Vandenberg Sets School Record, Leads Tartans at Kent State Tune-Up

(KENT, Ohio) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's track and field team traveled to Kent, Ohio to face off against a contingent of schools from Division I, II and III at the Kent State University Tune-Up on Saturday, February 18. Freshman Thomas Vandenberg (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) set a school record while numerous other performances were career and season bests.

Sophomore Nathan Cheek (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) topped his previous season-best mark in the weight throw with a career-best mark of 15.91 meters, placing ninth overall. Sophomore Zachary Erra-Hernandez (Las Cruces, N.M./Onate) finished 13th in the weight throw with a career-best mark of 15.00 meters. Junior Patrick Robinson (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) also competed in the weight throw, finishing 17th with a mark of 14.84 meters. Freshman Gino Pilato (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) placed 16th in the shot put with a season-best mark of 14.47 meters as Erra-Hernandez was 22nd with a mark of 13.69 meters.

Junior Daniel Cardenas Rivero (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) placed third in the pole vault with a career-best mark of 4.10 meters. Senior Ryan Kissell (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) placed ninth in the long jump with a mark of 6.46 meters and ninth in the triple jump with a career-best mark of 13.42 meters while freshman Michael McDermott (Seekonk, Mass./La Salle Academy) was 13th in the high jump with a height of 1.93 meters, a season-best.

Sophomore Noel Titus (Bronx, N.Y./Choate Rosemary Hall) and junior Joel Lu (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar) both competed in the 60-meter dash finishing 31st and 50th, respectively in the preliminaries. Titus had a time of 7.34 seconds while Lu posted a season-best time of 7.56 seconds. Titus then finished 12th in the 200-meter dash in a career-best time of 22.75 as Lu was 50th with a season-best time of 24.28.

Senior Rob Morhard (Eagleville, Pa./Methacton) ran a season-best time of 4:22.14 in the mile run to place 22nd while sophomore Marc McGeary (Harrisburg, Pa./C.D. East) ran a career-best time of 4:34.83, placing 40th. Freshman Eamone Cullinane (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) was 47th overall in the mile run with a season-best time of 4:37.70 and freshman Benjamin Walker (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) was 63rd in 4:52.56. In the 3,000-meter run, senior Kyle Andrews (Columbia, Md./Oakland Mills) finished 17th in a career-best time of 8:53.91.

Junior Daniel Ching (Trout Valley, Ill./The Culver Academies) placed 10th in the 60-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 8.57 seconds which is .04 seconds off the school record. He later placed 12th in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.50 as sophomore Robert Cross (Westport, Conn./Staples) was 17th in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.20. Junior Ben Nealy (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Egg Harbor Twp.) was 26th overall in the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 52.05 and 42nd overall in the 200-meter dash in a season-best time of 23.91.

Vandenberg finished fourth in the 800-meter run when he crossed in a school record time of 1:53.71. His time betters that of Gary Harrison who set the record in 1990 at 1:55.25. Sophomore Mike Standish (Washington, Pa./Trinity) and freshman Douglas O'Connell (Rye, N.Y./Fordham Prep) also ran in the 800-meter run, placing 20th and 25th, respectively with a season-best times of 1:56.04 and 1:57.60.

The Tartans will next compete at the University Athletic Association Championships at New York University on Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26.