Laffan Takes Home Bronze; Lions Place Fourth In Championship Meet
The Penn State Behrend women’s track & field team placed fourth out of 11 teams with a score of 60 at State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Conference Outdoor Championships.
May 3, 2025
CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Penn State Behrend women's track & field team placed fourth out of 11 teams with a score of 60 at State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Conference Outdoor Championships.
Key Moments:
* Senior Ivy Laffan (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) earned a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles finals with a personal best time of 1:09.50
* Distance runner Lindsey Hartle (Pittsburgh, PA/Avonworth) finished fourth in the 10k with a time of 41:10.14, while steeplechase participants Bethany Litwiler (Reynolds, PA/Reynolds) (12:08.15/PR), Sam Abate (North East, PA/North East) (12:58.65), and Baylee Dernar (Wattsburg, PA/Seneca) placed fifth, ninth, and 12th, respectively
* Hartle (20:03.42)/Eighth Place), Alivia Hetrick (20:17.91/Ninth Place) (Waterford, PA/Waterford), Abate (20:47.82/12th Place), and Dernar (21:00.12/14th Place) all competed in the 5k
* Jaade Duncan (Turner Falls, MA/Turner Falls) made her way to the podium with times of 26.72 and 12.74 for fifth and sixth in the 200m and 100m finals
* Fellow freshman Chloe Yazembiak (West Springfield, PA/Northwestern) followed Duncan in the 200m with a personal record time of 27.46 for ninth place
* In the discus, Norah Keeney (Ontario, NY/Wayne) tallied fifth with a toss of 107-8, while Braylee Lukehart (Reynoldsville, PA/DuBois Area) was in 15th place (85-1)
* Jessica Park (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow) (Hammer/133-3/PR) and Hetrick (1500m/5:11.51) claimed sixth and eighth in their respective events
* The 4x1 relay team of Duncan, Laffan, Yazembiak, and Ella McGowan (Erie, PA/Waterford) crossed the finish line in fifth with a season best time of 51.21
* McGowan, Laffan, Lynzey Reinsel (North East, PA/North East), and Caroline McDevitt made up the 4x4 relay team that ran a season best time of 4:16.93 for fifth place
* Lukehart went on to place 12th in the shot put (32-2 ¼)
* Behrend heptathlon participant senior Rachel Skoczlas (Bridgeville, PA/Canon-McMillan) finished fourth with a total score of 2989
* On the final day of competition, Skoczlas took first in the 800m (2:33.94/PR), third in the 200m (28.40), fourth in the javelin (69-9), and seventh in the long jump (13-2 ¾)
* Cortland garnered 238 points to claim the SUNYAC Outdoor Championship
* The top-3 finishers in each event earn a spot on the SUNYAC All-Conference Team
Up Next:
* Behrend will be at the Cardinal Last Chance Invitational, hosted by St. John Fisher on Sunday, May 11. Meet time is scheduled for 10 a.m.