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                         April 12, 2002

Men's, women's track sparkle at Penn Invite

By James Kramer
Athletic Media Relations Assistant

Men’s Track
Powered by five top-three finishers, the men’s track and field squad outperformed most of the field with its best team effort of the year at the Penn Invitational, Saturday and Sunday in Philadelphia. Army looked strong in nearly every area as the "Black, Gold, and Gray" managed to place in the top ten in 12 of the 13 events of which they competed.

Junior Rod Manzo and sophomore Jeff Weaver boasted the best one-two punch for Army, securing second and fourth place in the high jump. Manzo was one inch shy of his career high (6’8"), while Weaver cleared 6’4". Weaver enjoyed a particularly strong afternoon with a third-place finish in the long jump as well (22’9.25"). Manzo also found his way among the top of the pack in a second race, taking third in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.87).

While the jumpers solidified the Black Knights’ attack in the field, the steeplechase event served as an opportunity to showcase Army’s strength in numbers. The Black Knights had four of the first seven finishers. Freshman David Welch led the charge with a third-place finish behind a career effort (9:27.9). Junior Adam Patten was two spots back of Welch, racing to a clip of 9:32.3 en route to a fifth-place finish. Sophomore Aaron Smead continued Army’s dominance in the event with a sixth-place finish (9:37.3), while classmate Ahren Reiter closed in seventh (9:52.5).

Juniors Eric Motzenbecker and Jon Dreher paced Army in the 800m, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Both runners had season-high performances. The Black Knights also received a sensational effort in the 400m hurdles, where sophomore Jevan Willis finished second overall (54.78), tying for Army’s highest finish of the day.

Women’s Track
Army women’s track and field team put on a fantastic display at legendary Franklin Field Saturday, powering past 13 other teams en route to 12 top ten finishes at the 2002 Penn Invitational in Philadelphia.

Army received strong contributions in the distance events, triggered by Alexis Seefeldt’s fourth-place effort in the steeplechase (11:38.80). The time was a career best for the sophomore and the second fastest clip ever recorded by an Army runner in the event.

The Black Knights dominated in the other distance events, as Army runners littered the top ten in the 3000m and 5000-meter races. Freshman Desiree Zielen-Ersing was the top Cadet to finish the 3000m, securing sixth overall in the race with the time of 10:44.25. Junior Tara Mahoney and sophomore Mary Wollschlager finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Mahoney enjoyed her best time of the season (11:03.90), while Wollschlager’s mark of 11:04.90 was easily the best of her career.

In the 5000m, sophomore Beth Vollmer and classmate Analise Kolsch paved the way with fifth and eighth-place finishes. Junior Teal Remington also had an encouraging performance, earning 10th place with a clocking of 18:56.90.

Though the distance team sparked the offense with superb efforts, they were not left to shoulder the load for the Black Knights. Junior Ashley Albritton garnered two top-ten finishes, taking fifth in the discus (133’10") and seventh in the shot put (41’3.25"). Junior Tracey Coleman continued her breakout year by adding a ninth-place finish in the discus (120’8"). She also finished 12th in the shot put (40’2").

Rounding out Army’s top finishers, rookie Carrie Bennett took sixth in the pole vault after clearing 10’6" and junior Lauren Bolte earned a seventh-place finish in the high jump.