Track and field prepares for season

The Pitt track and field program is back, with more than a few new faces.

“We actually… The Pitt track and field program is back, with more than a few new faces.

“We actually brought in 30 kids – some of them were recruits; some were walk-ons,” head coach Alonzo Webb said in anticipation of the indoor season.

On the men’s team, the Panthers recruited Justin Clickett, last year’s Pennsylvania AA high school state champion in shot put, and Eduardo Ruiz, a former Pennsylvania high school state champion in discus.

“We definitely had a need in the throws area,” Webb said. “That’s why we went after them.”

For the women’s team, Pitt recruited two more Pennsylvania high school state champions, Mycah Clemons in the long jump and Kimberly Rorabaugh in shot put.

“People saw [our recruits] and were like, ‘Oh, my goodness,'” Webb said. “[Other teams] are taking notice because some of them were in their backyard.”

Among the other top newcomers is Eric Fleming, a distance runner who also runs for the cross country team.

“He’s the big guy we brought in,” Webb said. “I think he likes track better than cross country.”

Not everyone on the team is a new recruit, however; captains Matt Brousse and Ryan Smith will lead the men’s team. Junior Tamara McGill and senior Elizabeth Bayne take over as captains for the women’s team.

Webb said his top women’s returnees were the four who competed in nationals last year, Bayne, McGill, Maureen McCandless and Kimberly Lyles.

Trenace Elliot won the 400-meter event for the women’s team in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships last spring.

Senior Janine Jones returns to the Panther lineup this season after missing last year with an injury.

“I can see [Jones’] improvement in practice,” Webb said. “But she doesn’t see it yet because she’s not where she wants to be.”

The men’s team will most likely be without sprinter Anthony Pelham for the entire season. He broke his ankle last year.

“We didn’t have a whole lot on the men’s side that really stood out [last year],” Webb said.

But he listed Brousse, sprinter Troy Roberson, middle-distance runner Jeryl Wilborn, and javelin tossers Anthony Bonura and Mike Kennedy as his top returning men.

Roberson finished second in the 400-meter event in last year’s Indoor Big East championships.

At the end of last year, in the outdoor season, the women’s team placed third in the Big East championships, while the men’s team managed to finish eighth.

“It wasn’t expected by the kids, but I expected it,” Webb said. “They started gaining confidence, but now they don’t know if it was real or not.”

“I think the biggest challenge is for them to realize how good they can be.”

The indoor season begins for the Panthers on Friday with the annual Blue and Gold Meet.

Highlights of the season include an invitational at Penn State Jan. 30-31, and another road meet, at Notre Dame in early March.

“The programs in the Big East are starting to respect us,” Webb said. “They’ve seen what kind of turnaround we’ve had in the last year.”