Williams Medals, Five Panthers Qualify for Finals

Saturday, May 14

Tallahassee, Fla.

All Day

Pitt

ACC Outdoor Championship Meet

Williams Medals, Five Panthers Qualify for Finals

5/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field

May 14, 2016

Results

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It was a successful second day at the 2016 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the Pitt men's and women's teams. The day was highlighted by senior Racquel Williams placing second in the shot put, sophomore Kelly Hayes finishing fourth in the steeplechase and five individual runners qualifying for finals in their respective events.

"I was really excited about what happened today with the team," head coach Alonzo Webb said. "All of the hard work they have been putting in this year is really starting to pay off. We're looking forward to tomorrow, as we have a lot of opportunities on the men's and women's side to score points. We have a sour taste leftover from the indoor championships, so the kids are also excited to see their work pay off tomorrow."

Senior Racquel Williams threw a career-best 15.92m in the women's shot put en route to a silver medal and First Team All-ACC accolades. Williams threw for 14.59m in the preliminary round and had her major throw in her second attempt of the finals. Freshman Kailyn Clancy threw a personal-best 14.91m, good for seventh place.

In the first men's running event of the night, juniors Desmond Palmer and Ashad Johnson-Conley recorded personal-bests while qualifying for the finals of the men's 110 meter hurdles. Palmer took first in heat two with a time of 13.97, second-best in the event, while Johnson-Conley recorded a 14.43, good for seventh-best in the event. The men's 110 meter hurdles finals are set to begin on Sunday at 5:50 p.m.

The men continued to dominate in the 400 meter dash as senior Chris Tate won heat two with a personal-best 46.27, automatically qualifying him for the finals and will be the No. 1 seed. Joining him in the finals will be fellow senior Donnell Taylor who finished third in heat three with a career-best 47.02.

In the women's 100 meter dash, sophomore Alyssa Wise posted an 11.71 good for third-best in heat two and a qualifying time for the finals. The 100 meter dash is slated to begin at 6:20 p.m. tomorrow night.

In the final event of the evening for Pitt, sophomore Kelly Hayes took fourth in the 3,000 meter women's steeplechase in 10:23.42. Hayes', the school record holder, top finish earned her Second Team All-ACC. Also in the steeplechase, junior Karli O'Neill finished eighth with a personal-best time of 10:48.58.

At the conclusion of day two, the Pitt women sit in eighth place with 16 points.

The final day of the championships gets underway Sunday, May 15 with the men's javelin at 11 a.m. The running finals are set to begin at 5 p.m. For the complete detailed schedule, click here.

Follow @Pitt_TF_XC on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the weekend.