SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Mackenzie Carver won the second Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) individual track championship of her career and two other Golden Eagles cracked the top-eight in their respective events, highlighting a thrilling final day at the 2024 PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
After pacing the field in the preliminary run on Saturday afternoon, Carver faced a tough challenge in the finals on Sunday. Starting in the middle lane, she was neck-and-neck with California’s Fralin for the first 100 meters before pulling into the lead.
Carver led by about two lengths through the first lap but had to hold off a late kick by Fralin in the final 200 meters. She put on the jets in the final 50 meters to pull away and earn the top spot on the podium with a time of 2:15.47.
Carver’s title represents the 13th total individual PSAC championship in Golden Eagle track & field history. She is now one of only three Golden Eagle women’s track & field athletes to win multiple conference championships in her career, joining Erin Richard and Taryn Carter. Richard won six individual PSAC Championships from 2006 to 2007 and was also part of a champion Distance Medley Relay team, while Carter won back-to-back 100m Hurdle championships in 1981-82.
Meanwhile, in the field, a pair of Golden Eagle throwers were making their own marks on the proceedings.
Shelly Jones capped the final season of her collegiate career with a fourth-place finish in the Shot Put, clearing 13 meters in her second attempt of the day to reach the finals. She threw the implement a distance of 13.04m, which ranked as the third-best throw through three rounds.
Elsewhere, Autumn Pettinato reached the finals of the Javelin for the second straight season, and this time the senior earned a spot on the podium for the first time in her career.
Pettinato’s final throw of the preliminary round was a beauty, hitting a distance of 39.05m. That was by far her best throw of the season and also cleared the best throw of her career by nearly two full meters, putting her in eighth place overall.
Rounding out the competitors on Sunday were Leah Perry and Sadie Leisinger, who both competed in the High Jump. They both cleared the bar at a height of 1.46m.
Clarion finished tied for 10th in the team standings. They scored 19 team points.
