Three Panthers Earn Podium Spot At ACC Indoor Championships

Thursday, February 27

South Bend, IN

Pitt

2020 ACC Indoor Championships

Three Panthers Earn Podium Spot At ACC Indoor Championships

3/2/2020 11:43:00 AM | Track & Field

SOUTH BEND, IN – The Pitt track and field team wrapped up a strong weekend in South Bend, IN with three student-athletes earning a spot on the podium at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The Pitt men were able to post a team score of 22, their most points scored since 2016, while the Pitt women matched last season's total of 19 points. The men took 11^th place, a two spot improvement from a season ago, while the women notched a 13^th place finish, a one spot improvement from a season ago.

In all, the Panthers had three First Team All-ACC performers and two Second team All-ACC honorees. The five All-Conference performers were the most in a season for the Panthers since 2017 when they had six All-ACC student-athletes.

THURSDAY
The Panthers had a pair of student-athletes score points on the first day of competition as Noah Walker posted a huge personal record throw of 67'4.75" (20.25m) in the weight throw to earn a second place finish. The massive throw by Walker secured him First Team All-ACC honors for the first time in his Pitt career and eight points for his team.

Junior Breanna Phillips had a busy first day of competition as she took part in the pentathlon and posted a personal best score of 3,739 to secure a fourth place finish and Second Team All-ACC honors for the second time in her career. The 3,739 points marked the fifth most in program history in the event.

Phillips closed out her competition with back-to-back fourth place finishes in the long jump and the 800m dash. Her long jump distance of 18'7" (5.66m) marked a personal record and earned her 747 points.

Junior Cobe Wiggins also opened up his heptathlon with the first four events of the eight event gauntlet. Wiggins opened things up with a fourth place finish in the 60m dash, crossing the line in 7.10 seconds, before closing out day one with a shot put toss of 37'5.00" (11.40m), his second best throw of the season.

FRIDAY
The second day of the championship saw three Panthers qualify for finals in their respective events while Greg Lauray earned a spot on the podium for the second straight season in the high jump.
Lauray closed out the second night for the Panthers with a strong showing in the high jump as he cleared 7'0.25" (2.14m) to claim second place and First Team All-ACC honors. The defending ACC champion in the indoor high jump earned eight points for the squad as he was edged out by Brenton Foster of Virginia for the crown. Lauray is the first Panther since Andrew Wells in 2015 and 2016 to earn back-to-back First Team All-ACC honors.

The Panthers had a pair of 60m hurdlers advance to the finals on Saturday in the preliminary round as Eddita Pessima tied her own school record, 8.23 seconds, to take home second place. Pessima won her heat and posted the second fastest time overall behind the defending ACC champion in the event from Miami. On the men's side, Daveon Finley had a great showing as he collected the eighth and final qualifying spot as he crossed the finish line in 8.09 seconds, tying a personal record.

The third Panther to qualify for a spot in a Saturday final was Nikki Scherer as she posted the sixth fastest time in the 400m dash, crossing the finish line in 53.97 seconds. It marked the first indoor final Scherer has qualified for as a Panther.

Junior Jaylyn Aminu had herself a strong preliminary run in the 60m dash as she was able to post the third fastest time in program history, 7.43 seconds, as she finished in 12^th place. In the women's high jump, freshman Lydia Bottelier had the best leap of her career in her first ACC indoor Championship meet as she cleared a height of 5'7.00" (1.70m) to place ninth in the conference. Her leap also marked the seventh best leap in program history.

Wiggins closed out his heptathlon with a great performance in the 1000m run as he battled through the line to take home the victory in the final event of the competition. Wiggins finished in eighth place, earning a point for his team, with 4,632 points.

SATURDAY
The Panthers saw four athletes earn points for the team on Championship Saturday while both relays also earned points for the team.

Leading the way on Saturday was Pessima who was able to secure a third place finish and six points in the 60m hurdles final up against some of the best competition in the country. Pessima crossed the finish line in 8.23 seconds, tying her own school record for the second straight day. The sophomore had a chance to finish higher but she had to avoid a falling competitor in the lane next to her.

In the 400m final, Scherer was able to score three points for the Panthers as she took home sixth place and Second Team All-ACC honors as she finished in 54.05 seconds. Appearing in his first career final, Finley ran the best race of his career in the 60m hurdles as he secured a point for the squad with an eighth place finish. The junior crossed the finish line in 8.05 seconds, the ninth fastest time in program history.

In the triple jump, senior Taylor Middleton was able to secure two points for the Panthers with a seventh place finish as she notched a leap of 39'11.50" (12.18m).

Both Pitt 4x400m relay squads had strong showings to earn points for the team on Saturday. The men's 4x400m relay quartet of Lonzell Feagin, Ade Jones-Roundtree, Raymond Oriakhi and Matt Thompson had their best showing of the season, notching a fifth place finish and four points. They crossed the finish line in 3:12.82, a season-best time by more than four seconds. The women's 4x400m relay squad of Sydni Townsend, Scherer, Flora Ahairakwe and Phillips took home sixth place and three points as they finished in 3:47.98.

In the women's shot put, freshman Laurel Kun had a huge personal record throw for the Panthers to earn 12^th place overall in the conference. Her toss traveled 46'4.00" (14.12m), the sixth best throw in program history in the event. Fellow newcomer Abena Atuobi finished right behind Kun in 13^th place with a throw of 46'1.25" (14.05m) to close out her first indoor campaign at Pitt.

UP NEXT

The Panthers have two student-athletes on the men's side who have qualified for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The two day meet will run from Friday, March 13 until Saturday, March 14.
Shyheim Wright currently has the seventh fastest time in the ACC in the 60m hurdles (7.67 seconds) while Greg Lauray has the ninth best height in the high jump (7'3.75" – 2.23m).