EDINBORO, PA. – After over a month and a half without competition, the IUP men's and women's track and field teams got back into the swing of things this Saturday at the Al Hall Freedom Games hosted by Edinboro University.

Race Notes
>> Sophomore sprinter Dre Carr was the man of the hour for the Crimson Hawks at the meet. Carr won the men's 60 meter dash with a time of 6.71 seconds to smash the previous IUP school indoor record in the event of 6.80 seconds. Carr set a new personal best in the event with his time on Saturday, and now holds the first and third fastest times in the men's indoor 60 meter dash in school history.
>> The Crimson Hawks faced off against a tough field of opponents on Saturday which included several local rivals and conference opponents including, host Edinboro University, Slippery Rock University, Lock Haven, and Point Park.
>> The Crimson Hawks had 12 athletes earn top three finishes at the meet.
>> In total the Crimson Hawks managed to rack up 16 PSAC qualifying marks at the meet, while one NCAA automatic qualifying spot was also earned by IUP on Saturday.

Top Performers
>> In addition to winning the 60 meter dash, Dre Carr also won the men's 200 meter dash.
>> Carr was joined on the podium for the 60 meter dash by fellow Crimson Hawk Noah Shannon-Hatchett who came in second in the race.
>> Eliezier Silvestre finished ninth overall in the men's 400 meter finals with a time of 55.85 seconds.
>> Freshman Mitch Chunta also came in 9^th in his race. Chunta finished the men's 800 meter race with a time of 2:07.43.
>> Junior Sam Lenze helped the Crimson Hawks to earn another top place finish, as he came in third overall in the men's mile with a time of 4:32.68. Teammate Noah Mandel also earned a top ten finish in the race, coming in 7^th with a time of 4:41.02.
>> The Crimson Hawks managed to place three runners from the men's team in the top 10 of the 3,000 meters finals. Nathan Skodi, Isaac Evans, and Ben Kullen finished 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th respectively in the race with times of 9:33.87, 9:40.80, and 9:50.19.
>> Competing for the first time this year for IUP, Addison Singleton scored a top 3 finish for IUP in the men's 60 meter high hurdles.
>> The most successful event for the IUP men's team at the meet was undoubtedly the high jump, as the Crimson Hawks managed to take four of the top five places in the event. Christian Jones led the way for IUP with a second place finish, followed by Juan Mato-Segura and Elie Basenga tying for second place, and Jayden Thomas in fourth.
>> Two of the Crimson Hawks also finished in the top 10 of the men's pole vault in Edinboro. Sophomore Jeremy Adamson finished third, while Braedon Sheeshly came in sixth.
>> The IUP women's track and field team also enjoyed a great deal of success at the Al Hall Freedom Games on Saturday. Leading the way for the Crimson Hawks was Junior Nickeela Austin who earned top five finishes in three events, including winning both the triple and long jumps. Austin also came in fifth in the women's 200 meter dash.
>> The Crimson Hawks dominated the women's 3,000 meters on Saturday, claiming four of the top five spots in the race. Senior Ala Small came in second, while freshman Erin McGrath finished third. Tricia Varner rounded out the top finishers for IUP by coming in fifth overall.
 
PSAC and NCAA Qualifiers
>> Thanks to their performances in the 60 meter dash, both Carr and Shannon-Hatchett earned PSAC qualifying marks with times of 6.71 seconds and 7.01 seconds. Not only did Carr earn a PSAC mark, but he also earned an NCAA automatic qualifying bid with his time.
>> Carr also finished the men's 200 meter race with a time of 22.03 seconds, which earned him his second PSAC qualifying mark on the day.
>>After finishing 3^rd in the mile with a time of 4:32.68, Sam Lenze earned a PSAC qualifying mark in Edinboro.
>> Freshman Addison Singleton's time of 8.96 in the 60 meter high hurdles was good enough to earn him a PSAC qualifying mark.
>> All four of IUP's high jumpers managed to earn PSAC qualifying marks on Saturday. Christian Jones finished with the best jump on the day for the Crimson Hawks with a height of 2.01 meters, Jones was followed by Juan Mato-Segura and Elie Basenga who each cleared 1.89 meters. Freshman Thomas Jayden rounded out the group for IUP with a height of 1.83 meters.
>> Both Jeremy Adamson and Braedon Sheeshly earned PSAC marks in the men's pole vault. Adamson Cleared 4.35 meters to earn his mark, while Sheeshly's height of 4.05 also earned him a PSAC qualifying spot.
>> Long Jumper Ethan Riley came in seventh on Saturday with a distance of 6.42 meters, good for a PSAC qualifying mark.
>> Nickeela Austin earned three PSAC marks at the meet for the IUP women's track and field team. Austin's time of 26.68 seconds in the 200 meters was good enough for a conference mark. She also earned a PSAC mark in both the long and triple jumps with distances of 5.57 meters and 11.18 meters respectively.
>> Austin wasn't the only Crimson Hawks to earn a PSAC mark for the women's team in a jumping event, sophomore Rachel Horrell also earned a PSAC mark in the long jump with a distance of 5.05 meters.
>> Freshman Paige Wess notched a PSAC mark in the 800 meters with a time of 2:24.67. Wess placed fifth overall in the race with that time.

Up Next
>> The Crimson Hawks will send athletes to compete in two meets next Friday, January 31^st. Several members of the team will head to University Park, Pa. to compete in the PSU National Open, while other squad members will take part in the YSU National Mid-Major Invitational in Youngstown, Ohio.

Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP track and field on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtrack_XC.