Women’s Track & Field Finishes Eighth at W&J Invitational

Apr. 5 – (WASHINGTON, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women’s track and field team competed at Washington & Jefferson College on Saturday, April 5 and placed eighth out of 15 teams with 42 points. Allegheny College won the team title with 114 points edging out Wheeling Jesuit University and the host Washington & Jefferson Presidents. The Tartans put forth some solid performances in their second outdoor competition of the season.

The Tartans collected four second place finishes on the day as freshman Laura McKee (Ellicott City, Md./Mt. Hebron) ran a 4:59.92 in the 1500 meters, senior Ashley Bakelmun (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) ran a season best 2:23.71 in the 800 meters, and sophomore Diane Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.) clocked a 59.65 in the 400 meters. Carnegie Mellon’s 4x400 meter relay team also placed second as they combined to run a 4:07.59.

Freshman Melissa Hwang (Paramus, N.J.) placed fifth in the triple jump (10.31 meters), junior Sami Simmons (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) qualified for the finals in the 100 meter dash and wound up seventh (13.44 seconds), and freshman Courtney Baker (Fairfax, Va./Nashoba Regional) placed seventh in the 200 meters (27.66). Simmons added a tenth place finish in the long jump (4.76 meters), while freshman Erica Spiritos (New York, N.Y./Bronx HS of Science) placed ninth in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 68.06 seconds.

In the 400 meter hurdles freshman Danielle Fisher (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) took eighth overall (73.11 seconds) and sophomore Roxana Viray (Keyport, N.J.) placed tenth (74.62). Junior Emily Giacomarra (Northboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) finished tenth in the 100 meter high hurdles (17.52). Freshman Morgan Faer (Newton, Mass./Newton North) led the Tartans in both the discus and the shot put. She placed 13th in the discus (28.10 meters) and 15th in the shot put (9.45 meters). Junior Jennifer Kim (Park Ridge, N.J.) was the top Tartan in the hammer throw (29.56 meters), as she placed tenth and sophomore Anna Lenhart (Hagerstown, Md.) placed 12th in the pole vault (2.59 meters). The Tartan 4x100 meter relay team placed eighth with a time of 53.27 seconds.

The Carnegie Mellon women’s outdoor track and field team will be in action again Tuesday afternoon when they host the Carnegie Mellon Tri-Meet on the track in Gesling Stadium. Events will be starting at 4 p.m.