Point Park’s track and field teams competed at two different meets this weekend: the Bison Outdoor Classic and the Westminster Invitational.
In the Westminster Invitational, Luke Mckenna placed first in the 10,000 meter with a time of 33 minutes and 20.85 seconds, and Joshua Gosselin came in third with a time of 33 minutes and 41.52 seconds for the Point Park men’s team.
Nick Zaller was also among the top finishers for Point Park, placing second in javelin with a 53.04 meter throw.
David Attram set a new school record in discus with a mark of 39.95 meters, finishing in 10th place.
“It’s always a great feeling when you’re able to be the first to do something, especially on a team where everyone works hard and is capable of putting impressive numbers out there,” Attram said. “Even though I wanted to see 40 meters on Saturday, I’m always happy to see an improvement in my throws – win or not. Because at the end of the day, if you’re improving as an athlete, there’s more to be thankful for than [to] complain about.”
Chevaughn Fletcher, who also competed in discus, finished 13th with a mark of 39.22 meters, a record that now sits at second-best in school history.
Fletcher and Attram both competed in shot put, with Fletcher placing 12th (12.88m) and Attram finishing 14th (12.54m).
Michael Quigly finished sixth in the long jump (6.30m) and eighth in the triple jump (12.55m).
For the women’s team, Sterre Kuijper placed fourth in the 5000 meter with a time of 18:54.10.
In the 100-meter hurdles, Hannah Bond finished seventh for the Pioneers (16.97) and Lindsay Simmons finished sixth (16.56).
Simmons competed in the 400-meter hurdles as well, where she came in 10th place (1:11.17).
Over at the Bison Outdoor Classic, Jannik Windelband came in ninth place in the 3000-meter steeple (9:14.90).
The Pioneers took the top two spots in the men’s long jump, with Akeem Mustapha finishing in first place (7.35m) and Maxwell Goode in second place (6.93m). Mustapha’s mark of 7.35 meters puts him second in school history.
Cassondra O’Connor and Dunya Van den Tooren came into the meet as invites, with O’Connor being an invite for the 5000 meter and Van den Tooren being an invite for the high jump. Each found success.
O’Connor’s mark of 17:04.96 placed her second in school history, though she finished 27th in the event.
Van den Tooren finished seventh in the high jump with a mark of 1.63 meters. She also participated in the long jump, where she placed 14th at a mark of 5.25 meters, which ranks fifth in school history.
On Sunday, Van den Tooren competed in the 400-meter hurdles, placing 43rd and finishing with a mark of 1:06.85, a time that sits fourth in school history.
Diamond Rush competed in three events for the Pioneers, finishing 10th in the 100 meter (12.09), sixth in the 200 meter (24.55) and 32nd in the 400 meter (59.00). Rush was able to set a school record in the 100 meter, despite her 10th place finish in the event.
Mustapha continued his strong performance, finishing eighth in the high jump (1.88m).
Kamar Sutherland came in 12th place in the 110-meter hurdles (14.80), and 66th in the 200 meter (22.44).
The men’s team competed in two relay races, finishing 10th in the 4×100-meter relay (42.46) and 15th in the 4×400 (3:25.10).
The Pioneers will compete in the Benson/Hodge Memorial Invitational at the P3R Track & Field Complex in Pittsburgh on Friday.
