Track and Field: Panthers send three to regional tournament

The track and field season hasn’t ended for Antony Hobwana, Garrett Larkin and Mycaiah… The track and field season hasn’t ended for Antony Hobwana, Garrett Larkin and Mycaiah Clemons, although their teammates on the Pitt men’s and women’s team finished two weeks ago.

After strong showings in the Big East Outdoor Championships in early May, the three will compete in the IC4A/ECAC Championships this weekend in Princeton, N.J. Should they perform well enough, they could qualify for NCAA East Regionals held in Greensboro, N.C., May 29-30.

“We expect them to improve their performances and move onto the next competition,” Pitt coach Alonzo Webb said.

Both Hobwana and Clemons already clinched spots in the regional tournament in one race but will each compete in two events this weekend.

“Hobwana already qualified for regionals in the 100-meters and he’s close to making it in the 200-meters,” Webb said. “We expect him this weekend to make it in the 200-meters.”

In the Big East Outdoor Championships, Hobwana finished first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.57 seconds. He then finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.59 seconds.

Clemons is the only Panther competing from the women’s team. She will run in the 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles. Her time of 13.59 seconds in the 100-meters at the Big East Outdoor Championships landed her in regionals. She finished seventh in the 400-meters with a time of 1:03.39.

Larkin is the last Panther competing this weekend and the only one doing so in the field events. He will participate at IC4As in the shot put after he qualified at the conference tournament with a throw that went 16.24 meters.

A few freshmen, including Folarin Ijelu for the men’s team and Cambrya Jones on the women’s side, qualified for the meet, but Webb and the coaching staff decided to hold them out of the event.

“It’s a long and pretty intense season, and the adjustment from high school to college is a little bit tough,” Webb said. “And next year, they’ll be a little more prepared to go [for]a longer season.”