Women’s Track and Field Travel to Bucknell and Robert Morris

Apr. 13 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women’s track and field team split up this past weekend, April 11-12, with four runners traveling to Lewisburg to compete at the Bucknell Invitational Friday night and early Saturday afternoon, 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, sophomore Diane Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.) became the first Tartan to break 2:20 in the 800 meters as she ran a personal best 2:18.76 to place 14th overall. Senior Ashley Bakelmun (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) added a 42nd place finish in the 800 with a time of 2:25.88. Freshman Laura McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) raced to a 5:01.46 finish in the 1500 meters Friday night, good for 26th overall. Freshman Courtney Baker (Fairfax, Va./Nashoba Regional) ran a personal best in the 400 meters of 60.30 seconds to place 13th.

At Robert Morris on Saturday, amongst strong winds throughout the afternoon, freshman Danielle Fisher (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) raced to a second place finish in the 400 meter hurdles (75.26 seconds) and sophomore Crystal LeePow (Montclair, N.J.) placed fourth in the 800 meters (2:26.90). Junior Emily Giacomarra (Northboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) ran a season best in the 100 meter hurdles en route to placing fourth (17.33 seconds) with freshman Morgan Faer (Newton, Mass./Newton North) on her heels in fifth (17.84 seconds). Sophomore Rotimi Abimbola (Potomac, Md./Connelly School of the Holy Child) and junior Sami Simmons (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) placed fifth and sixth, respectively in the 100 meter dash with Abimbola crossing the line in 13.71 seconds and Simmons in 13.76.

Sophomore Anna Lenhart (Hagerstown, Md.) and junior Chrissy Krutz (Natrona Heights, Pa./Shadyside Academy) ran solid 5000 meter races with Lenhart finishing third (20:32.03) and Krutz fourth (20:36.06). Freshman Erica Spiritos (New York, N.Y./Bronx HS of Science) finished fifth in the 400 meters (68.01), Simmons took ninth in the 200 meter dash (28.13), and freshman Danielle Morse (Chicago, Ill./Univ. of Chicago Lab. Schools) placed 13th in the 1500 meters (5:36.41).

In the field events, freshman Melissa Hwang (Paramus, N.J.) finished sixth in the long jump (4.59 m) and third in the triple jump (9.92 m). Lenhart added a tie for tenth in the pole vault with a season best vault of 2.67 meters. Freshman Kim Nederlof (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shadyside Academy) led the Tartans with her seventh place finish in the shot put and her eighth place finish in the discus. She threw personal bests of 8.55 m in the shot put and 28.00 m in the discus. Freshman Morgan Faer (Newton, Mass./Newton North) was the top Tartan in the hammer throw (32.01 m), finishing sixth overall.

Carnegie Mellon’s 4x100 meter relay team placed second with a time of 52.78 seconds. Simmons placed 11th in the javelin throw with a distance of 24.86 meters.

The Carnegie Mellon women’s track and field team will next compete in the University Athletic Association Championships at the University of Chicago on Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20. They will look to improve upon their sixth place finish at last year’s championships.