East Stroudsburg sophomore Payton Falkenstein from Burlington Township put together a strong race at the NCAA Division 2 Atlantic Regional Saturday in Lock Haven, Pa.
Falkenstein ran 21:21 over 6,000 meters at West Branch Cross Country Course and was the Warriors’ 2nd finisher. East Stroudsburg placed a close 3rd of 22 schools with 114 points, finishing behind only Davis and Elkins of Elkins, W. Va., [93] and Slippery Rock (Pa.) [100].
Falkenstein ran an all-course 6K PR by more than a minute. Her previous best was a 22:43 when she placed 6th at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships last month at Kutztown.
East Stroudsburg was ranked 8th in the Atlantic Region by the USTFCCCA before the race and moved up five spots in the final regional ranking.
With their 3rd-place finish, East Stroudsburg qualified for NCAA Division 2 Nationals, scheduled for Nov. 23 at Arcade Creek XC Course in Sacramento.
The Warriors matched the best finish in school history. They were also 3rd in 1999 and 2003.
The runner who finished six seconds before Falkenstein was Lydia Falkenstein of Davis and Elkins. Lydia Falkenstein is from Tallmansville, W. Va., and I haven’t found any evidence that they’re related. But that is pretty odd.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 