Pitt
ACC Outdoor Championships
Steigenga Named Most Valuable Field Performer; Men’s 4x100 Relay Team Breaks School Record at ACC Outdoor Championships
5/11/2024 11:07:00 PM | Track & Field
ATLANTA – Ilse Steigenga was named the ACC Women's Most Valuable Field Performer as she tallied 21 points in three separate events. Steigenga earned ten points for her ACC Championship victory in the heptathlon, eight points for her second place finish in the long jump, and three points for sixth place in the triple jump.
The men's 4x100 relay team of Darren McQueen Jr., Nigel Hussey, Stephon Brown and Clement Campbell broke their own school record with a collective pace of 39.67 en route to a silver medal. The quartet previously set the school record at last year's ACC Outdoor Championships.
The Pitt men's track and field team placed eighth with 37 points and the women's track and field team finished tied for tenth, also scoring 37 points over the course of the three day ACC Outdoor Championship meet in Atlanta, Georgia.
Thursday Recap
Niya Crawford recorded a new personal best of 51.83 meters in the women's hammer throw. Her mark moved her up one spot, from tenth to ninth, in the program record book.
Lydia Bottelier and Ilse Steigenga got off to a great start on day one of the women's heptathlon. In the first event, the 100-meter hurdles, both heptathletes recorded new personal bests. Steigenga crossed the line in 14.09 for third place. Bottelier was the next finisher in 14.42. Next in the high jump, Bottelier finished in first, tying her personal best of 1.76-meters. Steigenga recorded a new personal best of 1.64-meters. Steigenga recorded her third consecutive personal best when the competition moved to the shot put. Steigenga launched a throw of 12.21-meters for second place. Bottelier's throw of 11.37-meters claimed fourth place in the competition. To close out day one of action, Lydia took another win in the 200-meter dash. She crossed the finish line in 24.42. Ilse recorded her fourth personal best of the day, clocking in at 24.73. In the standings, Bottelier sat in second place with 3408 points and Steigenga trailed in third with 3336 points.
In the men's 400-meter hurdles prelims, Devin Nugent made a statement, recording the best time of the round, 50.66, and advancing to the finals on Saturday. Nugent's time was also a new personal best. Raymond Oriakhi came in with a pace of 53.40, a season's best.
On the women's side of the 400-meter hurdles prelims, all three Panthers who competed, Aubrey Leneweaver, Logan Neely and Jazmyn Potts, ran personal bests. Leneweaver ran under a minute for the first time in her career with a time of 59.70. Neely was next in line with a time of 59.76. Potts' speed was 1:00.86.
The Panthers' next event produced the second qualifier of the day. Thomas McDonough earned a spot in the 200-meter dash finals on Saturday with his time of 21.10, a new outdoor personal best. Darren McQueen Jr. recorded a personal best time also, stopping the clock at 21.35. Caleia Johnson recorded a new personal best of 23.81. Johnson was one spot short of qualifying for the finals.
The distance duo of Winnie Incorvaia and Sadie Carey-Tharp brought the first day of conference competition to a close with the 10,000-meter race. Incorvaia and Carey-Tharp finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Incorvaia's placement earned the women's team their first point of the weekend.
Friday Recap
When the heptathlon resumed with the long jump on Friday afternoon, Ilse Steigenga and Lydia Bottelier picked up right where they left off. Steigenga claimed the crown with a leap of 6.11-meters. Bottelier placed third with her jump of 5.74-meters, a best on the season. In the javelin throw, Bottelier threw a new personal best, 30.37-meters for fifth place. Steigenga finished one step ahead in fourth with her throw of 32.36-meters. The title came down to the seventh competition of the heptathlon, the 800-meter race. With a second-place finish in the race, Ilse Steigenga emerged victorious and became the first Panther to win an outdoor ACC Championship with a personal best 5,637 points scored. Lydia Bottelier also placed on the podium. Bottelier earned the bronze with 5,472 points, also a personal best. Collectively, Steigenga and Bottelier earned the women's team 16 points with their podium finishes.
Friday featured another day of preliminary heats, beginning with the 110-meter hurdles. Two Panthers, Raymond Oriakhi and Ardonntrell Williams, advanced to the finals on Saturday with their qualifying times of 13.96 and 13.97, respectively. Oriakhi tallied a new personal best time and broke 14 seconds for the first time in his career.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles prelims, Folake Olujide-Ajibade recorded a new wind legal personal best of 13.72 but fell just short of qualifying for the finals. Olujide-Ajibade remains in fifth all time in the event in the program record book.
Thomas McDonough recorded a new outdoor personal best in the men's 400-meter prelims, stopping the clock in 47.61. In the same event, Caleia Johnson joined the PR party with her time of 54.13.
Running in the same heat of the men's 100-meter dash prelims, both Nigel Hussey and Clement Campbell earned qualifying spots in the finals. Hussey ran for 10.47 and Campbell for 10.59.
Jack Miller put the men's team on the board with his seventh-place performance in the men's 3000-meter steeplechase. Miller's time of 8:47.00 earned the team two points.
Ilse Steigenga capped off her historic day with a second-place podium finish in the women's long jump. On the final jump of the day, Steigenga leaped her best mark, 6.29m to secure the silver. It is the first time in women's program history that an individual has finished on the podium in more than one event. It is the second time in women's program history that an individual has received multiple medals. In 2019, Sydni Townsend was fourth in the 400-meter hurdles and a member of the third place 4x400 relay team.
Saturday Recap
Championship Saturday started with a podium finish and school record by the men's 4x100 relay team of Darren McQueen Jr., Nigel Hussey, Stephon Brown and Clement Campbell. The quartet crossed the line in 39.67 seconds for a silver medal and second team All-ACC honors.
It was a successful day for the hurdlers. In the 110-meter hurdles, Ardonntrell Williams took home the bronze medal with a personal best time of 13.81. Williams moved from tenth in program history to seventh with his accomplishment. In the same race, Raymond Oriakhi finished sixth for second team All-ACC honors, running through the stripe in 14.09. In the 400-meter hurdles, Devin Nugent just missed the podium, finishing in fourth with a new best time of 50.45. Nugent received second team All-ACC honors as well.
Eva Baldursdottir leaped to a new personal best in the high jump. Baldursdottir's mark of 1.76-meters was a new personal best. The native of Selfoss, Iceland is now tied for third in program history.
In the last field event of the weekend, both Taylor Forbes and Ilse Steigenga found success in the women's triple jump. Forbes recorded a new personal best 12.00-meter mark and took sole possession of the eighth best mark in program history. Steigenga leaped a personal best 12.79-meters for sixth place at the meet and fifth place in program history.
The men's 4x400 relay quartet concluded the meet with a fourth-place finish, stopping the clock in 3:05.27. The team of Malik Ricketts, Nigel Hussey, Stephon Brown and Devin Nugent hit a season's best and top three program time.
Players Mentioned
