BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A handful of Penn State Harrisburg men's and women's track & field athletes took advantage of one last opportunity to compete before the end of the fall semester by taking part in the Lehigh Fast Times Before Finals indoor meet on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 8.
The group competing for the Blue & White included Sarah Lehman and Rae Rae Taylor on the women's side, as well as Jalil Clayton, Alex White and Dominick Hogans for the men. The Lions had the unique advantage of going up against opposition from a number of NCAA Division I and II schools, including the hosts from Lehigh, Lafayette, Mount St. Mary's, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown and West Chester.
Lehman, the reigning Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Women's Field Athlete of the Week, continued to impress in the jump events. She was the highest Division III finisher in the triple jump, posting a top effort of 11.36 meters. The mark is currently good enough to rank her sixth in the nation in the event. The 2017-18 CAC Rookie of the Year was also strong in the long jump, finishing fourth thanks to a top leap of 5.36 meters.
Taylor was strong in her own right and continued to hang with some of the best in the region in the jump events. She earned a top-five finish in the long jump with a top effort of 5.28 meters before coming home 10th in the triple jump thanks to a 10.57-meter leap. The sophomore also joined Lehman as competitors on the track in the 60m hurdles.
Clayton had his second stellar meet in as many outings, kicking things off by qualifying for the finals of the 60m dash thanks to a run of 7.16 seconds. Hogans also competed in the event, finishing 14th with an effort of 7.31 seconds. Clayton, the reigning CAC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, also ran the quickest qualifying time (8.27 seconds) in the 60m hurdles before finishing third in the finals, just .03 seconds off the winning mark.
Like his teammates, White hung with the best performers at the event. He was the second-highest finisher among Division III competitors in the high jump thanks to his top bound of 1.90 meters. The junior also just missed out on a top-three finish in the long jump after recording a top leap of 6.84 meters in the event.
The Lions will get an extended break to enjoy the holiday season before returning to action at St. Thomas Aquinas' Spartan Invitational on Friday, Jan. 11.
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