University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Golden Flash Gala
Panthers Begin Season with Strong Start
12/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Dec. 12, 2011
KENT, Ohio --The University of Pittsburgh men's track and field team opened the 2011-12 indoor season with several members of the squad earning Big East Championship berths at the Golden Flash Gala hosted by Kent State.
Senior Jermaine Lowery claimed the current fastest time in the nation in the 500M dash. This is his first meet since advancing to the USATF Outdoor National Championships in 2011. Lowery won the event with a time of 1:03.82, easily meeting a Big East qualifying time.
Lowery was also the second leg of the second-place 4x400M relay team that crossed the finish line at 3:11.48. Lowery was joined by senior Dontave Cowsette and sophomores Micah Murray and Brycen Spratling.
In the 800M run, three Panthers finished in the top four with Big East qualifying standards. Cowsette won the event with a time of 1:52.59. Spratling followed for second (1:53.14) while sophomore Sam Negley crossed the finish line at 1:53.88 for fourth overall.
In his first collegiate meet, freshman Luke Gallaher finished first in the high jump heptathlon with a jump of 6-feet-11 inches, a new personal record.
In the weight throw, seniors Kurt Barnhart and Dan Kwiatkowski both qualified for the Big East meet after recording tosses of 16.72M and 15.97M, respectively.
Others claiming top-five finishes included senior Andrew Cerrito in the 3000M run (third-9:02.04) and freshman Josh Mindlin in the 300M dash (fourth-35.66).
The Panthers will take a break for final exams and the holidays. They resume action on Jan. 7 in the Penn State Relays held at State College, Pa.
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