Track and Field: Panthers roll in final Big East Meet

The Big East Track & Field Tournament went as planned for a number of Pitt participants this past weekend, as multiple Panthers took home conference titles.

Following a 200-meter dash win, junior Carvin Nkanata anchored the men’s 4×400 relay team to a conference title. Nkanata was later named the Most Outstanding Performer at the Big East Track and Field Championship in Piscataway, N.J., following his successful relay performance while also setting a new career best time of 20.83 in the 200-meter dash.

The four-man relay team of junior Micah Murray, junior Brycen Spratling, freshman Olivier Philogene and Nkanata finished clear of the rest of the eleven team field in the 4×400, winning the race by over two seconds.

Spratling later set a new school record in the 400-meter dash, sprinting to an overall second place finish in 45.94 seconds.

On the women’s side, senior Elizabeth Kline’s Heptathlon victory solidified her status as the best all-around women’s athlete in the Big East. Kline’s victories in the 100-meter hurdles (13.90 seconds), long jump (5.79 meters) and the 800-meter run (2.13 minutes) catapulted her to the title in the two-day, seven stage event. In the fall, Kline also took home gold in the pentathlon in the Big East Indoor Championship Meet.

The Panthers top performers advance to Princeton, N.J., next weekend for the ECAC/IC4A Championship Meet, as the tournament represents the final test before the NCAA East Regional Meet in Greensboro, N.C., from May 22-25.