The Bearcats opened the spring season with a strong showing, taking fourth place in the small college division at the Western Pennsylvania Championships, hosted by California University (PA).

SVC was particularly strong in the distance events.  In the 5000 meter run, senior Adam Smith took first in a field of 19 runners from all three NCAA classifications, finishing with a time of 15:08.  Teammate Ryan Barlow finished closely behind Smith, with a second-place time of 15:57, while Matt Hagg took seventh (16:46) and Mike Hannon 11th (16:50).

In the 800 meter run, the brother tandem of Craig and Shane Anderton took third and fourth place, respectively, with times of 1:58.00 and 1:58.32.  Tommy McLaughlin finished 17th, with a time of 2:05.59, and Mike Stevens 18th (2:05.90).

Kevin Wanichko posted a team-best time of 4:08.57 in the 1,500 meter, good for fifth place, while teammate Jim Vargo finished in 13th in the event with a time of 4:16.68.

Nick Higgins' time of 35:09 was good for ninth place in the 10K run, while the team of Craig and Shane Anderton, McLaughlin, and Wanichko finished fifth in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:29.94.

Shane Sweeney led the Bearcats in sprint events, finishing 16th in the 400 meter (54.20 seconds) and 19th in the 200 meter (24.97), while Corey McGuire turned in a team-best 32nd place time of 12.33 seconds in the 100 meter dash.

The Bearcats finished with a team score of 78 in the small-college division, which was won by Grove City College and its score of 189. 

SVC will now return to action on Saturday, when the Bearcats will take part in the Washington & Jefferson Invitational.