Pre-2019-20 season
IN THE NEWS:
Silver, Bronze medals highlight coach Leverington’s trip to World Transplant Games (August 2019)
Leverington medals at Transplant Games of America (August 2018)
Highlights:
Heather Leverington enters her second season (2019-20) at the helm of The Haven track & field programs and 13
th season overall coaching at LHU. Last season, (2018-19) was her first as the Lock Haven head men's and women's indoor/outdoor track & field coach.
Prior to taking over solo head coaching duties, Leverington guided the teams – particularly the throwers - to new heights as co-head coach and an assistant for over a decade.
Last season, among many honors, she helped guide one thrower to the NCAA Division II National Championship to headline an all-around special 2018-19 year.
INDOOR – 2018-19:
Women –
On December 1, 2018, the women's indoor track & field team opened the season with a sensational outing. From that season-opener in early December, the Bald Eagles never looked back, as the 2018-19 indoor season proved to be a special one all-around for LHU.
In the end, Lock Haven placed seventh at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, highlighting the strong campaign. During the three-month season, the Bald Eagles set five school records and recorded 10 all-time top-five performances.
Distance-star Laurel Moyer set school records in the 1,000-meter run and the mile. Freshman sprint-sensation Riyana Owens set records in the 60 and 300-meter events. Rookie Karina Long set the school-record in the long jump in the season-opening meet at Bucknell.
During the regular season, nine different Bald Eagles accounted for 19 individual PSAC qualifying marks across 13 different events.
OUTDOOR – 2019:
Women -
The 2019 outdoor season proved to be a special one.
It ended with freshman-sensation Karina Long representing the Bald Eagles on the sport's biggest stage, as she competed at the 2019 NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
Long was one of three All-Region performers on the season. Long, along with Cadie Kiser and Laurel Moyer all earned spots on the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCA) All-Atlantic Region Team. Kiser, Long and Moyer combined to earn All-Region status in six total events.
Moyer, the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events, earned All-Region honors in three events. She was named to the All-Region team in the 5K, 10K and 1,500-meter run. Kiser earned All-Region status in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 10K. Kiser was the PSAC champ in the steeplechase. Long earned All-Region status in the long jump, the event she competed in at the 2019 NCAA Championships in Texas.
During the regular season, the women's team had 13 student-athletes record 24 individual PSAC qualifying marks in 17 different events.
Men -
The 2019 outdoor season was another special season filled with highlights and honors.
The season ended with a pair of Bald Eagles competing on the big stage, as both senior javelin thrower Wade Laudeman and freshman hurdler CJ Anderson qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Anderson, Laudeman and Marcus Disbrow all earned All-Region status, as each earned a spot on the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCA) All-Atlantic Region Team.
Anderson, LHU's rookie sensation, earned All-Region honors in the 110-meter hurdles. Throwers Disbrow and Laudeman earned All-Region honors in the hammer throw and javelin throw, respectively.
During the regular season, the LHU men's team saw 12 student-athletes record 25 individual PSAC qualifying marks in 15 different events.
Leading the way was Anderson, the most dynamic and versatile hurdler and sprinter in the PSAC. During the regular season, Anderson recorded individual PSAC qualifying marks in the 100, 200 and 400-meter events, as well as the 100mH and 400mH. He ranked among the top-10 in the PSAC in all five individual events and he ran NCAA Division II provisional marks in both hurdle events.
The full story:
She is also responsible for coordinating the team’s strength and conditioning program, and works closely with the throwers.
Since joining the LHU track & field program prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, Leverington has guided Bald Eagle throwers to a number of accolades. The 2017-18 season was no different as the women soared in the indoor season which saw all-time marks and records being broken. The two records that were broken this season was the women's 60-meter hurdles and the women's 300-meters. Rashana Tompkins was able to lower that record by three tenths of second (.30) to 8.87. Kayla Braithwaite, who broke the 300-meter record, ran to a time of 43.06 which is .06 faster than the previous record that stood for eight years. Laurel Moyer hit numerous top-five all-time marks in numerous events across the board. She ran up the record books to mark herself second all-time in the 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 races! She also hit the fourth fastest mile time in school history at the Mid-Major Invite at Youngstown University.
In the outdoor season, the LHU women hit 11 different individual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks in the six different individual events. Highlighting the way was four individual qualifying marks at 1,500-meters. The men hit 25 individual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks in 12 different events. Seniors Mitchell Coakley (steeplechase) and Matt Taylor (10K) have been named to the All-Region Team.
2016-17 was once again another successful year for the Haven track & field teams. At the PSAC Indoor Championships Lock Haven had eight All-Conference athletes as well as eight athletes earning All-Region honors in seven events. Highlighting the performances was senior Lindsay Hepburn who defended her championship in the weight throw.
Following a stellar indoor championship The Haven had some great individual performances at the PSAC Outdoor Championship. Leading the way was Tyler Burger and Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks. Burger capped his freshman year by winning the decathlon. Miles-Eubanks was second in the javelin and both men’s performances were NCAA provisional marks. Also hitting a NCAA provisional mark was Elizabeth Kravitz in the javelin throw.
Leading the way in 2014-15 was standout men’s throwers Jake Heim and Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks, along with Lindsay Hepburn of the women’s team.
In the spring of 2015 after winning the PSAC title in the javelin, Miles-Eubanks earned his second straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships in the javelin.
Heim won the weight throw during the indoor PSAC Championships and turned in a stellar season outdoor, as well.
Hepburn, who earned Academic All-American honors, was an All-Region thrower during the indoor and outdoor seasons. She also won the weight throw at the indoor PSAC Championships.
Also, highlighting the 2014-15 season was Bobby Shorthouse winning the PSAC Sportsmanship Award.
In 2014, Miles-Eubanks was second in the javelin at the PSAC Championships and earned a spot in the NCAA Championships. Miles-Eubanks also became a USA Track & Field Junior National Qualifier, finishing seventh at the USATF Junior Nationals in July, 2014.
Leverington has helped LHU throwers set seven school records and win 16 individual PSAC Championships. She was named PSAC Coach of the Year in 2007 (outdoor) and 2009-10 (indoor). Following the 2007 outdoor season, she was named Co-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
Prior to her time at Lock Haven, Leverington served as assistant track & field coach at her alma mater Emporia State University from 2004-06. From 2002-04, she served as graduate assistant coach at the University of South Dakota.
In all, Leverington has guided nearly 90 student-athletes to NCAA Division II provisional marks and 15 to DII All-American status. She’s guided two student-athletes to Division II national championships.
Leverington is a 2002 graduate of Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation. She earned her master’s in Health and Physical Education and Recreation from South Dakota in 2004.
A five-time NCAA Division II shotput National Champion, Leverington enjoyed a standout career at Emporia State. The seven-time DII All-American set the DII National shotput record in 2001. In 2000, Leverington finished ninth at the United States Olympic Trials.
Leverington is a member of the Mid-Inter Collegiate Athletic Association Athletic Hall of Fame (’14), Emporia State University Athletic Hall of Fame (’12) and the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Hall of Fame (’07).
*Updated November 2019, pre-2019-20 season.
