Four Mountaineers qualify for Big East

West Virginia's track and field team hoped to add some more names to the Big East Conference championships when it traveled to the Sykes & Sabock Challenge Cup in State College, Pa.

WVU competed against 15 other schools including Buffalo, Cornell, James Madison, Kent State, Princeton, Liberty, UNC-Wilmington and host Penn State.

Four additions were added to the Big East Indoor Championships roster Saturday afternoon.

WVU was led by league-qualifying marks by Jenna Barreto, Stephanie Caruso, Hallie Portner and Lindsay Kopenhaver.

"I am quite pleased to have so many new names to the Big East championships roster," said head coach Sean Cleary. "We certainly have a few more holes to fill before we line up in two weeks at the Big East championships, but we also need to make good decisions to stay healthy."

Redshirt sophomore Chene Townsend matched her season-best mark from last year with a 8.53 second mark in the 60-meter hurdles to place second overall for the event finals Saturday. Townsend already qualified for the Big East Indoor Championships.

Barreto, a sophomore, was also able to qualify in the 400-meter dash with a 57.42 second mark, good for 16th in the event.

"Jenna Barreto ran her lifetime-best in the indoor 400," Cleary said. "As she gains more confidence, she will continue to improve."

Caruso and Portner also joined the list with their respective times of 5:05:14 and 5:07:49 in the mile run, surpassing the 5:08 requirement.

In the pole vault, Kopenhaver also earned her first Big East marks of the season with a requirement of 3.55 meters, which placed her 15th. Sophomore Katlyn Shelar placed ninth with her 3.70-meter mark in the event.

"We added a few miles to the Big East field in Caruso and Portner," Cleary said. "They had their best times of the winter. We feel confident that both will break five minutes by winter's end. Kopenhaver joins Shelar in the Big East; I'm very proud of her. Our hope is that this will boost her confidence over the next few weeks."

High jumpers Katelyn Williams and Sydney Cummings tied for first place at 1.73 meters.

"Sydney and Katelyn competed very well today," Cleary said. "We know they will jump higher over the next few weeks, but we are very pleased with their progression.

"Chene Townsend was the highlight of the day. Matching her best time from last winter, she looks primed for the Big East Indoor Championships."

Stephanie Aldea placed seventh in the 800 meters with a 2:13:22 time. Sarah Martinelli continued to impress with a fourth-place finish in the 3,000-meter run in 9:55:99.

"Stephanie Aldea also ran her lifetime-best in the 800," Cleary said. "I was pleased with her commitment to the race. She will run much better over the next month.

"That's two weeks in a row for Sarah Martinelli. Two very good runs breaking the five-minute mile and 10-minute 3,000-meter."