Dec. 7, 2005

PITTSBURGH -

There were some familiar faces leading the way at the Panthers' Blue and Gold Intersquad last weekend, but there were also some new ones moving their way up the ranks early in the season. In a competition that combined both the men's and women's teams, the Gold Team took home the win by just a one point lead.

Competition kicked off Friday night in the Cost Center with the field events taking place. Keith Higham (Carlisle, England/Trinity Carlisle) got things started for the Gold Team by recording 17'1" in the pole vault and clinching first place. Freshman Eric Jones (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) put the Blue Team on the board in the high jump with a mark of 5'10". He also secured a first-place finish by jumping 13.98 meters in the triple jump.

Senior Jeff Kiss (Windber, Pa./Windber) kept the Blue Team going jumping 6.49 meters to take first in the long jump. A 2005 All-American, Justin Clickett (Union City, Pa./Union City Area) dominated the throwing events for the men, recording 19.23 meters in the shot put and 17.59 meters in the weight throw.

Freshman James Stratton (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) made early contributions to the team with a 1:26.96 finish earning him first place in the 600 meters. Senior Chris Anderson (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) added some points for the Gold Team with his first-place finish in the 50-yard dash with a time of 5.30 seconds and a win in the 300 meters with a time of 34.82 seconds. Kiss garnered another win with his 6.52 mark in the 50-yard hurdles.

Sam Perkins (Kent, Ohio/Kent Roosevelt), anther freshman, led the Gold Team to a first-place finish in the mile relay with a time of 3:48.32. The relay team consisted of Perkins, Anderson, Stratton and freshman Will Grinstead (Hornell, N.Y./Hornell).

The Panthers will begin regular competition on January 13 at the Skip Summerville Invitational in Akron, Ohio. The team returns two All-Americans and three NCAA Qualifiers this season and looks to improve their third-place finish in the Big East.