Merckle wins third ACC championship
Wake Forest senior Jessie Merckle, a Hickory native and Fort Cherry graduate, won her third Atlantic Coast Conference javelin title Saturday at the ACC Track & Field Championships in Tallahassee, Fla.
Merckle had to win by coming from behind. Her fifth of six throws went 178-6 to defeat runner-up Eva Vivod of Virginia Tech by almost seven feet. Vivod led Merckle by seven inches after four throws.
A two-time All-American and the Wake Forest record holder, Merckle won the ACC title in both her freshman and sophomore years. She finished second as a junior.
Duke senior Teddi Maslowski of Burgettstown placed fourth in the heptathlon with 5,537 points.
Maslowski, who attended Steubenville Central Catholic, won the 200 meters (23.92) and long jump (19-4½), was second in the 100 high hurdles (13.58) and 800 meters (2:16.17) and third in the shot put (38-4).
Pitt’s Alyssa Wise of Washington finished eighth in the 100-meter dash final. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 11.71.
Alec Rideout of Canonsburg, a sophomore at Shippensburg, placed second in the shot put at the PSAC Championships held in Mansfield.
A former standout at Canon-McMillan, Rideout had a throw of 55-1. Teammate Bryan Pearson edged Rideout with a winning throw of 55-3½.
Rideout’s finish helped Shippensburg win the men’s team title.
California senior Alex Zanella and junior Julie Friend each won individual title at the PSAC meet Friday.
Zanella repeated as the conference champion in the 800-meter run and won her 10th career league title (three relays). She won by more than second, crossing the finish line in 2:14.03.
Friend won the 3,000-meter steeplechase for her fourth PSAC title (two relays). She cruised to the win in 10:44.55, which was 14 seconds faster than the rest of the field.
On Saturday, Cal’s 400-meter relay team of Jimmy Wheeler, Joe Vedilago, Montre Tates and Jae’Len means won the PSAC title in 41.13. The Vulcans’ Summer Hill had the best 1,500-meter time during the season and was able to back it up with a conference title, pacing the field the entire way and finishing in 4:32.62.