Men’s Track and Field Competes at Bucknell and Robert Morris

Apr. 13 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University men’s track and field team split up this past weekend, April 11-12, with the top distance runners traveling to Lewisburg to compete at the Bucknell Invitational Friday night, and the rest of the team traveling to race in the Bennie Benson Memorial Invitational hosted by Robert Morris University on Saturday. Both groups put together strong performances in their final races before the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships held on April 19 and 20.

At Bucknell on Friday, against strong competition, junior Brian Harvey (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) ran a NCAA Division III provisional qualifying time in the invitational 5000 meters as he placed fourth in a time of 14:43.62. Freshman J.P. Allera (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) and sophomore Dario Donatelli (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) raced in the open 5000 meters and finished third and fifth respectively. Allera ran a personal record 14:58.47 and Donatelli also set a personal record in 14:59.17. Freshman Nate Bussiere (Canton, Conn.) set a personal record of 1:55.82 in the 800 meters (tied for 11th) and senior Scott Fortune (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) placed 19th (1:56.72). Senior Drew Miller (West Chester, Pa./Westchester East) ran a season best in the 1500 meters en route to placing 17th (4:00.99) and senior Mike Reggie (Columbus, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) finished 18th in the hammer throw (44.73 meters).

The wind made things interesting at Robert Morris on Saturday, where temperatures stayed in the mid to low 50s throughout the afternoon. Junior Ryan Anderson (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and sophomore Chris Bogie (Darien, Conn.) each collected a first place finish, with Anderson winning the 3000 meter steeplechase (9:40.59) and Bogie winning the 400 meter hurdles (56.37).

The Carnegie Mellon 4x100 meter relay team consisting of freshman Don Mignogna (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area), freshman Essien Ohues (Alpharetta, Ga./Chaptahoochee), senior Kiley Williams (Washington, D.C./Randolph-Macon), and senior Eric Tang (Alhambra, Calif./Dunn School) won with a time of 43.22 seconds and the 4x400 meter relay team consisting of freshman Brad Holden (Lunenburg, Mass.), Bogie, freshman Dan Addis (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley), and sophomore Dan Burrows (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) also won in a time of 3:36.41.

Tang placed second in the 100 meter dash (11.16 seconds), junior Craig Hahn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) was second in the 400 meter hurdles (56.84 seconds), and senior Geoff Misek (Goodrich, Mich.) finished second in the 5000 meters (16:04.81). Sophomore Chris Rizzo (Attleboro, Mass./Bishop Feehan) took third in the 5000 meters (16:10.85), freshman Casey Piper (Butler, Pa.) placed third in the 400 meters (52.68 seconds), Burrows was third in the 800 meters (2:02.35), and Addis took third in the 1500 meters (4:12.68).

Junior Chris Fornataro (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside) was fourth in the discus (40.54 meters) while sophomore James Hulley (Northampton, Mass.) added a seventh place finish in the hammer throw (39.98 m) and a fourth place tie in the shot put (13.21 m). Freshman Patrick O’Brien (Furnance, Pa./State College Area) managed a fourth place finish in the triple jump (12.48 m), Ohues jumped 1.85 meters in the high jump to place fourth. Tang was the top Tartan in the long jump (6.03 meters) as he placed seventh, and freshman Jin Ho Baek (Korea) registered a tie for seventh in the pole vault (3.73 m). Sophomore Carl Spindler (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) placed 11th in the javelin throw (39.43 m) and senior A.J. Little (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) raced to a ninth place finish in the 200 meter dash (23.79 seconds).

The Carnegie Mellon men’s track and field team will travel to Chicago, Illinois where the University of Chicago will host the 2008 Outdoor UAA Track and Field Championships on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20. The Tartans will look to defend their 2007 team UAA championship.