April 23, 2008
The Pitt track and field teams will travel to Philadelphia, Pa., tomorrow to take part in the three-day Penn Relays. The Panthers are looking to build off some very solid performances last weekend at the Morgan State Legacy Meet, where they claimed the men's and women's team titles. The women dominated the competition by scoring 133 total points, 51 more than second-place Norfolk State, while the men finished with an 11.5-point cushion over host Mrogan State.
Pole vaulter Tori Toso (Reading, Pa./West Lawn) is one of several athletes who claimed an event crown at the Legacy Meet and who will look to continue those winning ways this weekend. She took the title with a height of 3.50 meters. Senior Kim Rorabaugh (Clymer, Pa./Purchase Line) joined Toso as an event winner after capturing the hammer throw crown with a toss of 52.19 meters.
In the field for the men, Nick Malenka (Orwigsburg, Pa./Shippensburg), Eric Jones (Pittsburgh, Pa./Gateway) and A.J. Kielinski (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic) all performed well and went on to best the competition in their respective events. Kielinski brought home two titles, in the hammer throw and discus, while Malenka and Jones grabbed first in the pole vault and triple jump, respectively. All three will be back in action this weekend.
In addition to all of Pitt's success on the field last week, the Panthers also posted some solid marks on the track as well. Sam Perkins (Kent, Ohio/Kent Roosevelt) sped past the opposition in the 100-meter dash, finishing in a time 10.75, just fractions off of his season-best time at the Sea Ray Relays. Shantea Calhoun (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross) would not be outdone by her male counterpart and captured the women's 100 meters. She would later add a second-place plaudit in the 200-meter dash.
Eric Fleming (West Chester, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) and Josh Christopher (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) piled up two more titles in the men's 1,500 and 5,000 meter races. Fleming clocked in at 3:55.57, while Christopher's 15:25.23 marked a team-high for the season.
The Penn Relays will kick off on Thursday at 10 a.m. and will continue through Saturday afternoon.
For a schedule of events for this weekend, please visit the link below:
Penn Relays Schedule
And for complete results from the Morgan State Legacy Meet, please visit:
Morgan State Legacy Meet
