University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
ECAC Outdoor Championships
Pitt Women Win Fourth Consecutive ECAC Outdoor Title
5/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
May 14, 2006
PRINCETON, N.J. - Pitt's women's track and field team defended another championship title this season, claiming their fourth consecutive ECAC Championship victory. The Panthers won both hurdles, the pole vault and 400-meter relay while setting two school records. With 87 total points, Pitt edged out a second-place Virginia by 19 points.
Sophomore Julianna Reed (Pittsburgh, Pa./Hampton) won both the 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles, setting personal-best times in both events. In the 100-meter hurdles, she ran for a time of 13.91. In the 400-meter hurdles, she finished at 57.99.
In the pole vault, senior Marissa Dudek (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) tied her school record of 4.00 meters for the third time this season. Dudek also captured the outdoor conference title earlier this season.
Pitt's 400-meter relay team also won their event with a time of 46.06. The relay team consisted of Shanea Calhoun (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross), Raquel Bender (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills), Janessa Murphy (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) and Shantea Calhoun (New Haven, Conn./Wilbur Cross). This relay team also won the outdoor conference title this season.
Shantea Calhoun set the second school record of the day, running a strong race in the 100 meters preliminaries. At a time of 11.54, Calhoun surpassed the previous record of 11.56, set by Zenia Ayrton in 1994. She finished second in the event finals with a time of 11.64. Shanea Calhoun ran for a time of 11.88 in the finals for third place. Both sprinters also qualified for the finals of the 200 meters. Shantea Calhoun placed second at 23.42, and Shanea Calhoun finished in third at 23.80.
On the track, Bender set personal-best times in the 100 meters and 200 meters with times of 11.99 and 24.33 respectively. Sophomore Selena Sappleton (Brooklyn, N.Y./A. Philip Randolph) set a personal-best time of 1:01.73 in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field, sophomore Nicole Pitchford (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside) finished fourth in the pole vault with a height of 3.80 meters. Sophomore Angela Hoover (Wingate, Pa./Bald Eagle Area) placed fourth in the javelin with a throw of 44.60 meters. Freshman Hayle Ritchey (Penn Hills, Pa./Penn Hills) set a new personal-best mark in the javelin at 41.59 meters for ninth place. In the long jump, Murphy placed fourth with a personal-best mark of 6.10 meters. Junior Mycah Clemons (New Kensington, Pa./Valley) placed tenth in the heptathlon, setting a personal-best time in the 200 meters at 25.85.
The Panthers will use the next two weeks to prepare for the NCAA East Regional Championships at N.C. State A&T State University. This next competition will serve as the NCAA qualifying meet for the track and field team.
