Men's Track and Field Takes First at Carnegie Mellon

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend men's track and field team notched a first place finish Saturday at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. The Lions finished with a team score of 212 and won six different events.

Mitchell Obenrader (Fryburg, PA/North Clarion) had a solid day providing two victories in the shot put and javelin throw, while also taking second in the discus throw. Obenrader took the shot put event with an ECAC qualifying heave of 14.55m. In the javelin throw, he also qualified for ECAC's with a toss of 60.25m. Obenrader's discus throw was 41.72m.

Alan Yocca (Plum, PA/Plum) broke the school record in the 3,000m dash running a time of 8:50.22. Yocca's time earned him third place in the event.

Kevin Gardner (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) continued his successful 2015 with a victory in the high jump. Gardner's leap eclipsed 1.85m.

Matthew Grafton (Worthington, PA/Kittanning) was a large contributor to the team's first place finish taking two events and also pitching in on the two second place relay teams. Grafton won the 200m dash with a time of 23.25 and also emerged victorious in the 110m hurdles with a time of 16.56.

Grafton also ran a leg on the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams that both took second place. Grafton, Luke Patten, (West Middlesex, PA/West Middlesex) Joseph Neff (North East, PA/North East) and Greg Graf (South Park, PA/South Park) all contributed to the 4x100m relay squad that finished with a time of 44.50. Grafton, Patten, Graf and Dylan Buffington (Brookville, PA/Brookville) each took a turn in the 4x400m relay finishing with a time of 3:31.53.

Aside from running with both relay teams, Graf also took first place in the 400m relay. Graf sprinted to a time of 51.91.

Buffington earned a pair of second place finishes in the 800m dash and in the 1500m dash. He ran a 1:58.40 in the 800m and a 4:06.81 in the 1500m. Devin Beggs (Franklin, PA/Franklin) and Josh Natalie (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy-Strong Vincent) took fourth and fifth respectively in the 1500m. Beggs tallied a time of 4:12.51 while Natalie provided a time of 4:14.61.

Levi Varner (Middletown, PA/Middletown) took first in the pole vault posting a mark of 4.33m.

Grafton and Neff were neck and neck in the long jump. Grafton earned second place with a mark of 6.31m while Neff followed in third with 6.29m.

Coming off their first team win of the season, the Lions will look to use the momentum next weekend when they travel to Westminster. The invitational will be held Saturday with events starting at 10 a.m.