The Shippensburg University men's indoor track & field team won its eighth consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Indoor Track & Field Championship on Sunday, claiming the 2018 title by 64 points over Slippery Rock in competition from the Mike S. Zafirovski Sports and Recreation Dome at Edinboro University.
 
Shippensburg won its 11th overall PSAC Indoor Championship in the 17-year history of the meet by scoring 187 points – a far cry from last year's title in which SU edged The Rock by a mere 1.5 points. It is also the 10th PSAC title in the last 11 years for the Raiders.
 
In 2018, the Raiders won seven events (800, mile, 3K, 5K, DMR, high jump, weight throw) and posted 29 scoring performances over the two-day meet. SU got at least one point in all 17 events in which it had an entry, only failing to score in the pole vault.
 
Senior Alex Balla was named the 2018 PSAC Indoor Championships Track MVP for claiming conference championships in the 3K (Sunday) and the 5K (Saturday). Balla became the sixth man in PSAC history to achieve the long-distance double at the indoor conference meet, joining Lock Haven's Addison Monroe (2017), Lock Haven's Ryan Blood (2007) and Millersville's Mark Stallings (2002-03).
 
Balla edged his teammate, sophomore Rob Moser, for the second straight day in claiming Sunday's 3K title with a time of 8:34.75. It is his fourth PSAC place-winning performance in the event, having finished eighth each of the last two years and seventh as a freshman in 2015. Moser reached the podium for the first time after finishing ninth last year.
 
"Alex was the class of the field in the distance events, with his sidekick Rob 'Doc' Moser by his side," head coach Dave Osanitsch said of Balla. "They were a tandem that were unchallenged. And they were a part of one of the big highlights, watching that Saturday that 1-2-3 sweep in the 5K that also featured Sean Weidner. That set the tone heading into Sunday that we were ready to go."
 
Junior Dominic Stroh was named the 2018 PSAC Indoor Championships Most Valuable Athlete for his incredible contributions in four different events. On Sunday, Stroh won the mile by .02 seconds (4:15.58) in the closest finish in PSAC indoor championships history and then came back about an hour later and placed fifth in the 800 meters – his first scoring performance in the event – with a time of 1:56.79.
 
Stroh's effort in the mile is his third consecutive All-PSAC finish in the event after placing third each of the last two seasons. On Saturday, Stroh anchored the distance medley relay to a conference title with a strong kick and ran the third leg of the fourth-place 4x800-meter relay. His efforts contributed to 29 team points on the weekend.
 
"He is the epitome of the company man," Osanitsch said of Stroh. "He was amazing. His foot speed is incredible. He dominated everything he did, and he was simply there for us when we needed him – time and time again."
 
Freshman Austin Padmore won the PSAC title for the 800 meters in his debut individual race at the conference championships – running 1:54.03 to beat reigning champion Khai Samuels of ESU by .86 seconds. Padmore is the first SU champion in the event since Tom Kehl in 2013, and the first freshman to win the event since Kehl did it in 2012.
 
Senior Tra-C Davis defended his conference title in the high jump by setting a new meet and facility record on a clearance of 6 feet, 11 ½ inches. Davis only had one miss en route to the victory, clearing the winning height on his second attempt after getting over the bar at the first three heights on the first attempt.
 
Davis completes his PSAC Championships indoor high jump career with four Top 4 finishes – including back-to-back conference championships, a second-place finish in 2016 and a tie for fourth place as a freshman in 2015. Having achieved an NCAA automatic qualifier of 7 feet, 1 inch earlier this season, Davis will be competing for All-America honors in two weeks at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
 
"Tra-C's season has been nothing short of fantastic so far," Osanitsch said. "Step by step, his training is amazing. He was extremely confident today, and I'm excited where we're at in terms of heading out to the national championship meet."
 
Redshirt-junior David Brantley finished third in the heptathlon, posting a PR score of 4,716 to enhance his personal best by 123 points. It is Brantley's best PSAC finish to date after placing sixth last season and fourth as a freshman in 2015. Brantley achieved new bests Saturday with a 60-meter dash of 7.24 seconds and a shot put of 11.62 meters before coming back Sunday with a PR in the 60-meter hurdles of 8.70 seconds.
 
"There might not be any more event more mentally challenging event than what David and Colin Mondi endured this weekend," Osanitsch said. "David kept his composure and was able to come away with all-conference honors."
 
Junior Connor Holm joined Stroh on the awards stand for the mile with an All-PSAC, third-place finish of 4:17.07. Holm finished fourth in the mile last year – marking his second straight Top 5 indoor finish. He also ran the 1,200-meter leg on the victorious DMR on Saturday.
 
The SU men only had nine total performances in the prelims of the four track events that require prelims, but eight qualified for Sunday finals. The only one that didn't make it back was junior Calvin Dennis, but he also endured a double as he qualified for the 200-meter final and placed fifth in 22.47 seconds. Chris Craig did not compete in Sunday's 200-meter final.
 
Shippensburg got 16 points out of the 60-meter hurdles – a race in which second through fourth place were separated by .02 seconds. Junior Ori Rinaman finished second in a PR of 8.22 seconds, while senior Austin Shupp was third in 8.23 seconds. Sophomore Conner Oldt finished seventh in his PSAC debut with a time of 8.50 seconds.
 
Rinaman posted his third straight scoring performance and his best finish to date – he was fourth last season and third as a freshman in 2016. Shupp earned his third All-PSAC finish – he was third last year and second as a freshman in 2015. All three men posted improved times in the finals compared to their preliminary runs.
 
