Payton Falkenstein, an East Stroudsburg freshman from Burlington Township, is off to a fast start with one of the school’s fastest times in the last decade in her first lifetime track 5,000.
Falkenstein ran 18:22.72 at the Riverhawk Invitational in Boston. Freshman teammate Brianna Hennett, an NCAA Division 2 XC qualifier this past fall, ran 17:45.96 in the same race.
Those are East Stroudsburg’s two fastest indoor 5,000 times since 2014, when Kim Wernerspach ran 18:05.85 at the Armory, and they’re the two-fastest freshman 5,000 times on record since 2011, which is as far back as the Track and Field Results Reporting System [TFRRS] web site goes.
Falkenstein didn’t run any track 5,000s in high school, but her 3,200 PR was 11:54.28, which is an average of 5:57 per mile, and her 5,000 averaged 5:55 per mile. So she ran faster for 25 laps indoors in her college 5,000 debut than eight laps outdoors.
Falkenstein ranks 10th in the PSAC in the 5,000 and 4th among freshmen.
8 years Willis: 1 INT, 2.6 sacks, 2.0 FF, 1.5 fumble recoveries per year
13 years
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 