Sports

Track and field teams have respectable weekend at invitational

By Carl Glazer  |  Apr 14, 2014
First-year Jacob Brooks readies to launch his javelin for the javelin throw event. (credit: Jason Chen/) First-year Jacob Brooks readies to launch his javelin for the javelin throw event. (credit: Jason Chen/) First-year Andrew Chang sprints toward the finish line. (credit: Jason Chen/) First-year Andrew Chang sprints toward the finish line. (credit: Jason Chen/)

The Carnegie Mellon men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Bennie Benson Memorial Invitational on Saturday against a field comprised of athletes from Division I, II, and III schools. The meet was hosted at Robert Morris University.

The women’s team excelled in the track events. Junior Hailey Brown took home a first-place title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:57.02. Brown dominated the field, beating the second-place runner by over 30 seconds.

Senior Jacqueline Guevel grabbed the only other podium place by a Tartan, with a third-place win in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, crossing the line at the 1:03.99 mark. Guevel also placed seventh in the 100-meter high hurdles with a time of 15.79.

In the short distance runs, junior Sasha Spalding finished sixth in the 200-meter dash, while first-year Ariel Tian placed seventh in the 400-meter run with times of 26.44 and 1:02.92, respectively.

First-year Rebecca Fortner finished with the best time for the Tartans in a field event, placing sixth in the high jump after leaping over the bar at 1.48 meters.

The men’s team had a bit more success at the meet, starting with the 3,000-meter run. The Tartans dominated the event, claiming five of the top eight spots, starting with senior Josh Newby and his winning time of 8:55.33.

Juniors Joe Pane and Grant Langevin took third and fourth with times of 8:58.14 and 8:59.83, respectively, while senior Adam Cantini and sophomore Brian Bollens finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

The Tartans also performed well in the 3,000- meter steeplechase, with first-year Curtis Watro and junior Elliot Watson taking first and second with times of 9:50.01 and 10:00.39, respectively. Watro’s time was also a career-best finish.

Rounding out the track events were a pair of fourth- and fifth- place finishes, with junior Ben Walker and first-year Nathan Willis in 800-meter running times of 1:58.92 and 1:59.22, respectively, and first-year Andrew Chang and sophomore Ben Neiman finishing the 110-meter high hurdles with times of 16.07 and 16.11, respectively.

In the jumping events, first-year Kyle Weaver leapt to second place in the pole vault with a 4.60-meter jump that tied his own school record and career best. Junior Michael McDermott finished fifth in the high jump, making it over the 1.85-meter bar.

Because of the increased competition, the Tartan throwers were unable to keep up the dominance they had sustained in previous weeks, claiming only two top-three finishes.

The honors went to senior Zachary Erra-Hernandez, who finished second in the shot put with a distance of 15.79 meters and third in the hammer toss with a 50.36-meter hurl. First-year Jacob Brooks had a career-best day in javelin, taking home fourth with his 54.23-meter hurl.

Both squads will compete at home on Wednesday at the Carnegie Mellon Tri-Meet.