Shippensburg University’s women’s track-and-field team took eight individual conference titles on their way to the 15th team title in program history. The Raiders finished with 186 points, scoring in 20 of 21 events to finish 27 points ahead of second-place Slippery Rock.
The field athletes starred early in the meet, beginning with senior Sara McKean winning the long jump on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Her fifth jump of the day was the best, with 18 feet, 11.25 inches being enough for the gold medal.
Sophomore Makayla Decker claimed the discus gold medal at 140 feet, 4 inches, a new personal best by a single inch. Decker’s second throw of six was her best, and it was enough to hold on for the title.
Two more field athletes took event wins for the women’s team on Sunday, starting with junior Sasha Lee winning the triple jump. She had already clinched the title before her final jump but saved her best for last regardless, winning with a distance of 39 feet, 1.75 inches.
Junior Abby Reasoner also took home a PSAC title, coming from behind on her final throw to win the javelin. She was two inches off the lead before unleashing a throw of 140 feet, 5 inches to win by over a foot.
The track team sped its way to four event wins on Sunday, beginning with a new conference record in the 4x100 relay. The all-junior quartet of Aliyah Serrano, Sara McKean, Kayla Dolhouse and Leah Graybill sped their way to a 46.21 second time, taking first place by 0.09 seconds.
The 400-meters saw senior Caroline Mastria set a new personal record on her way to her first PSAC title, winning at 56.25 seconds. Mastria had placed in the top four in this event at the last three PSAC championships but was finally able to break through this year.
Graybill grabbed her second victory of the day shortly after, taking the 200-meter dash at 24.02 seconds. It did not come easy for Graybill, as she only beat Mansfield’s Skylar Brown by 0.03 seconds.
The team closed the day by cruising to a title in the 4x400 relay. The team of sophomore Alyssa Wert, Serrano, Graybill and Mastria lead every lap of the race, winning by nearly four seconds.
The result was the first league title since 2021, a huge triumph for the group. Next up are the NCAA National Championships at Emporia State University from May 22-24. The full list of SU athletes going had yet to be determined at the time this story was written.
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