Track, field compete at UAA championship over break

Over spring break, the Carnegie Mellon indoor track and field men’s and women’s teams competed in the University Athletic Association (UAA) championships held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
The men’s team ended its winter season with solid performances, finishing third out of seven teams with 93 points. The men’s team also saw two runners, junior Brian Harvey and senior Eric Tang, advance to the Division III Track and Field championships at Ohio Northern University held March 14 and 15.
Led by a few strong performances, the women’s team finished sixth out of seven teams with 18 points.
The University of Chicago took first in both the men’s and women’s competitions, with 120 and 151 points, respectively.
Harvey dominated the one-mile run, finishing first with a time of 4:15.82. Senior Drew Miller followed close behind with a fourth-place finish and a time of 4:20.94.
The men’s team continued to excel in the long distance events with sophomore Dario Donatelli (15:05.93) finishing fourth in the 5000-meter run and junior Breck Fresen taking sixth with a time of 15:14.02.
In the 55-meter dash, Eric Tang broke the school record to take first place with a time of 6.38. Tang also finished second in the long jump (6.78 meters) and fourth in the triple jump (13.71 meters).
Behind Tang, first-year Pat O’Brien took sixth with 12.88 meters in the triple jump. First-year Essien Ohues jumped 1.93 meters in the high jump for a third-place finish, while sophomore Chris Bridgman took sixth in the pole vault with 4.20 meters.
In the 800-meter dash, senior Scott Fortune (1:55.97) and sophomore Dan Burrows (2:02.05) took first and sixth, respectively. Sophomore Chris Bogie took fifth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.35.
In the weight throw, senior Michael Reggie (15.24 meters) led the team with a first-place finish. Sophomore James Hulley threw for 14.00 meters to finish in fourth-place. In the shot put, junior Chris Fornataro placed sixth with 12.84 meters.
The distance medley and 4x400-meter relay teams finished first (10:14.35) and third (4:10.05), respectively, to wrap up the championships.
“I feel that I personally did badly, but I feel the team performed well overall,” said first-year Casey Piper. “It is nice to have a team full of people of different ages, so the upperclassmen can help out the underclassmen.”
With their first-place finishes, Harvey (one-mile run) and Tang (55-meter dash) advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships. Harvey came in fourth overall in the one-mile run, earning his third All-American honors. Tang lost time when he stumbled out of the starting blocks.
“It was a shame that I tripped out of the starting block at the NCAA championships, but I guess I'll just have to try harder for the outdoor season,” Tang said. “I would really like to go to the NCAA championship again, and help the team to bring home another UAA title.”
On the women’s side, sophomore Diane Mattingly finished first and broke her own school record in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.35. Junior Sami Simmons took sixth in the triple jump (10.68 meters), while first-year Laura McKee finished sixth in the 800-meter dash (2:28.50).
The women’s 4x400-meter relay team also had a terrific third-place finish with a time of 4:10.05.
The indoor season may be over, but the both the men’s and women’s teams are looking forward to the start of the new outdoor season.
“I am definitely looking forward to the outdoor season,” said first-year Nate Bussiere. “We are the team to beat, so we have to work hard to defend our title.”
The Carnegie Mellon outdoor track and field teams next compete at home Friday and Saturday for the western Pennsylvania championships at Gesling Stadium.