Men’s Throwers and Distance Groups Generate Great Marks for the Tartans

(CORAOPOLIS, Pa. & LEWISBURG, Pa.) – Carnegie Mellon University sent a portion of the men's track and field team to Robert Morris University Saturday afternoon to compete in the 2014 Bennie Benson Memorial Invitational, while other members of the team went to Bucknell University for the 2014 Bison Classic.

At Robert Morris, senior Josh Newby (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) led a group of Tartans in the 3,000-meter run where five of the top eight finishers were representing Carnegie Mellon.  Newby took first place in the event with a time of 8:55.33.  Junior Joe Pane (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) took third with a time of 8:58.14 and freshman Grant Langevin (Derry, N.H./Pinherton) took fourth running 8:59.83.  Senior Adam Cantini (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) took seventh and sophomore Brian Bollens (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) took eighth with times of 9:14.82 and 9:15.57, respectively.

The Tartans took a first and second-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  Freshman Curtis Watro (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) ran a career-best time of 9:50.01 to take first.  Junior Elliot Watson (Lebanon, Ohio/Miami Valley School) finished in second, stopping the clock at 10:00.39.

A pair of distance runners finished fourth and fifth in the 800-meter run.  Junior Ben Walker (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) crossed the finish line with a time of 1:58.92 and freshman Nathan Willis (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends' Central School) finished right behind with a time of 1:59.22.

In the 110-meter high hurdles, freshman Andrew Chang (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) finished fourth crossing the line at 16.07 and sophomore Ben Neiman (Port Jefferson, N.Y./Earl L. Vandermeulen) was just behind with a time of 16.11.

Freshman Kyle Weaver (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay School) tied his own school record and career-best jump of 4.60 meters in the pole vault to take second place.

In the high jump, junior Mike McDermott (Seekonk, Mass./La Salle Academy) took fifth place, as he lifted himself over the bar set at 1.85 meters.

The Tartans throwing contingent of seniors Zachary Erra-Hernandez (Las Cruces, N.M./Onate), Nathan Cheek (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster), and David Markowitz (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) as well as junior Gino Pilato (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield Area) continued their strong performances at Robert Morris. 

In the shot put, Erra-Hernandez tossed 15.79 meters for second place, Pilato finished sixth with a throw of 13.66 meters and Cheek took seventh with a mark of 13.31 meters.  Pilato and Erra-Hernandez took fifth and sixth in the discus with heaves of 42.76 meters and 42.66 meters, respectively.  In the hammer throw, Erra-Hernandez received a mark of 50.36 meters for third place and Cheek recorded 45.28 meters for seventh.

For the Tartans in the javelin, freshman Jacob Brooks (Sherwood, Ore./Sherwood) finished fourth with a career-best toss of 54.23 meters and Markowitz grabbed seventh with a throw of 50.08 meters.

Meanwhile in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, at the 2014 Bucknell Bison Classic, freshman Owen Norley (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) had a standout performance in the 1,500-meter run.  Norley placed 10th in an extremely competitive field and ran a new career-best time of 3:57.  

The Tartans will be competing this Wednesday, April 16 at Gesling Stadium in the Carnegie Mellon Tri Meet.