5 ¼ inches that puts him eighth on the PSAC performance list. Junior Devon Fisher (Williamsport, Pennsylvania/Williamsport Area) landed a mark of 45 feet, 0 ¼ inches, while in the high jump, redshirt-freshman Aaron Webb (Sanatoga, Pennsylvania/Pottsgrove) matched Ramsey by clearing 6 feet, 4 ¾ inches.

In the pole vault, junior Danny Meyer (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania/Central Dauphin), sophomore Pat Manna (Somerville, New Jersey/Somerville (William Paterson)) and junior Connor McHugh (Sussex, N.J./High Point) each cleared the bar at 14 feet, 3 ¼ inches. For Meyer and Manna, it was the same mark from the season opener, while for McHugh, the performance was a new season best.

On the track, sophomore Dru Adighibe (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania/Milton Hershey (California (Pennsylvania))) won the 60 meters (6.95 seconds) and the 200 meters (22.30 seconds) to earn MVP of the meet honors. He remains the conference’s top-ranked sprinter. Senior RJ Smith (Douglassville, Pennsylvania/Daniel Boone (Gwynedd Mercy)) improved his season PR in the 60-meter dash to 7.04 seconds, which ranks seventh in the conference, while freshman Chris Craig (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania/Cumberland Valley) ran 7.07 seconds.

Junior Tim Usher (Laurel, Maryland/Reservoir) won the 800 meters in 1:55.62, running a time just .02 seconds slower than his effort in the season opener. Junior Ricky Meriwether (Yeadon, Pennsylvania/Penn Wood (Holy Family)) was SU’s top finisher in the 400 meters, taking fourth in 51.41 seconds. He ranks sixth in the PSAC at the moment.

Freshman Ori Rinaman (Mars, Pennsylvania/Mars Area) took second in the 60-meter hurdles, running 8.33 seconds to improve to third on the conference performance list. Shupp, the current PSAC pacesetter, ran 8.42 seconds. Junior Terry Jackson (Greensburg, Pennsylvania/Greensburg-Salem (Seton Hill)) (8.50 seconds), junior Eric Hertzog (New Ringgold, Pennsylvania/Tamaqua Area) (8.52 seconds) and freshman Josh Purcell (Gillett, Pennsylvania/Troy Area) (8.56 seconds) all met the league standard as well.

SU’s distance squad made its 2016 track debut and exceled. Junior Kieran Sutton (Shavertown, Pennsylvania/Lake-Lehman) won the mile in a collegiate-best time of 4:18.05 and sits second on the conference performance list. Redshirt-freshmen Shawn Wolfe (Annville, Pennsylvania/Annville-Cleona) and Cole Nissley (Hummelstown, Pennsylvania/Lower Dauphin) each picked up league qualifiers in the mile, running 4:26.26 and 4:28.08 respectively.

Seniors Austin McGinley (Rising Sun, Maryland/Rising Sun) (15:18.34) and Braden Bruning (Union Bridge, Maryland/Linganore) (15:44.43) got their league qualifiers in the 5K, while junior Calvin Conrad-Kline (Palmyra, Pennsylvania/Palmyra) paced four Raiders in the 3K by placing second in 8:40.59. Senior Chris Mullin (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania/Phoenixville) (8:54.96) and freshman Dominic Stroh (Altoona, Pennsylvania/Altoona Area) (9:44.05) also got PSAC 3K qualifiers.

Shippensburg splits its squad next weekend, with the majority of the team returning to Bucknell for the Bison Open & Multi while the other faction will head to Penn State for the National Invitational.

60

1. Andrew Adighibe 6.95 (PSAC)

2. RJ Smith 7.04q (7.06f) (PSAC)

3. Chris Craig 7.07 (PSAC)

6. Devon Fisher 7.27

Danny Meyer 7.74

Matthew Merritt 7.75

200

1. Andrew Adighibe 22.30 (PSAC)

6. Ricky Meriwether 23.07 (PSAC)

RJ Smith 23.34

400

4. Ricky Meriwether 51.41 (PSAC)

6. Ori Rinaman 51.96

7. Josh Purcell 52.02

800

1. Tim Usher 1:55.62 (PSAC)

1000

8. Connor Holm 2:43.82

Alex Balla 2:47.72

Mile

1. Kieran Sutton 4:18.05 (PSAC)

6. Shawn Wolfe 4:26.26 (PSAC)

7. Cole Nissley 4:28.08 (PSAC)

Braden Bruning 4:30.81

Alex Balla 4:40.64

3K

2. Calvin Conrad-Kline 8:40.59 (PSAC)

Chris Mullin 8:54.96 (PSAC)

Dominic Stroh 8:57.73 (PSAC)

Ian Davies 9:44.05

5K

4. Austin McGinley 15:18.34 (PSAC)

7. Braden Bruning 15:44.43 (PSAC)

Alec Brand 16:02.28

60H

2. Ori Rinaman 8.33 (PSAC)

3. Austin Shupp 8.42 (PSAC)

T5. Terry Jackson 8.50 (PSAC)

7. Eric Hertzog 8.52 (PSAC)

8. Josh Purcell 8.56 (PSAC)

Danny Meyer 9.10

Matthew Merritt 9.24

4x4

3. Austin Shupp, Ricky Meriwether, Tim Usher, Shawn Wolfe 3:26.86

4x8

3. Matt Sankey, Kieran Sutton, Connor Holm, Shawn Wolfe 8:07.24

High Jump

T2. Tra-C Davis 6’ 6 ¾” (2.00m) (PSAC)

T4. Jalen Ramsey 6’ 4 ¾” (1.95m) (PSAC)

T4. Aaron Webb 6’ 4 ¾” (1.95m) (PSAC)

Matthew Merritt 5’ 8 ¾” (1.75m)

Pole Vault

2. Danny Meyer 14’ 3 ¼” (4.35m) (PSAC)

3. Connor McHugh 14’ 3 ¼” (4.35m) (PSAC)

4. Pat Manna 14’ 3 ¼” (4.35m) (PSAC)

Long Jump

2. LeQuan Chapman 22’ 9” (6.93m) (PSAC)

4. Jalen Ramsey 21’ 5 ¼” (6.53m) (PSAC)

Triple Jump

1. LeQuan Chapman 46’ 3 ¼” (14.10m) (PSAC)

3. Austin Shupp 45’ 5 ¼” (13.85m) (PSAC)

5. Devon Fisher 45’ 0 ¼” (13.72m) (PSAC)

7. Aboubacar Keita 42’ 11” (13.08m) (PSAC)

Shot Put

1. Grant Smith 56’ 5 ¼” (17.20m) (NCAA ‘P’)

3. Alec Rideout 53’ 0 ¼” (16.16m) (NCAA ‘P’)

4. Bryan Pearson 51’ 2 ¾” (15.61m) (PSAC)

Ryan Hart 44’ 9 ¾” (13.66m) (PSAC)

Garrett Vandebrake 44’ 6 ¾” (13.58m)

Tyler Kerstetter 40’ 0 ½” (12.20m)

Weight Throw

1. Grant Smith 57’ 10 ¼” (17.63m) (NCAA ‘P’)

3. Wulf Sutcliffe 57’ 5 ¾” (17.52m) (NCAA ‘P’)

4. Alec Rideout 54’ 4 ¾” (16.58m) (PSAC)

6. Bryan Pearson 50’ 2 ¾” (15.31m) (PSAC)

7. Garrett Vandebrake 49’ 10” (15.19m) (PSAC)

Tom Peppernick 45’ 0 ¼” (13.72m)

Tyler Kerstetter 44’ 11” (13.69m)

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