Track and Field competes at Penn Relays, Ashland Open

The Pitt Track and Field team concluded their regular season this weekend, traveling to both the Penn Relays and Ashland Open.

The men’s distance team and women’s throwers both had success over the weekend, adding to an impressive body of work in 2017.

Penn Relays

At the world-famous Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Pitt men’s 4×800 team led the team’s success with a winning performance in the relay.

The relay team — which consisted of first-year Drew Glick, sophomore Matt McGoey and juniors Billy Caldwell and Nate Sloan — finished with a time of 7:28.66. It was an extremely close race, as Pitt came in only one second ahead of second place Cornell, who crossed the line at 7:29.58.

Both the men’s and women’s distance medley teams had top finishes as well. The women’s team — made up of first-year Jordan Bourgeois, sophomore Miranda Salvo, junior Makenzie Zeh, and senior Joslin Sellers — broke a school record with a time of 11:40.79 in the College Women’s Distance Medley Championship of America, finishing 12th overall.

Three runners from the men’s 4×800 — Caldwell, McGoey and Sloan — teamed up with first-year Dante Watson to finish third in the distance medley relay with a season-best of 9:48.78. As a whole, the Pitt men’s distance runners had one of their best meets of the year.

The women’s 4×100 relay final saw Pitt’s team of juniors Alyssa Wise and Whitney Martin and first-years Danielle Leaks and Genaya Johnson finish third with a time of 45.66. The time was less than a second behind first-place Albany, who came in at 45.22.

Two Pitt women set personal records — sophomore Natalie Hilton, who ran a 10:49.44 in the women’s 3000 steeplechase which qualified her for the ACC Outdoor Championships, and Junior Quadaisha Newkirk, who won her heat in the women’s 400 hurdles with a time of 58.94. She ended up finishing sixth overall at the meet.

The men’s 4×400 team — consisting of Watson, junior Jamaree Murray and seniors Desmond Palmer and Brylan Slay — finished seventh with a time of 3:07.52, a season best for the Panthers.

Ashland Open

While a majority of the track athletes were in Philadelphia this weekend, some Panthers attended the Ashland Open in Ashland, Ohio.

Junior Andin Fosam once again starred for Pitt, winning the hammer throw with a 60.43m heave. Fosam finished her regular season on a high note and ranks 32nd in the country in her event.

Junior Jessie Wallace threw for 42.08m in the women’s discus — good for fifth place. To close the meet, first-year hurdler Shyheim Wright finished as the runner-up in the men’s 110 hurdles with a time of 14.66.

Next week, the Panthers will travel to Atlanta, Georgia to compete in the ACC Outdoor Championships from May 12-14.