Throws in spotlight at Phillips Open
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Track & Field
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Past NCAA and SUNYAC champs are expected to compete in the women's throwing events Saturday during the Mary Phillips Open in Fredonia State's Steele Hall Fieldhouse.
The most decorated of the group entered is Adriane Blewitt, a seven-time NCAA Division II champ for Ashland University and two-time U.S. Olympic Trials competitor. A cancer survivor, Blewitt will also attend the event as a guest speaker and will talk about her life in athletics starting at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the Fieldhouse.
Blewitt's talk -- sponsored by the Fredonia State athletic department, the alumni association, and Blue Devil track & field alums -- is free of charge and open to the public.
(More on Adriane Blewitt's campus appearance)
The annual indoor meet has attracted six teams, including the host Blue Devils. Also entered are Alfred State, Edinboro, Erie Community College, Franklin & Marshall, and Roberts Wesleyan.
In addition to Blewitt, the women's throws field will also include Fredonia State senior Julia Hopson (Poughkeepsie/Arlington), a six-time SUNYAC champ; fellow NCAA Division III participant Alyssa Catalano of Franklin & Marshall; former SUNYAC champ and NCAA competitor Jen Heim; and Robert Wesleyan's Brandi Naish, a throws standout in the NAIA.
In addition to Hopson, Fredonia State interim head coach Liz Aldrich noted that junior jumper Jackie Majka (Depew) and sophomore sprinter-hurdler Kate Brett (Webster/Webster-Schroeder) among the women, and junior jumper Mike Kelley (Geneseo) and junior distance runner Tom Williams (Queensbury) on the men's side are entered in the meet.
Aldrich said Fredonia State alums John Katalinas and Tim Miller are also entered. Katalinas is the 2008 national masters superweight champ in the men's 35-pound weight throw, while Miller -- also a thrower -- and fellow alum Sean Kibrick are coaching at ECC.
Field events begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The track events are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m.