The Jambar

Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: YSU Sports Information Penguin junior sprinter Scott Streiner will look to get in championship form at the Sparky Adams Invitational in Berea, Ohio this weekend. The squad will compete in the league championship beginning May 10.

The Ohio weather has finally warmed up and it couldn't have happened at a better time for the Youngstown State track team. With the outdoor season nearly over, the team has only two meets left before competing in the Horizon League Championships.

"The weather has kind of affected practices because when it is cold and raining we can't really do anything outside," junior thrower Bethany Anderson said. "Since the weather has been nice we've had better practices."

The majority of the Penguins will travel to Berea, Ohio to compete in the Sparky Adams Invitational this weekend while the men's distance squad will instead run in the Hillsdale "Gina" Relays before one final tune-up May 4-5 at the Campbell/Wright Open.

The team is coming off of a solid showing at the All-Ohio Championships in Cincinnati last weekend led by a record-breaking performance by Anderson.

The two-time defending Horizon League Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Week broke her own school record in the hammer throw with a third-place mark of 187'1", a distance that ranks her 10th in the Midwest Region and 39th in the nation.

"I have regionals and nationals on my mind," Anderson said. "My goal is to be in the top five in regionals and advance to nationals."

Anderson was not the only bright spot for the Penguin women at the last meet, as Kari Kreutzfeld had four top-10 finishes, Aaliyah Gillespie placed fourth in the 100 meter hurdles and Jacquline Clonch was sixth in the discus.

The Men's Squad

The YSU men also had a strong showing at their last meet.

The team was led by Shayne York's eighth place finish in the long jump, Michael Perri's 12th place finish in the high jump and Scott Streiner's 15th-place time in the 200 meters.

Although the Penguins routinely post solid distances and times, Streiner said that the team's biggest strength is its positive attitude and the runner has taken it upon himself to be a team leader.

"We're like a family; we look out for each other," the junior sprinter said. "I want to be a good team leader and help us reach our full potential."

With some key performers from the indoor season now redshirted and some other team members injured, that positive attitude will be important if the young Penguin team is to make a run at league favorite Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Horizon League Championships.

"This year we've been beat up by injuries so we've had to work hard and try to meet our individual marks," Streiner said.

Anderson agrees, saying, "It's a team success. I've been meeting my goals and everyone just wants to hit their personal marks and better themselves."

If they can have quality performances in the final two meets of the regular season, the Penguins will go into the league championships with momentum matching the temperature in Youngstown - rising.

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