April 7, 2008
PITTSBURGH--Members of the Pitt men's and women's track and field teams competed in two events this weekend. Several athletes traveled to William & Mary for the Colonial Relays while others traveled to the University of Texas for the Texas Relays.
At the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va., a number of Panthers posted top-five finishes.
For the men, Garrett Larkin (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) took fifth place in the shot put with a distance of 15.93 meters.
Also in the top-five in field events were junior Ron Walter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and sophomore Nick Malenka (Orwigsburg, Pa./Shippensburg) who grabbed second place and fifth place, respectively, in the men's pole vault.
Pitt sophomore Brandon Turner (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) came in third place in the triple jump with a distance of 14.33 meters.
Several members of the women's team were also in the top spots at the event. Freshman Tory Toso (Reading, Pa./West Lawn) continued to improve her pole vault resume as she took third place in the event. Meanwhile, teammate Anita James (Pocono, PA/Pocono Mt. West) came in fifth place in the triple jump registering a distance of 11.42 meters.
Rounding out the Panthers' achievements were Monica Bhattacharjee (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) and Patricia Anyanwu (Beltsville, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt). Bhattacharjee came in third in the 1000 meter run, while Anyanwu took fifth in the 400 meter hurdles.
Further south, in Austin, Texas, other members of the Pitt team enjoyed success at the Texas Relays.
For the women, Martina Hallman (Miami, Fla./Miami Southridge) placed 13th out of over 50 competitors in the 400 meter hurdles.
In the javelin throw, freshmen Leah Ulizio (Allegheny Township, Pa./Kiski Area) and Nicole Cherry (Utica, Pa./Franklin) took ninth and tenth place with distances of 38.79 and 37.53, respectively.
For the men, senior Mike Wray (Philadelphia, PA/Central High School) came in 12th in the 110 meter hurdles, while Sam Perkins (Kent, OH/Kent Roosevelt) took 15th place in the 100 meter dash, clocking in at 11.12.
The Panthers return to action when they head to Knoxville, Tenn. for the Sea Rays Relays on April 9-12 and Slippery Rock for the Slippery Rock Invitational on April 12.
