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The Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships took place this past weekend in Iowa City, Iowa and Rutgers had several notable performances. Let’s review them here.
On the men’s side, the Scarlet Knights produced two medals and nine podium finishes overall. Graduate student Chris Mirabelli won his third Big Ten title in the javelin with a throw of 71.83m (235’ 8”). It was a great comeback for Mirabelli, who after winning titles in 2016 & 2017, he missed last season due to shoulder surgery and a heart condition. After being named First Team All-Big Ten, Mirabelli has set his sights on the NCAA’s now.
Chris Mirabelli won the #B1GTF javelin title for the third time, along with First Team All-Big Ten accolades! He registered a mark of 71.83 with this gold medal throw! pic.twitter.com/ZfEgEadNYW
— Rutgers Men's TF/XC (@RutgersMensTFXC) May 13, 2019
The other medalist was freshman A’Nan Bridgett, who took the silver after finishing in second place in the long jump at 7.47m (24’ 6.25”). He improved on his bronze medal performance at the Big Ten Indoor Championships back in February. Bridgett was named Second Team All-Big Ten.
A’Nan Bridgett collected a #B1GTF silver medal and Second Team All-Big Ten accolades in the long jump! He registered a mark of 7.47m with this jump! pic.twitter.com/JgrjncAfji
— Rutgers Men's TF/XC (@RutgersMensTFXC) May 13, 2019
On the women’s side, freshman Reanda Richards continued her stellar rookie campaign by winning the 400m hurdles title. She beat Xahria Santiago by .01 seconds to win gold with a time of 57.68. Richards is just the second Rutgers women’s athlete to win a title at the Big Ten track & Field Championships, joining former All-American Gabrielle Farquharson. Richards will look to keep it going at NCAA Regionals in two weeks.
The other women’s medalist for the Scarlet Knights was sophomore Courteney Campbell. She won the silver in the high jump after clearing 1.73m (5’ 8”) on her second attempt.
Gold and Silver look good on Scarlet
— Rutgers Womens TF/XC (@Rutgers_WomenTF) May 13, 2019
Big Ten 400m Hurdle Champion Reanda Richards and High Jump runner-up Courteney Campbell pic.twitter.com/nryKpJ03OV
Other notable performances for Rutgers were:
Men’s
Sophomore Malachi Davis finished 5th in the triple jump with an outdoor personal best distance of 15.58m (51’ 1.5”).
Redshirt junior Greg Harnett finished in 5th place in the javelin with a throw of 65.30m (214’ 3”). His teammate Michael Thomas finished in 7th in the same event with a throw of 61.87m (203’). Both were personal bests for the two Rutgers athletes.
Sophomore Taj Burgess finished 6th in the 400m finals with a time of 46.49.
The 4x100m relay team of Burgess, Bridgett, Sterling Pierce, and Izaiah Brown finished in 6th place with a time of 40.41.
Sophomore Jason Campbell finished in 7th place in the discus with a personal best distance of 52.98m (173’ 10”).
The 4x400m relay team of Burgess, Pierce, Christopher Jenkins, and Semaj Willis finished in 8th place and on the podium with a time of 3:10.25.
Women’s
Sophomore Kathryn Campbell finished in 6th place in the javelin with a personal best distance of 48.96m (160’ 7”).
Redshirt sophomore Lou Mialhe broke the school record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 11:02.03.
What’s Next
This Wednesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. ET, BTN will air a replay of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The NCAA East Regional Preliminaries take place on May 23-25 as many Scarlet Knights will be competing to advance to the NCAA Championships in June.