Runner breaks 110-meter hurdle record at VMI/W&L Carnival

The Case Western Reserve University track and field teams followed their impressive spring break performance with a number of top finishes at the Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University Carnival. The headlining moment for the Spartans was during the 110m hurdles when Matthew Jurcak, indoor All-American in the 60m hurdles, set a stadium record with a time of 14.94 seconds.

The Spartan men posted three individual victories on the weekend. In addition to Jurcak’s win, junior Nick Errico grabbed the blue ribbon with a vault of 13’ 5.25” in the B flight of the pole vault and sophomore thrower Harry Weintraub proved his mettle in the hammer throw with a hurl of 166’ 2”, winning by just over a foot.

Senior Frank VanTassell finished behind Errico in fourth with a personal record of 12’ 1.5”. Senior Eben Via finished just behind Weintraub, taking third place with a toss of 163.5 feet.

On the track, sophomore David Dixon finished in fourth in the 3000m steeplechase. Dixon crossed the finish line in 10:8.11. Dixon teamed up with Chris Kelly, Jim Mather, and Michael Persia to post a top-five finish in the 4x800m relay in 8:18.77.

The women didn’t bring home any wins at the top level but grabbed a pair of runner-up finishes.

Erin Hollinger, an All-American in the high jump at the indoor NCAA Championship, finished second in the heptathlon and won the high jump with a height of 5’ 6.5”. She was third in the javelin (76’ 9”), long jump (15’ 7.5”), and 800m run (2:36.66). Hollinger totaled 4,065 points over seven events to earn a second-place finish.

Senior Amanda Kline finished second in the shot put (37’ 2.75”), discus (132’ 10”), and hammer throw (146’ 3”).

In the field events, freshmen Sophia Herzog and Keri Walter both had strong meets. Herzog won the B heat of the pole vault with a height of 10’ 8”. Walter posted top finishes across the board, taking fourth in the high jump (4’ 10.25”) and the triple jump (34’ 6.75”) and sixth in the long jump (16’ 3”). Junior Emily Tran finished fifth with a toss of 117’ 9” in the javelin throw.

On the track, the women picked up top finishes in the sprints, distance, and hurdle events. Brooke Simpson finished runner-up in the 3000m steeplechase in 12:7.89. Senior Leslie Stanard finished second in the 100m and 200m dashes with times of 12.90 and 26.47 seconds. Junior Alyssa Harker finished fifth in 1:08.30 in the 400m hurdles.

Despite the sunny weather in Cleveland, the track and field teams will continue to look south for more temperate climes as they travel to Atlanta, Ga. for the Emory Classic at Emory University this weekend. They will then travel to Ohio Wesleyan University twice on April 7 and 14, before the UAA Outdoor Championship at Carnegie Mellon University on April 28-29.