By John Ostapowicz
Junior Erin Bogard set a new school record in the women’s pole vault, clearing a 4.05-meter bar at the Youngstown State University Icebreaker on Friday, Dec. 3, 2021.
Senior Wyatt Lefker also set a new Youngstown State record at the Icebreaker as he cleared a 5.15-meter pole vault which offset his previous record of a 4.95-meter vault set during the 2021 indoor season.
On Jan. 15, standout senior Sean Peterson broke the Youngstown State 1,000-meter run record, posting a time of 2:22.17. The previous record was held by Youngstown State alumnus R.D. Goodright, which was set in 2006 with a time of 2:27.70.
Although Peterson was debuting in his first 1,000-meter run, he and his coach knew that going into the race, he had a chance to break the school record if he executed to his full potential.
“Coming into the meet, me and my coach knew that there was a good chance I could take the record, so it was just a matter of executing,” Peterson said.
Peterson has had an impressive career at Youngstown State. He was named the Nike Horizon League Track and Field Men’s Runner of the Week twice for the weeks of March 30, 2021, and April 13, 2021. He was named the Alfreeda Goff Men’s Indoor Track and Field Player of the Year in 2021 as he posted an incredible time in the men’s 1-mile run with 4:17.68.
Peterson also won his fourth consecutive men’s 800-meter run title with a time of 1:54.63, making him the first runner to accomplish this feat in Horizon League history.
In regard to his career, Peterson said he’s happy that he has been given a lot of opportunities and is thankful for all the people he has met along the way.
“It’s been a fun experience. I’ve met a lot of people, got to go to a lot of cool places for meets and got to make fun memories with a lot of people here,” Peterson said.
On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2022, Youngstown State’s standout stars were back in action at the Youngstown State University Collegiate Invitational in the Watson and Tressel Training Site.
Bogard was the highlight of the event as she broke her previous record at the Youngstown State University Collegiate Invitational by clearing a 4.11-meter bar on her third and final attempt.
Senior Suerethia Henderson had a record breaking day as well, setting a new Youngstown State Collegiate Invitational record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.57 to earn her second event win of the season.
Lefker also performed well as he cleared 4.97-meters in the men’s pole vault to place second in the event, which makes that his third top three finish on the season.
Freshman Victoria Lanese had a noteworthy day at women’s high jump as she cleared 1.74 meters on her first attempt, nabbing first place in the event. This is the third straight event victory of the season for Lanese.
The Youngstown State track and field team is back at the WATTS on Friday, Jan. 28 and Saturday, Jan. 29 to host the annual Youngstown State Mid-Major Invitational. The meet is slated to begin at 3 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
