Track and Field: Kareis wins 1,500 at Arizona State Sun Angel Classic

The Pitt track and field team split up and headed to opposite sides of the country last… The Pitt track and field team split up and headed to opposite sides of the country last weekend.

Some members competed in the Arizona State Sun Angel Classic, and others went to the Bucknell Bison Invitational in eastern Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday.

The long trip to Arizona didn’t seem to bother sophomore Greg Kareis, Pitt’s most successful performer at the Sun Angel Classic. Kareis was the only Panther to take first place in an event, winning the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:48.93.

Freshman teammate Kevin Hull joined Kareis in the top 10 of the 1,500 with a seventh place performance (3:54.38).

Dontave Cowsette, a sophomore, continued his recent string of success by ranking fifth in the 800 with 1:50.91, a mark that meets Intercollegiate Assocation of Amateur Athletes of America qualifications.

Several other Panthers qualified for the IC4A Championships, which take place next month in Princeton, N.J.

Kareis qualified with his win in the 1,500. Jermaine Lowery qualified with a time of 53.59 in the 400 hurdles, a personal best. The 4×400 relay team, consisting of Elliot Rhodes, Lowery, his brother Jerome Lowery and Cowsette exceeded the IC4A meet requirements with a time of 3:16.58.

Junior Maka Mudekunye qualified for the Big East Championships with a 10.91 in the 100.

On the women’s side, freshman Jonnique Lawrence finished ninth in the 200 and eighth in the 400 while helping the 4-by-100 relay team — composed of Lawrence, Cambrya Jones, Ashley Woodford and Brianna Broyles — to a fifth-place finish. Both of Lawrence’s individual marks were her best times of the season and met the Big East Championship qualifying standard.

Jones, a sophomore, combined her relay performance with a ninth place showing in the 100 with a time of 12.05.

Additionally, Jones finished the 200 in 24.27 and achieved a time of 56.07 in the 400. All in all, Jones recorded three performances that qualify for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships.

Another sophomore, Miya Johnson, ran the 800 in 2:31.45, which was her best time of the season and qualifies her for the Big East Championships.

Meanwhile, in the field events, Rachel McIntosh finished seventh in the high jump, clearing 1.68 meters and jumping her way into the Big East Championships. McIntosh also notched a 17th place finish in the long jump and a 16th place finish in the shot put.

Joining McIntosh in the conference competition will be junior Tory Toso, whose pole vault of 3.47 met the Big East requirement.

In the Keystone State, the Bison Invitational gave other Panthers an opportunity to compete against a field comprised mostly of Pennsylvania-based schools.

Freshman Elizabeth Kline came in ninth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.10. Fellow freshman Caleb Matthews placed seventh in the men’s 110 hurdles (15.17), 17th in the 400 (49.86) and fourth in the long jump with a leap of 7.06.

Matthews’ performances in the 110 hurdles and the long jump surpassed the Big East Championship qualifying standard.

Another first-year team member, Amanda Kuhl, earned sixth in the 200 (25.71) and 13th in the 400 (58.79).

Both events provided preparation for the Penn Relays and Big East Outdoor Championships, which are at the end of the month.

The Panthers will become one team again and compete Friday and Saturday at the Morgan State Legacy event in Baltimore, Md.