Pitt Showcases Talent at 2007-08 Blue/Gold Meet
12/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Dec. 8, 2007
The Pitt track and field teams opened its indoor season this weekend, as members from both the men's and women's squads were pitted against each other in the annual Blue/Gold Intrasquad meet. The two-day event came to a conclusion today with the Gold team earning bragging rights over the Blue squad, 133-109.
Junior Matt Raquet (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) earned five points and a first place finish for the Blue squad after tossing the javelin 49.93 meters in the men's competition. Freshman Leah Ulizio (Allegheny Township, Pa./Kiski Area) countered for Gold on the women's side, however, with a distance of 38.86 meters.
The Gold team made a clean sweep of the men's high jump. Led by sophomore Brandon Turner (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) and his height of 1.85 meters, they claimed the meet's three top heights and racked up eight more points in the process. Junior Kristin Johnson (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) led the women with her effort of 1.63 meters.
Kim Rorabaugh (Clymer, Pa./Purchase Line) had quite a showing in her final Blue/Gold meet. The fifth-year senior posted distances of 17.02 and 12.43 meters in the women's weight throw and shot put to capture two more first place honors for the Gold squad.
Junior Janessa Murphy (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley), the returning Big East Champion in the long jump, picked up right where she left off last year and edged out Shanae' Thomas (Philadelphia, Pa./John Hallahan Catholic), taking the women's title by .01 meters and grabbing five more points for the Blue team. Murphy's winning distance was marked at 5.76 meters. Freshman Antony Hobwana (Harare, Zimbabwe/Prince Edward School) joined Murphy as an event champion, as he claimed the men's crown with a distance of 6.91 meters.
Hobwana also had a great deal of success on the track; he placed first in the men's 60- and 300 meter runs with times of 6.64 and 37.22 seconds. He also had the best time in the 1,600-meter relay, leading the Blue team to another victory.
Shantea Calhoun (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross), another of the Panthers' All-Big East honorees from last season, claimed the 60- and 300 meter crowns for the Gold squad with times of 7.39 and 40.27 seconds, respectively.
Kelvin Isom (Atlanta, Ga./Stockbridge) claimed second in the men's 60 meters, finishing just behind Hobwana and picking up three points for the Blue team.
Mycaiah Clemons (New Kensington, Pa./Virginia Tech) clocked in at 8.5 seconds in the final of the women's 60-meter hurdles, a time that was good enough for a first place finish and five points for the Blue team. Brianna Broyles (Allentown, Pa./William Allen) crossed the finish line just after Clemons and grabbed runner up honors with a time of 8.77 seconds. Broyles also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team that recorded a first-place time of 3:58.43.
NCAA All-American Mike Wray (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) blew away the competition in the men's final of the 60-meter hurdles and helped the Gold team garner another event title with a time of 6.90 seconds.
The triple jump competition kicked off Saturday's slate of events. All-Big East honorees Martina Hallman (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge) and Eric Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) walked away with first place honors after efforts of 11.94 and 14.25 meters, respectively. Hallman's distance earned five points for the Gold team, while Jones aided the Blue squad's hopes in the same fashion.
Junior Ron Walter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) cleared a height of 15'6" to take first in the men's pole vault. His teammate on the Gold squad, freshman Tory Toso (Reading, Pa./West Lawn) led the women with a height of 11' and earned an event title.
Freshman Anna Yoney (Irwin, Pa./Norwin) impressed fans in the 2,000 meter run as the action switched venues from the Charles L. Cost Center to the Fitzgerald Field House. Her time of 6:56.72 was tops for the women and gave the Gold team five points toward its total. She was also a part of the 3,200-meter relay team that took first with a time of 10:34.80.
Kaetlyn Brown (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley) had a solid meet as well, posting a third-place time of 41.2 seconds in the women's 300 meters. She also recorded the fastest leg of the Blue team's 1,600-meter relay (57.3 seconds).
Seniors Eric Fleming (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and Eric Burnett (Pittbsurgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) led the Gold team's 3,200-meter relay to a victory. Fleming anchored the squad that finished in 8:11.47. He also took first in the men's 1,200 meters with a time of 3:10.40.
The Panthers will officially start their season on Friday, January 11, at the Akron Quad.