Junior Dreux Stamford ran a new personal best in the 60-meter dash, finishing second overall with a time of 6.87 seconds. It is his second straight scoring performance after a fifth-place finish last season.
 
Junior Johnathon Stiles was the runner-up in the 400 meters with a new best of 48.47 seconds in the finals. Stiles was competing at the PSAC Championships for the first time since 2014 with IUP, when he ran on three relays for the Crimson Hawks.
 
Freshman Austin Howell placed fourth in 49.61 seconds after running his PR (49.53) in prelims. Howell was splendid this weekend for the Raiders, as he ran the 400-meter leg of the victorious DMR on Saturday and ran on the meet-concluding 4x4 relay. The quartet of Howell, Rinaman, Stiles and Padmore finished second in 3:19.61 – each runner was clocked with a split between 49.6 and 50.2 seconds.
 
The shot put featured Raiders finishing consecutively in third through fifth place. Senior Bryan Pearson earned All-PSAC honors on a top mark of 53 feet, 3 ½ inches, while sophomore Cam Strohe finished fourth on a throw of 50 feet, 10 inches. Freshman Jacob Gieringer was less than an inch behind in fifth place (50 feet, 9 ¼ inches).
 
Pearson achieved his third straight All-PSAC finish after placing second in each of the last two seasons. Strohe and Gieringer were competing in their first PSAC Championships for the event – Strohe capped off a nice conference meet in which he also placed seventh in the weight throw on Saturday.
 
Freshman Shaquille Mitchell and Shupp both reached the awards stand for the triple jump. Mitchell placed fourth on a top mark of 46 feet, 2 ¾ inches, while Shupp finished eighth on a mark of 43 feet, 3 ¼ inches. It is the first career scoring performance in the event for both men.
 
Mitchell fouled his first two attempts but made finals on a leap of 44 feet, 9 inches on his third attempt. His fifth attempt produced his top mark. Shupp's best mark was achieved twice – on both his second and fifth attempt.
 
Overall, the Shippensburg's men's and women's indoor teams have now each won the PSAC Championship in the same season six times in school history (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017).
 
"People are so excited about our consistency, but it really comes down to my staff and the amazing student-athletes that we've had," Osanitsch said. "That's how we win all these blues (trophies). Without those people, there would be no Ship legacy."
 
The 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships will be held in two weeks at Pittsburg State University in Kansas at the state-of-the-art Robert Plaster Center. Davis is expected to represent the Raiders at the meet.
 
Notes: With the men's and women's team championships won Sunday by Shippensburg, head coach Dave Osanitsch becomes the most decorated coach in terms of hardware in league history…in his 13th season guiding the SU men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field programs, Osanitsch has now guided Shippensburg to 36 PSAC titles spanning the four sports…West Chester swimming coach Jamie Rudisill guided the Golden Rams to 34 combined conference championships in his 29-year tenure…SHIP's distance squad scored 68 points from four events (DMR, mile, 3K, 5K) – a score that would have ranked fourth in the team standings.
 
SUNDAY FINALS
 
60
2. Dreux Stamford 6.87
 
200
5. Calvin Dennis 22.47 (22.30p)
DNS Chris Craig (22.01p)
 
400
2. Johnathon Stiles 48.47
4. Austin Howell 49.61
Calvin Dennis 50.59p
 
800
1. Austin Padmore 1:54.03
5. Dominic Stroh 1:56.79
 
Mile
1. Dominic Stroh 4:15.58
3. Connor Holm 4:17.07
 
3K
1. Alex Balla 8:34.75
2. Rob Moser 8:35.82
Connor Holm 9:17.92
 
60H
2. Ori Rinaman 8.22 (8.26q)
3. Austin Shupp 8.23 (8.49q)
7. Conner Oldt 8.50 (8.57q)
 
4x400
2. Austin Howell, Ori Rinaman, Johnathon Stiles, Austin Padmore 3:19.61
 
High Jump
1. Tra-C Davis 6' 11 ½" (2.12m)
 
Triple Jump
4. Shaquille Mitchell 46' 2 ¾" (14.09m)
8. Austin Shupp 43' 3 ¼" (13.19m)
 
Shot Put
3. Bryan Pearson 53' 3 ½" (16.24m)
4. Cam Strohe 50' 10" (15.49m)
5. Jacob Gieringer 50' 9 ¼" (15.47m)
 
Heptathlon
3. David Brantley 4716
 
SATURDAY FINALS
 
5K
1. Alex Balla 15:00.26
2. Rob Moser 15:00.84
3. Sean Weidner 15:13.00
Michael Urban 15:39.58
 
4x800 Relay
4. Matt Gross, David Snyder, Dominic Stroh, Austin Padmore 8:00.83
 
Distance Medley Relay
1. Connor Holm, Austin Howell, Matt Gross, Dominic Stroh 10:29.19
 
Pole Vault
No entries
 
Long Jump
7. Austin Shupp 21' 6" (6.55m)
Greg Johnson 21' 2 ½" (6.46m)
 
Weight Throw
1. Bryan Pearson 58' 4 ½" (17.79m) (NCAA 'P')
7. Cam Strohe 51' 8 ¼" (15.75m)
Tyler Hewitt 46' 5 ¼" (14.15m)
 
SHIP's SCORING BREAKDOWN
5K (24), 3K (18), 60H (16), Mile (16), SP (15), 800 (14), 400 (13), WT (12), HJ (10), DMR (10), 60 (8), 4x4 (8), TJ (6), Hept (6), 4x8 (5), 200 (4), LJ (2), PV (0) = 187 points