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Women’s track gears up for PAC’s in last meet

By Brendan Keany staff Writer 4 min read

There are now eight more days until the start of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference outdoor track championships.

Following the strangely timed PAC South Quad Meet at Bethany on Wednesday, the next competition for the track team will be the highly anticipated conference championship weekend.

With the quad meet used more as a brief tune-up invitational, this past Saturday’s meet at the Westminster Invitational represented the last big preparation meet before the championships on April 24 and 25.

According to head coach Jason Falvo, the team performed consistent to what he has witnessed throughout this year’s indoor and outdoor seasons.

“I would say the team performed as expected,” said Falvo. “The team ran hard and competed well. I was pleased.”

One of the main contributors was freshman thrower Addy Knetzer, who continued her strong string of performances extending back to the last meet of the indoor season. Knetzer placed second in the shot put with a throw of 12.58 meters, and then she followed that up with 37.28-meter hurl in the discus throw, which was good enough for third place.

Even though Knetzer placed well in the two events, she looked at the larger picture and still sees much room for bettering herself.

“I was happy with my performance, but I still expect more from myself,” said Knetzer. “I think I have room to improve because I still haven’t hit my personal record from high school in shot put, so I know that I’m capable of more.”

However, after spending most of her collegiate athletic days in basketball training, she understands that she is in the middle of the training process. She still possesses positive thinking as she looks to improve.

“I’m hoping that once my technique is critiqued, I can throw past my personal record consistently,” she said.

On to the track, it was another freshman that stole the spotlight for the team. Standout distance runner Julie Gerber extended her great stretch of races as she placed second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:03.

Despite competing in an event much shorter than what she is normally accustomed to, Gerber saw the experience of running her first collegiate 1500-meter run as a positive.

“I was pleased my run in the 1500,” she said. “It was definitely a lot different competing in the 1500 versus the 5k or 10k, but it was a fun race.”

Gerber thinks that participating in the shorter distance may help her gain some speed for her longer distances at the PAC Championships.

“I hope by running in that event, I will be able to get some faster turnover and leg speed for my 5k race,” said Gerber. “I may be able to throw some strong surges and lower my pace.”

On the opposite end of the age spectrum, a jumper who has chipped in a very solid and consistent season kept the trend on Saturday. Senior Breanna Anderson placed fifth in the long jump with a hop of 4.78 meters.

Falvo was impressed with the physical effort following the long day that saw the team leave from Waynesburg at 7 a.m. and not get back to the university until 9:30 p.m. However, Falvo still wants to see improvement in the mental game involved with the sport.

“We need to work on the mental side of the competition,” said Falvo. “We need to focus on our technique and mentally win the race as we run.”

Nevertheless, Falvo does believe the team is ready to race at PAC’s. He is confident on where the team is in the training cycle, as the coaches are preparing the team to enter their peak. He also thinks the women’s team has what it takes to be successful at the championship meet.

“We need to win each individual matchup in each race,” said Falvo. “We need to finish where we are seeded or better, and win those close battles that each race has. It’s all about guts.”

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