BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Kutztown University women's track & field brought home silver in the distance medley relay and scored points in three events as the 2025 PSAC Indoor Championships commenced inside Lehigh University's Rauch Fieldhouse, Saturday.
 
The Golden Bears had a solid opening day beyond the all-conference and points-scoring efforts. Three student-athletes advanced to Sunday finals on the track and four program top 10 marks were set.
 
Kutztown's DMR headlined the day, however, with a runner-up finish and the fourth-fastest time in school history. Mackey Donovan (Blauvelt, N.Y./Tappan Zee), Beth Schearer (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), Jensen Kraft (Nutley, N.J./Saint Mary) and Deandra Young (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) recorded a time of 12:20.17 to hold off the pursuits of California (Pa.) and Lock Haven behind champion Slippery Rock (12:11.79).
 
The performance earned the KU quartet All-PSAC Second Team honors and eight points in the team standings. It was also the first time a Golden Bear DMR team cracked the program's top 10 list since 2017.
 
Taylor Funk (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) and Sophia Knerr (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional) also brought home top five finishes for the Maroon and Gold in the pole vault and 5000m, respectively.
 
Funk cleared 3.50m (11-5.75) to tie for fourth in the pole vault, while Knerr ran the 10th-best 5000m time in school history with an 18:06.92 for fifth-place.
 
Fresh off her DMR performance, Schearer turned in the third-fastest time in the 200m prelim heats with a 25.58 to qualify for Sunday's final. She'll be joined there by Raechel Bonner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), who went sixth in prelims with a 25.68.
 
Bonner also qualified for the finals in the 400m by recording the sixth-best time in prelims (59.04). The graduate student was the indoor bronze medalist in both the 200m and 400m last year and was the 2023 PSAC Indoor champion in the 400m. Schearer, a sophomore, will be looking for her first medal in the 200m after placing fourth a season ago.
 
In the 60m, Kiana Young (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) missed the final by the slimmest of margins. The junior was one one-hundredth of a second away from the eighth and final qualifying spot with a 7.82. She still set a new PR (also by one one-hundredth of a second) and remained fourth on KU's all-time top 10 list. Teammate Brook Smith (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) was 11th in prelims but moved up to fifth from seventh on the top 10 with a career-best 7.85.
 
Kutztown currently holds seventh out of 14 schools in the team standings with 16.5 points but sit just 3.5 points out of fifth. Slippery Rock leads with 40 points ahead of Shippensburg (35.5) and East Stroudsburg (32.75).
 
The championships conclude Sunday with a full day of events beginning at 11:30 a.m. The Golden Bears will have student-athletes competing in the triple jump, mile, 400m final, shot put, 800m, 200m final, 3000m and 4x400m relay.
 

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PSAC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday-Sunday, March 1-2 | Bethlehem, Pa. | Rauch Fieldhouse (200m Flat)
 
KUTZTOWN WOMEN'S RESULTS
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 1
 
TEAM: 7th/14 (16.5 pts.)
 
Long Jump (18 competitors)
15. Delaney Beard (Sinking Spring, Pa./Governor Mifflin), 5.13m (16-10)
 
Weight Throw (18 competitors)
17. Kennedy Bulger (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional), 13.17m (43-2.50)
18. Maria Clark (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg), 12.56m (41-2.50)
 
Distance Medley Relay (12 teams)
2. Kutztown 'A' (Donovan, Schearer, Kraft, D. Young), 12:20.17, 8 pts., All-PSAC Second Team, 4th all-time at KU
 
Pole Vault (18 competitors)
T4. Taylor Funk (Denver, Pa./Cocalico), 3.50m (11-5.75), 4.5 pts.
T11. Marissa McNamee (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), 3.35m (10-11.75)
T13. Natalie Holland (Lancaster, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), 3.35m (10-11.75)
 
400m Prelims (18 competitors)
6. Raechel Bonner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), 59.04q
15. Taniyah Lawler (Chester, Pa./Chester), 1:01.09
 
60m Prelims (19 competitors)
9. Kiana Young (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg), 7.82, 4th all-time at KU
11. Brook Smith (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), 7.85, 5th all-time at KU
 
5000m (18 competitors)
5. Sophia Knerr (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional), 18:06.92, 4 pts., 10th all-time at KU
12. Maura Lenhart (Center Valley, Pa./Southern Lehigh), 18:36.34
 
200m Prelims (17 competitors)
3. Beth Schearer (Springfield, Pa./Springfield), 25.58q
6. Raechel Bonner (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), 25.68q
9. Kiana Young (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg), 25.78