Track team solidifies postseason marks over weekend

Heading into the Penn State National Open last weekend, Pitt track and field coach Alonzo… Heading into the Penn State National Open last weekend, Pitt track and field coach Alonzo Webb challenged his team to solidify its postseason marks.

Mission accomplished.

“Heading into this weekend I wanted our team to step up and solidify their qualifying times and marks, and for those who hadn’t qualified I challenged them to go after it this meet,” Webb said.

Coming away from the Virginia Tech meet two weeks ago, Webb had mixed emotions about the team’s overall performance and had expected to get more out of his team.

In the face of strong competition, the Panthers made the most of their opportunities by turning in two runner-up finishes, a pair of third place finishes and numerous personal best performances.

“This meet set a great tone for us,” Webb said. “I was really happy how they bounced back in the face of good competition.”

Trenace Elliott continued to “plug along” according to Webb as she took second place in the women’s 500-meter race with a time of 1 minute, 13.26 seconds. Elliott, who already has a top three time in the Big East 400-meter race, also grabbed a pair of fourth place finishes this weekend in the 200-meters and ran a leg on the women’s 4 x 400-meter relay team.

“Trenace has had a solid season so far and is turning in some of her best times,” Webb said.

Also teaming up with Elliott in the 4 x 400 race were Erica Johnson, Nicole Vann and Elizabeth Bayne, who dashed to a time of 3:48.51.

Vann, who continues to improve in the 60-meter hurdles, turned in another personal best in the event in a clocking of 8.63 seconds.

“Nicole has really come ready to run this season and her hard work has really helped her keep her focus,” Webb said of Vann’s third place finish in the event.

High jumper Tamara McGill turned in another solid performance as she placed third out of the 31 competitors in the women’s high jump. Clearing a height of 5 feet, 6 inches, McGill continues to close in on an NCAA provisional mark. McGill nearly cleared the 5-foot-8-inch bar, but because the mat was resting on the jump standards, the bar slowly rattled off the holder for a very near miss.

Becoming the first woman in Pitt history to throw the shot put more than 50 feet indoors, Amanda Walker placed second with a NCAA provisional mark of 15.42 meters.

In men’s action, Troy Roberson dashed to a fifth place finish in the 400-meter dash in a time of 48.28 seconds.

Pole vaulter Matt Brousse established a new school record while qualifying for the IC4A Championships with a vault of 4.80 meters. Teammate Jason King will join Brousse in the Big East Championships later this month, as he qualified for the conference meet with a jump of 4.50 meters.

Mike Stellefson established a new personal best as he tossed his shot put 16.05 meters, which earned him sixth place.

Turning in the team-igniting performance was 200-meter runner Andy Jones, who had not run for the last two years. Jones, who won his heat in a time of 22.26 seconds, knocked a full second off his time. Upon seeing their teammate step up, the rest of Pitt’s sprinters kicked it up a notch as well.

“It was exciting to see Andy perform like he did. He was really pumped up by his time,” Webb said. “He really got our team going and the excitement carried over to the rest of our team.”

Despite the weekend success of the Panthers, Pitt did have one point for concern. While running the opening leg of the men’s 4 x 400-meter relay, Anthony Pelham was headed for the lead when one of his shoes ripped and a crash ensued that caused Pelham to roll his ankle and lose the baton.

“The team was ready to run and was focused on the race, and then Anthony’s crash on the opening leg was costly for the team,” Webb said “Hopefully his ankle sprain isn’t severe and he’ll be okay for the coming meets.”

The Panthers return to action this weekend when they travel to West Virginia for the WVU Invitational.

“We’ve got a low-key kind of meet this weekend, so we’ll be able to rest our athletes some while getting ready for a return trip to Penn State in two weeks,” Webb said.