Wray breaks record, Pitt preps for NCAA

Pitt will be represented at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships thanks to a couple… Pitt will be represented at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships thanks to a couple of superb performances at last weekend’s always-competitive Penn State National Invitational.

Sam Bair and Mike Wray led the Panthers, as both captured NCAA provisional qualifiers in the mile and 60-meter hurdles, respectively. With only two weeks remaining before the Big East Championships, the Panthers appear to be headed in the right direction.

“We ran a solid meet overall,” Alonzo Webb said. “I was impressed, but it’s just the first step.”

Bair currently holds the facility record from last season with a time of 4:00.14, but finished second in the invitational division this year with a time of 4:00.87. Bair, who was running ill, had wanted to run under four minutes. His father accomplished that feat, and if Sam can do similarly, they would form the first father-son duo in history to each run under four minutes.

Also competing in the mile were seniors Tim Konoval, who took fifth in that race at 4:07.33, and Eric Fleming, who placed second in the regular division at 4:10.50.

In the 60-meter hurdles, the dominant Wray lowered his already Big East-leading time from 7.82 to 7.72 en route to a first-place finish in the event. Wray’s mark is the fastest time in the country right now and the fifth fastest time in the world. He also broke two-time Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom’s school record in the process.

“It was impressive,” Webb said of Wray’s time. “I think he surprised a lot of people, including himself.”

In the sprints, sophomore Sam Perkins put together a couple of strong showings in the 60 meters and 200 meters. He placed fifth in the 60s with a time of 6.87 and fourth in the 200 meters at 22.08. Senior Kareem Cousar placed sixth in the 400 meters with a time of 49.20.

Moving to the distance events, junior Eric Burnett placed eighth in the 1,000 meters with a time of 2:31.03, and senior Andy Tomaswick placed third in the 5,000 meters invitational at 14:28.62.

Pitt’s 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams also participated at Penn State, finishing sixth and fifth respectively with times of 3:19.64 and 7:49.08. Additionally, the men had two field competitors and one multi-athlete. Both Eric Jones and Travis Savidge took 12th place in their events. Jones accomplished that in the triple jump with a distance of 14.30 meters, and Savidge placed in the heptathlon with 4,189 points. In the weight throw, A.J. Kielinski finished fourth with a mark of 17.50 meters.

The Calhoun twins led the Panther women by splitting their sprints. Shantea placed fourth at 7.54, and Shanea came in fifth at 7.58. In the 200 meters, Shanea bested her sister and took seventh with a time of 24.13, and Shantea placed ninth at 24.43

In the 400 meters, Martina Hallman placed fifth with a time of 56.98 and also took eighth in the long jump with a distance of 5.59 meters. The 500 meters featured freshman Kari Hedderick, who finished fourth with a time of 1:16.32, and Julianna Reed, who placed fourth at 1:14.21. Hedderick also qualified for her first Big East Championship meet. In the 800 meters, Selena Sappleton was the runner-up at 2:14.45, and Krystal Epps placed third at 2:15.41. Webb was pleased with their performances and noted that both have improved each week.

The Panthers’ distance runners also had a solid competition. Bailey Flask placed first in the regular division of the 1,000 meter event at 2:58.34, and Ali Briggs took sixth with a time of 2:56.84. In the 5,000 meters, Suzy Bossart took third at 17:47.45, and Nicki Angstadt placed fifth at 17:06.49.

Like the men, the women’s 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams participated. The 1,600 team placed sixth with a time of 3:44.44, and the 3,200 team took fourth at 9:16.55. In the pole vault, Pitt had two top-10 place winners in Kendall Butch and Janelle Adams. Butch took second with a height of 3.36 meters, and Adams placed sixth at 3.06 meters. Sophomore Janessa Murphy took fourth in the long jump with a distance of 5.81 meters and placed ninth in the triple jump at 11.83 meters.

“Janessa was plugged into a new event and is improving by ‘leaps and bounds,’ no pun intended,” Webb said.

In the field, Kim Rorabaugh placed 22nd in the shot put with a throw of 12.95 meters and 14th in the weight throw at 15.92 meters. Stacey Bilan placed 29th in the shot put at 11.52 meters. In the pentathlon, Kristin Johnson took 10th with 2,943 points, and Erinn McMahon placed 11th with 2,822 points.

The team will be split up next weekend, with some athletes competing in the Meyo Mile at Notre Dame and others heading to the Akron Open. Pitt’s top athletes will be sent to yet another meet, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York.

“We are right on schedule in our preparations for the Big East Championships,” Webb said.