SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University will host more than 600 track & field athletes from 19 different colleges Thursday at the John Papa Invitational at the William Lennox Track at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
 
LOGISTICS
- Date: Thursday, April 16
- Time: Noon start in field / 2 p.m. start on track
- Location: Slippery Rock University – Slippery Rock, Pa.
- Facility: William Lennox Track at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium
 
MEET INFO
- Updated Meet Schedule (PDF)
- Heat Sheets / Meet Program (PDF)
- Performance List (PDF)
 
LIVE COVERAGE
- Live Results (provided by Wolf Creek Timing Company)
 
COLLEGIATE TEAMS ATTENDING (19)
Akron, Allegheny, California (Pa.), Carnegie Mellon, Clarion, Duquesne, Edinboro, Geneva, Grove City, Indiana (Pa.), Pitt-Johnstown, Penn State Behrend, Robert Morris, Seton Hill, Slippery Rock, St. Vincent, West Liberty, Westminster, Youngstown State
 
MEET STATS
- 35 total teams counting men and women's teams
- 19 different colleges represented
- 611 unique athletes entered
- 926 total entries
- Teams from all three NCAA divisions
- 128 total SRU athletes entered
 
ABOUT THE JOHN PAPA INVITATIONAL
This marks the last of two home meets this spring for Slippery Rock. The meet is named after legendary Slippery Rock track & field coach John Papa, who served as head coach of the cross country and track & field programs at Slippery Rock for more than 35 years. Papa, who is in the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame on the merits of his athletic career, was also an All-American in the decathlon at Slippery Rock in the late 1970s and helped lead The Rock to the 1979 NCAA Division III Men's Track & Field National Championship. That title remains the only NCAA team championship in any sport in SRU history. Papa retired in June of 2022 after leading The Rock to 25 PSAC titles and 32 conference runner-up finishes. He oversaw 12 individual national champions, 127 NCAA Division II All-Americans and 345 individual and relay conference champions during his tenure.
 
PSAC/NCAA QUALIFYING STANDARDS
• 2026 Qualifying Standards
• PSAC Performance List
• NCAA DII Performance List
 
SLIPPERY ROCK MEN'S TEAM UPDATE
The Rock men enter this week with 10 performances that currently rank in the top 50 among all Division II athletes this spring, including five that rank in the top 25. All 10 of the top 50 marks come in the field.
 
The highest ranked SRU athlete this spring is multi-event standout Logan Anderson, who ranks ninth in the nation in the decathlon with his score of 6,928 points from last week. Anderson also has a top 50 mark in the long jump with his leap of 7.26 meters ranked 45th nationally. Jacob Stucchio also owns a top 40 mark with the 33rd best score in the nation (6,213 points).
 
Six of the top 50 marks come in the throws, including three top 20 efforts. Seaton Wozniak currently ranks 12th nationally in the shot put (17.67m) while also ranking 22nd nationally in the discus throw (52.11m). He is joined by Connor Brown with a top 20 mark in the shot put with Brown ranked 17th (17.23m) and he is joined in the discus by Ryan Oleksy with the 46th best mark in the nation (49.61m).
 
Zach Gose is the third highest ranked SRU athlete with his SRU hammer throw record of 62.12 meters currently ranked 15th nationally. Joey Reed closes out the top 50 marks for the throwers with his javelin throw of 61.38 meters currently ranked 41st.
 
Logan Turton rounds out the top 50 marks with his high jump clearance of 2.01 meters ranked 44th in the nation.
 
Slippery Rock will enter 64 total men to compete this weekend. Full entries available HERE.
 
SLIPPERY ROCK WOMEN'S TEAM UPDATE
Slippery Rock enters the weekend with nine performances ranked in the top 50 in Division II this spring, including three in the top 25.
 
Alice Bogia leads the way with her triple jump mark of 12.14 meters currently ranked No. 13 in the nation. She is joined in the top 25 in the event by Baylee Blauser, whose leap of 12.00 meters ranks No. 23, and Tayla Kurzawa, who ranks 45th nationally with a mark of 11.72 meters.
 
Isabella Bartoletti is the second highest ranked SRU female athlete with her javelin throw of 44.31 meters currently ranking 22nd nationally. She is one of three throwers with top 50 marks on the year. Olivia Heckman is 32nd in the shot put with a toss of 13.89 meters and Savannah Schneck owns a pair of top 50 marks, ranking 40th in the hammer throw (51.98m) and 48th in the shot put (13.54m).

Allie Taylor closes out the top 50 marks in the field with her pole vault clearance of 3.70 meters ranked 44th nationally. 

The Rock have one top 50 mark on the track and it belongs to Ruthie Hughes with her 10,000-meter run time of 36:41.08 ranked 43rd nationally.
 
Slippery Rock will enter 64 total women to compete this weekend. Full entries available HERE.
 
RECAP AND RESULTS
Recaps and results will be posted to www.RockAthletics.com late Thursday night as the meet is not anticipated to finish until the late evening hours.
 
UP NEXT
Slippery Rock is scheduled to compete in two different meets next week as a final tune-up before the PSAC Championships. The Rock will send a group to Allegheny College Friday and another group to Ashland University in Ohio for a two-day meet Friday and Saturday. The PSAC Championships are set for the following week, April 30 through May 2, at Shippensburg.
 
 


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