Tartans In Top Spot Following First Day of Competition of UAA Championships
(CLEVELAND, Ohio) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's track and field team currently sit in first following the first day of competition at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor Championships on Saturday, February 23. The 2013 championships are being held on the campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
The distance medley relay of juniors Kenneth Murphy (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and Josh Newby (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) along with sophomores Thomas Vandenberg (Mamaroneck, N.Y./Mamaroneck) and Douglas O'Connell (Rye, N.Y./Fordham Prep) closed out day one with a UAA title after crossing the finish line with a season-best time of 10:16.08. For Newby and Vandenberg, this is the second straight year they earned All-UAA in the relay as they were part of the third-place team last season.
Sophomore George Degen (Madison, Wis./West) crossed the finish line of the 5,000-meter run with a career-best time of 14:54.78. His time earned him All-UAA with a second-place finish.
Sophomore Mike McDermott (Seekonk, Mass./La Salle Academy) earned two All-UAA honors after turning in a second- and third-place showing in the long and high jumps, respectively. The sophomore started the meet clearing 1.89 meters in the high jump before leaping a career-best 6.44 meters in the long jump. This marks McDermott's second straight All-UAA honor in the high jump, as he placed third a year ago.
Junior Nathan Cheek (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) earned All-UAA honors after placing second in the weight throw with a toss of 16.38 meters. The Tartans also earned points in the weight throw from senior Patrick Robinson (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) and junior Zachary Erra-Hernandez (Las Cruces, N.M./Onate). Robinson placed fourth with a throw of 14.24 meters and Erra- Hernandez finished fifth after a distance of 14.22 meters.
Competition resumes Sunday, February 24 at 9:00 a.m. with the field events. Running events begin at 12:00 p.m.
