Pitt
Nittany Lion Challenge
Pitt Shatters Two School Records, Wins 8 Events at Nittany Lion Challenge
1/19/2025 9:10:00 AM | Track & Field
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In their return to competition after an extended holiday break, the Pitt Panthers shattered two school records and won eight events at the Nittany Lion Challenge on Saturday.
In the first event of the meet, sophomore Norrah Lemongo led off with a win in the women's shot put. Lemongo threw a personal best 16.02 meters. That mark is the second best in program history. Lemongo carried her success over to the weight throw competition later in the day, where she was once again victorious. Lemongo sat in second place until the sixth and final throw, where she launched a personal best 20.42-meter toss to claim first place. This was the first time Lemongo has thrown over 20 meters, moving her from sixth in program history to fourth. Lemongo now has four event titles in two meets this season.
In the men's 600-meter race, Devin Nugent broke the school record set by Dante Watson in 2018 with his new top time of 1:17.78, winning the event in the process. Nugent was previously tied for third in program history with his time of 1:19.06 in 2023.
Je'Nyia Burton, who arrived at Pitt by way of USF and Louisville, has stamped her mark in the Pitt record books in just her second meet as a Panther. In the women's 300-meter race, Burton crossed the finish line in 37.66, breaking the previous school record set by Jonique Lawrence in 2012.
The distance group took to the track for the first time this season, with many runners participating in the mile races. On the women's side, Winnie Incorvaia (5th, 4:56.16, PR), Camy Kiser (8th, 5:00.63, PR), Sadie Carey-Tharp (9th, 5:01.21, PR), Anna Cohen (17th, 5:07.60, PR), Sienna Miller (18th, 5:09.77, PR), Sarah Hurst (19th, 5:11.21, PR), and Christina Elliott (23rd, 5:15.47, PR) all ran well for the Panthers. On the men's end, Luke Miller (7th, 4:10.24, PR), Quintin Gatons (9th, 4:11.80), Thomas McMahon (11th, 4:12.15, PR), Nolan McGinn (18th, 4:20.66, PR), and Damian Frausto (20th, 4:22.26) had solid performances. This meet marked the collegiate track debut for Sienna Miller, McMahon, and McGinn, who recently wrapped up their first season as collegiate athletes on the cross country teams.
Jana Bruses has gotten faster at each meet this season. After setting a new personal best of 8.59 in the 60-meter hurdles at the YSU Icebreaker, Bruses smashed that number twice on Saturday. Bruses began with an 8.52 in the first round of the event, to advance to the final. In the final round, Bruses raced to third place with her time of 8.49. She is now tied for seventh in program history with that time.
Two Panthers, Jaden Shelton and Mikhi Anderson, advanced from the men's 60-meter hurdles first round to the final. Shelton qualified with a time of 8.09 and Anderson also qualified with an 8.21. Anderson took fifth with a time of 8.22. Shelton was unable to race in the final.
In the women's 60-meter dash, Endeyah Lane (7.61), Sydney McCallum (7.62, PR) and Caleia Johnson (7.63) were in the top eight out of a pool of 42 athletes to qualify for the final. In the final heat, Lane took fourth, once again stopping the clock in 7.61 and McCallum took seventh with a 7.77.
Nigel Hussey and Darren McQueen Jr. each won their preliminary heats in the 60-meter dash to automatically advance to the final. Hussey claimed bronze with a 6.74 and McQueen Jr. was just behind him in fourth with a 6.75. Both men set new personal bests as they moved up to fourth and fifth, respectively in the Pitt program top ten times.
Malik Ricketts waited for his time to shine in the 400. When his time came, Ricketts, a native of Kingston, Jamaica took gold with his time of 47.10, edging out the second-place runner by one hundredth of a second. Ricketts' time is a new personal best and moves him from eighth to sixth on the top ten times list.
Off the track, Eva Baldursdottir continued the team success with her victory in the women's high jump competition. Baldursdottir, a junior from Iceland, cleared the 1.80-meter mark on her third and final attempt. Baldursdottir reached a new personal best height and soared into third in program history. Junior Alesia Rengle finished tied for second as she cleared 1.73-meters.
Back on the track, the men's and women's 4x400-meter relay teams had similar races and results in the final events of the evening. The women's team of Caleia Johnson, Logan Neely, Somiyah Braggs and Je'Nyia Burton won the race as they closed the gap in the final lap to take the win in exciting fashion. The team ran a time of 3:39.63, the sixth best time in program history. The men's quartet of Malik Ricketts, Nigel Hussey, Darren McQueen Jr., and Devin Nugent also won their race in the anchor leg after narrowly sitting in second place for the first three legs. Their speed of 3:08.03 is the fourth best at Pitt.
The Panthers will be back in action next weekend, January 24 and 25, at the Hokie Invitational hosted by Virginia Tech.
Players Mentioned
