2005-06 Men's Track & Field Season Recap

The multi-faceted Emory Men's Track and Field Team took home medals and scored points from nearly every event category in 2006. Along the way, the team rubbed shoulders with some of the nation's top performers from NCAA Division III through Division I. Tellingly, head coach John Curtin saw marked improvement from several key contributors, almost all of whom will return next season.  

Junior Rob Leventhal paced the group of Eagle runners. He was remarkably consistent in the 800-meter run, and a threat to win every time he toed the starting line. He scored at both the University Athletic Association (UAA) Indoor and Outdoor Championships, including a second place performance indoors. During the spring he won the 800-meter title at the Emory Classic, a week removed from winning the 1500-meters at the Emory Invitational. He took the silver medal at the Duke Invitational, defeating a slew of NCAA Division I runners and clocking a 1:54.10, his top time of the season.

The year marked the resurgence of the team's throwers, as Drew Harbur emerged as a multi-event threat. At the UAA Outdoor meet, the junior finished third in both the hammer throw (44.03 meters) and javelin (49.07m). Earlier in the season, Harbur claimed bronze at both the Emory Classic and Emory Invitational. During the indoor season, Harbur made significant progress in the 35-lb. weight throw, setting a new personal record of 15.08 meters and finishing fourth at the indoor conference championship meet.  He is now second all-time among Emory athletes in the event.  In addition to Harbur, sophomore Jake Wheeler and junior Stan Tolkachjov also turned in breakthrough seasons. Wheeler and Tolkachjov finished fourth and eighth, respectively, in the javelin at the UAA Outdoors. At the Duke Invitational, Tolkachjov finished second in the javelin and third in the shot put at 38-09.50.  At the Emory Classic, Wheeler placed fifth in the javelin as Emory's top performer in the event.

Sophomore Jim LaPorte and junior Brian Platt sprinted into the spotlight by season's end, culminating with a memorable UAA Outdoor meet. They both made the finals of the 100-meter dash, with LaPorte finishing fourth (11.41) and Platt finishing sixth (11.49). They repeated the feat in the 200-meters, with Platt taking fourth (22.78) and LaPorte taking sixth (22.87). The duo then teamed with sophomore Ryan Kindermann and senior Jeff Morlend to grab the bronze medal in the 400-meter relay.

The season was chock full of highlights and individual achievements, notably from the team's underclassmen. Sophomore Jordan Knight enjoyed a solid season in the pole vault, which included a fourth place finish in the Emory Invitational and third place in the conference outdoor meet. Adam Moroff bounded his way through his freshman season, placing fifth at the outdoor conference championships in both the 110-meter high hurdles and 400-meter intermediate hurdles. His top time of 57.77 in the 400IH came during an eighth place performance at the Emory Classic. Junior Kile Krol was seventh in the mile run at UAA Indoors, finishing in 4:27.10. The veteran battled a field of Division I runners at the Duke Invitational finishing 13th in the 1500-meters in a season best time of 4:00.27. Krol added a sixth place performance at 1500 meters during the Emory Invitational.

All-University Athletic Association
Rob Leventhal           800 meters             Maitland, FL (Winter Park)
Drew Harbur             Hammer, Javelin     Jupiter, FL (Dwyer)