Elliot leads Pitt with finish in 4×400-meter relay

The Pitt men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in the Penn State National… The Pitt men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed in the Penn State National Open in State College, Pa., this past weekend. The Lady Panthers placed first in three different events and finished in the top five 16 times.

Once again, the Panthers were lead by senior Trenace Elliot. The national qualifier won the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.91 seconds and led the 4×400 relay team to a second place finish with a time of 3:38:34.

Kimberly Lyles, Elizabeth Bayne and Lamoy Stephens also ran well in the 4×400 relay, but the day belonged to Elliot, who made up almost 20 meters in the fourth leg.

“Trenace is really starting to become a great leader for this team,” said head coach Alonzo Webb. “She was a big reason we placed in the relay; she is really starting to get into a rhythm.”

Collen Scott and Tamara McGill also performed well for the Panthers. Scott placed first in the triple jump, with a distance of 13.78 meters, and McGill placed first in the pentathlon, scoring 3,718 points. Joelle Ambrose, Julianna Reed and Mycah Clemons also finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the pentathlon events.

“The girls are really starting to make a name for themselves,” said Webb. “We are trying to make this an elite program and compete on the national level on a consistent basis.”

Amanda Walker, the muscle on the team, had another solid meet. She placed second in the shot put, with a throw of 15.38 meters. Walker also placed fourth in the 20-pound weight throw, with a toss of 17.38 meters.

“Amanda is such a competitor that, sometimes, she tries too hard, but she has great talent and is a big part of this team’s success,” said Webb

Fatmata Fofonah also placed third in the 60-meter hurdles for the Panthers with a time of 8.59.

The men’s team was lead by Jerly Wilson, who finished third in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:51:18. Mike Stellefson also finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 15.75 meters.

“Jerly ran a good race; we are really hoping that he can qualify for nationals this year,” said Webb.

Webb feels very good about the overall direction of his team and feels they are heading in the right direction.

“We are starting to land some top-notch recruits — I mean, top 10 recruits,” said Webb. “This program is going places, and I am just happy to be part of it.”

The Panthers were originally supposed to compete this weekend at the Kent State Invitational, but Webb decided to enter his team in the State Farm Invitational, hosted by West Virginia.

“We feel like this is a good time for some of our younger kids to get some valuable experience against some good competition,” said Webb. “We also wanted to give some our older kids a rest.”