Track team unites to have successful meet at West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Track by its very nature appears to be an individual sport, but to the… MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Track by its very nature appears to be an individual sport, but to the Pitt indoor track team, it’s something very different.

Pitt turned the State Farm Games hosted by West Virginia University last weekend into a Panther dominated-meet as the track and field team elevated its performances by solid team support for all of its events.

As high jumper Tamara McGill eyed up her 1.77-meter high target, teammates Amanda Walker and Melanie Carter had the crowd riled up with the arena cheering and clapping as McGill closed on her mark.

After clearing a new personal best height and establishing an NCAA provisional mark in the high jump, McGill leaps into the arms of Walker in a unified celebration.

“Special things are starting to happen here for this team,” head coach Alonzo Webb said. “These accomplishments really say a lot about our young team and how our program is developing.”

Led by three NCAA provisional marks from Carter, McGill and Walker, the Panthers captured 11 first place finishes, five runner-up titles, and eight third place finishes.

“We have tried to utilize our athletes by recognizing their strengths and in many cases that allows them to cross over into a variety of events,” Webb said. “Our team has bought into this idea, and it has helped us become a more well-rounded team.”

With McGill taking top honors in the high jump, Walker tossed in another first place title in the women’s shot put, establishing a new personal best and extending her own school record to 15.52 meters.

Carter extended her own NCAA provisional mark in the triple jump by leaping 12.95 meters.

“All three are in the elite of the NCAA,” Webb said of the trio.

Adding to the Panthers’ success were Kim Lyles, Elizabeth Bayne and Marissa Dudek. Lyles grabbed the top spot in the women’s 200-meter race as Bayne ran to the top spot in the 800-meter race in addition to running the opening leg of the champion women’s distance medley team.

Dudek, who tied for first in the women’s pole vault, cleared the 3.35-meter bar with room to spare.

Joining Bayne on the women’s distance medley championship team were Nicole Vann, Deanna Cole and Rachel Rothe. Vann also added a third place in the 60-meter dash in addition to first place in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.80 seconds.

In men’s action, Jeryl Wilborn brought home top honors in the men’s 1,000-meter race in a time of 2 minutes, 32.88 seconds while also grabbing second in the 400-meter race.

Shawndel Daniel leapt to the top spot in the men’s long jump with a distance of 7.22 meters, while Mike Stellefson continued to improve in the men’s shot put as he captured first place in the event with a distance 16.15 meters.

Pole vaulter Matt Brousse matched his personal best for the second straight meet with a height of 4.80 meters.

“This weekend gave our kids a lot of confidence heading into the Penn State and Big East Championship meets,” Webb said. “It really puts us in a nice position because we got a lot of competitive performances which is what you want in this part of the season.”

The Panthers return to State College for the second time in three weeks to participate in the Penn State National Open this weekend.

“We’ve got a more well-rounded team this season and our diversity in the track and in the field will certainly play a big role in our continued success,” Webb said.