SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Some Susquehanna University spring sports stories have been growing in recent weeks as Crusader athletes are doing some extraordinary things in track and field and softball.
SPEARING SUCCESS. Coaches and teammates alike knew senior Adam Ressler (Robesonia/Conrad Weiser H.S.) was one of the best athletes on the Crusader track and field team - one which was going to make a bid to become the school's first national qualifier in the decathalon. Still, Ressler's true event was the high jump, winning the 1999 MAC indoor championship and qualifying for the 1998 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships as he tied the school record with a leap of 6-9. That WAS his best event - until this season that is. While he's still the team's top high jumper with a season best of 6-6 twice (NCAA Div. III Provisional Qualifying Height: 6-7), he's become the school and one of Division III's top javelin throwers. Ressler broke the school modern era record and automatically qualified for nationals while winning the javelin last Saturday at the Messiah Invitational with a throw of 206-11 (Old Record: 204-5, Matt Menold, 1999; D-III Automatic Qualifying Standard: 198-8). That throw ranks him second in Division III this season - pretty good for an athlete who didn't even throw the jav for most of his first two years in college, and only threw it in his senior year of high school. He's already won the event twice this year - also throwing 190-2 to initially provisionally qualify for nationals at the Roanoke Invitational.
CONTACT: Jim Taylor, men's track & field coach, (570) 372-4416 or 4262 (o) or (570) 374-8636 (h)
THE NATURAL ATHLETE. Freshman three-sport standout Katie McKeever (Norristown/Methacton H.S.) continues to build her athletic legend at Susquehanna in just her freshman year. Despite running track for the first time in her career, McKeever finished fifth out of 40 runners in the 800-meter run last Saturday at the Messiah Invitational in only her third meet ever - posting the team's season best time of 2:32.06. She was already the second-leading scorer on the nationally-ranked Crusader field hockey team last fall (11G-3A-25P), then finished second in the Middle Atlantic Conference in the two breaststroke events and was fourth in the 100-yard butterfly - setting school records in each - as a swimmer during the winter. With continued experience in the track, McKeever's past "track record" suggests she could be a MAC contender by time of the conference championships on Friday and Saturday, May 5-6, at Widener University .
CONTACT: Craig Penney, women's track & field coach, (570) 372-4416 (p.m.) or (570) 524-4408 (a.m.)
MAKING SOFTBALL HISTORY. Multi-talented senior captain Lisa Stack (Swoyersville/Wyoming Valley West H.S.) and junior right-handed pitcher Kristen Hogan (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury H.S.) are on the verge of making Susquehanna softball history. Stach has already played four positions during her Crusader career (1B, SS, LF, CF) and sixth-year head coach Vince Anselmo was hoping to play her at the other five in Wednesday's doubleheader at Scranton - making her the first player in school history to play all nine positions. Aside for her versatilty, Stack also ranks third in career at-bats with 377 (Record: 424, Tennille Shenk, 1996-99), fourth in runs with 87 (Record: 100, Dina Fornataro, 1994-97), fifth in RBI with 57, tied for fifth in doubles with 15, and sixth in hits with 108. Hogan is just 14 strikeouts shy of breaking the school career record. (Record: 323, Judy Sholtis, 1983-86). She is already only the second Susquehanna pitcher to both win 30 games and strikeout 300 batters. In addition to wins (Record: 43, Sholtis, 1983-86) and strikeouts, Hogan is presently first in career strikeouts per seven innings (6.91) and fewest walks per game (1.61). She also is third in career ERA (1.87), and fourth in winning percentage (.652, 30-16).
CONTACT: Mike Ferlazzo, SID, (570) 372-4119 (o), (570) 374-4119 (h), e-mail: ferlazzo@susqu.edu
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