Athletics

Quackenbush Fifth At ECAC Meet

BRUNSWICK, MAINE — SUNY New Paltz junior Cassandra Quackenbush is in fifth place in the heptathlon after day one of the 2000 ECAC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Bowdoin College.

Quackenbush, a Liverpool, NY native, had personal bests in three of Friday’s four events and narrowly missed another, to amass 2,025 points through four of seven events. Colby College freshman Shannon Corliss leads all scorers with 2,345 points.

Quackenbush shattered her personal-best time in the 100-meter hurdles (17.68), and also had career bests in the high jump (4’5″) and 200-meter run (27.56). She missed a personal best distance in the shot put (25’1″) by just two inches.

Quackenbush, the 2000 SUNYAC Outdoor Champion in the javelin, has that event and her other two strongest events – the long jump and the 800 meter run – remaining tomorrow.

Going into day two, she is exactly halfway to the NCAA Division III provisional qualifying mark of 4,050 points in the heptathlon. She would need a total of 4,250 points to automatically qualify for nationals. Meanwhile, a throw of 39.02 (provisional) or 42.90 (automatic) meters would qualify Quackenbush for the NCAA Championships in the javelin.

Also competing for the Hawks tomorrow are Heidi Dippel in the high jump, Cheryl Yanek in the 10K run and Andrea Drayss in the shot put. Drayss is the 2000 SUNYAC Outdoor Champion in the shot put.