KUTZTOWN, PA (May 7, 2010) – A perfect snapshot of the Kutztown University 4 x 100-meter relay team occurred during one of its toughest moments of the outdoor season. During the Paul Kaiser Invitational at Shippensburg University two weeks ago, Kristen Slack had some issues with the baton exchange, which slowed the Golden Bear relay to a crawl in the race.
A fierce competitor and perfectionist, Slack was understandably upset. However, her mood quickly changed after the race when she was joined by her relay teammates; juniors Brooke Mathews and Sarah Messner and fellow freshman Shante Grayer. The quartet has a special bond with each other and they have the perfect recipe to turn any frown upside down.
“They told me not to worry about the bad exchange and then they started laughing, which made me feel better,” Slack said. “I was really upset when I messed up the handoff. But they just explained to me that I am still learning and not to stress about anything.”
Seven days later with smooth baton exchanges and swift strokes around the oval at Princeton, Messner, Mathews, Slack and Grayer permanently purged the bad memory from Shippensburg by swooshing to a school record performance in the 4 x 100-meter relay. In finishing third in the race, the Golden Bear foursome ran 48.54, which bested the previous mark by .01 second established in 2007 by Katie Quinn, Corri Speakman, Doofan Too Tor-Agbidye and Laura Deller.
Kutztown enters its final tune-up for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship meet with the second fastest 4 x 100-meter relay time in the conference behind Slippery Rock (47.70). Shippensburg (48.65) and Cheyney (48.89) are the only other conference schools to run under 49 seconds in the super-quick 4 x 100-meter relay.
“The biggest thing was they got their handoffs down,” head coach Ray Hoffman said. “We knew all four girls combined would run a very fast time. The thing with the 4 x 1 is getting a good stick and we were struggling a little early in the season with getting our sticks around. They have progressed nicely. Actually at the beginning of the season we had a different person but unfortunately Sammy got a little banged up and we replaced her with Kristen, who did a phenomenal job of stepping in.”
Fans will get an opportunity to see if the Golden Bears can improve their 4 x 100-meter relay time Saturday evening when it hosts the Last Chance Meet at University Field beginning at 5 p.m. Among some of the schools scheduled to compete are SUNY-Cobleskill, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and Millersville.
“We're excited to run at home this weekend,” Mathews said. “It's also nice for our families because they can come out and watch us. This meet is a great tune-up for the PSAC meet. We believe if we get our handoffs down, we can definitely improve our time.”
While the speed is probably the biggest ingredient to possess, the Golden Bears' 4 x 100-meter relay team also has something that is just as crucial to their success: chemistry. Messner, Grayer, Mathews and Slack have plenty of personality and are always in a good mood. Grayer is the comedian of the group and her one-liners keep her teammates on edge. Slack enjoys a good laugh or two. Mathews and Messner are always in good spirits.
For Messner, being able to be a part of the 4 x 100-relay is a special experience and something she doesn't take for granted. Messner didn't run most of her freshman year because of a knee injury and last year she was rounding into shape. This season, the tiny ball of energy and psychology major has made up for lost time.
“I am glad to be back.” Messner said. “I think it's really awesome to have broken the school record in the 4 x 100. We were really excited when we learned that we had accomplished that mark. We didn't find out until halfway through the meet when coach Hoffman told us. We were so close to the record at PSACs last year; that was one of my goals this year was to break that record.”
Messner didn't start running track until her freshman year of high school. She enjoyed immediate success and hasn't stopped running since.
“It was kind of one of those things when my mom wanted me to do another sport to have on my college transcript,” Messner said. “It turned out being something that I was good at. Yeah, I ended up doing a lot better than anyone expected me to.”
Slack ran a strong leadoff leg. She usually gets the team off to a good start. Mathews did a nice job on the second leg. Mathews is the designated catcher, meaning that she passes anybody in front of her to put Kutztown in a great position. Messner ran a steady third leg. She usually maintains KU's advantage in the race. Finally, Grayer blazed a strong anchor leg. Nobody catches Grayer.
“The order has worked out well for us,” Grayer said. “Everyone has a funny personality on the team. It's fun being on the 4 x 1. Instead of it being about me winning, like an individual race, it's about everybody. Being on the relay, you have people helping you win, which is a good feeling.”
Individually, they have enjoyed some special moments this season. In the triple jump, Slack leaped 38 feet, 1.25 inches, which is the second best effort in Kutztown history. Slack is currently fifth in the triple jump and 10th in the long jump heading into the PSAC meet. Both Mathews and Grayer rank in the PSAC top 10 in the 100 and 200-meter dashes. Mathews is seventh in the 100 (12.61) and Grayer is eighth (12.71). They have each run 26.20 in the 200-meter dash, which is tied for ninth. Messner's best effort in the 100 was a 12.82.
“We're pretty close as a unit,” Messner said. “Brooke and I have been pretty close since freshman year. The other freshmen have been great. Kristen and Shante are really funny. Brooke is really passionate about what she does and she's a really good part of the team.”
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