2015 Emory Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Season Recap

2015 Emory Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Season Recap

The 2015 outdoor campaign proved to be a banner year for the Emory University men's track and field team, including a pair of all-America honors and the team's first University Athletic Association Outdoor Championship since the 2004 season, and fifth overall in the program's history.

Behind nine individual conference championships, three second place finishes and nine third-place finishes, the Eagles scored 197 points to beat out second-place Washington University (182 points) and third-place Chicago (108 points) for the UAA Title, hosted by the Eagles at the Woodruff Physical Education Center.  The Emory coaching staff, led by Head Coach John Curtin, was named the UAA Men's Outdoor Coaching Staff of the Year for the fifth time in the program's history following the meet.

Senior James Bassen became the second Eagle ever to be named the UAA Most Valuable Performer for Field Events, after winning the javelin throw with a conference-record distance of 61.87 meters, while adding third-place finishes in the hammer and discus throws.  Freshman Daniel Pietsch was selected as the first UAA Outdoor Rookie of the Year in Emory history, following a win and conference record performance in the 400-meter dash (47.50 seconds) and all-UAA finishes as the anchor leg of Emory's 4x100-meter relay and 4x400-meter relay.

Sophomore Grant Murphy claimed the UAA Championship in the 1,500-meter run with a conference-record setting time of 3:50.94 in the event, while junior Adam Rabushka finished first in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles.  Other individual UAA Championships were won by junior Lukas Mees in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, senior Scott Greathouse in the high jump, freshman Phillip Greenfield in the 110-meter dash and junior Jacob Seigel in the discus throw.

Both Bassen and Pietsch would advance to claim the first All-America honors of their careers at the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Canton, New York at the end of May.  Bassen finished fourth in the javelin throw, the best-ever finish by an Eagle in the event at the National Championships, with a school-record throw of 64.61 meters.  Pietsch claimed his all-America honor with an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.84 seconds. 

Two other Eagles competed at the NCAA Championships, with Mees finishing 17th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Murphy finishing 18th in the 1,500-meter run.  Emory totaled six points at the meet to finish in a tie for 43rd at the meet.

In addition to Bassen's program record in the javelin throw set at the NCAA Championships, school records were set by Eagles in three other individual events and two relays during the 2015 season.  Two fell at the Gregory Invitational in May, with Murphy running a time of 3:50.91 in the 1,500-meter run, and Mees turning in a mark of 9:10.58 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  Murphy also set the program record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:31.29 at the Mountain Laurel Invitational in April. 

Emory's 4x800-meter relay team of freshman Robert Wilhelm III, senior Kevin Delaney, junior Josh Traynelis and freshman Max Brown set a new program record in the event with a time of 7:45.90 at the UAA Championships.  The Eagles distance medley relay team of Brown, sophomore Ian McIsaac, Traynelis and freshman Shane Sullivan also notched a program-record setting mark of 10:26.16 at the Emory Invitational.

In other scored meets throughout the season, the Eagles placed third out of 27 teams at the Emory Invitational, second out of 24 teams at the Emory Classic, fifth out of six teams at the Catamount Classic, and second out of seven teams at the Sewanee Mountain Laurel Invitational.  Emory ended the year ranked second in the South/ Southeast Region by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of America.

In addition to their accomplishments on the track, Murphy and junior Lukas Mees were named to the Capital One/ CoSIDA Academic All-District Team.  It marked the first such honor for both.

The Eagles earned the following honors during the 2015 season:

 

All-America (Top-8 Finisher at NCAA Division III Championships)

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Javelin (4th)

Daniel Pietsch

Kula, HI (Seabury Hall)

400m Dash (8th)

 

NCAA Division III Championship Participant

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Javelin (4th)

Lukas Mees

Marion, IA (Marion)

3000m Steeplechase (17th)

Grant Murphy

Hillsborough, CA (Mills)

1500m Run (18th)

Daniel Pietsch

Kula, HI (Seabury Hall)

400m Dash (8th)

 

University Athletic Association Most Valuable Performer

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Field Events

 

UAA Rookie of the Year

Daniel Pietsch

Kula, HI (Seabury Hall)

 

UAA Coaching Staff of the Year

Head Coach

John Curtin

Assistant Coaches

Aaron Campbell, Lance Harden, MedaLana Smith, Pedro Vazquez

 

UAA Champion

Adam Rabushka

Deerfield, IL (Deerfield)

110m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Javelin

Scott Greathouse

Los Altos, CA (Los Altos)

High Jump

Phillip Greenfield

San Antonio, TX (TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas)

100m Dash

Lukas Mees

Marion, IA (Marion)

3000m Steeplechase

Grant Murphy

Hillsborough, CA (Mills)

1500m Run

Daniel Pietsch

Kula, HI (Seabury Hall)

400m Dash

Jacob Seigel

St.  Louis, MO (Parkway West)

Discus

 

All-UAA (Top-3 Finisher at UAA Championships)

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Discus (3rd), Hammer (3rd), Javelin (1st)

Phillip Greenfield

San Antonio, TX (TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas)

100m Dash (1st), 200m Dash (3rd), 400m Relay (2nd)

Maxwell Hoberman

Westport, CT (Staples)

Long Jump (3rd), Triple Jump  (2nd), 400m Relay (2nd)

Daniel Pietsch

Kula, HI (Seabury Hall)

400m Dash (1st), 400m Relay (2nd), 1600m Relay (3rd)

Adam Rabushka

Deerfield, IL (Deerfield)

110m Hurdles (1st), 400m Hurdles (1st), 1600m Relay

Spencer Koh

Southlake, TX (Singapore American School))

400m Relay (2nd), 1600m Relay (3rd)

Zachary Rosenberg

Plainsboro, NJ (W. Windsor-Plainsboro South)

400m Dash (3rd), 1600m Relay (3rd)

Max Brown

Warren, NJ (Watchung Hills)

3200m Relay (2nd)

Kevin Delaney

Hudson, MA (Hudson)

3200m Relay (2nd)

Scott Greathouse

Los Altos, CA (Los Altos)

High Jump (1st)

Charlie Hu

Shanghai, China (Shanghai American School)

Triple Jump (3rd)

Lukas Mees

Marion, IA (Marion)

3000m Steeplechase (1st)

Grant Murphy

Hillsborough, CA (Mills)

1500m Run (1st)

Benjamin Rogin

Highland Park, IL (Highland Park)

110m Hurdles (3rd)

Jacob Seigel

St.  Louis, MO (Parkway West)

Discus (1st)

Shane Sullivan

Johns Creek, GA (Mt. Pisgah Christian)

5000m Run (3rd)

Josh Traynelis

Decatur, GA (Lakeside)

3200m Relay (2nd)

Robert Wilhelm III

Kingville, MD (Gilman)

3200m Relay (2nd)

 

Captial One/ CoSIDA Academic All-District

Lukas Mees

Marion, IA (Marion)

 

Grant Murphy

Hillsborough, CA (Mills)

 
 

UAA Athlete of the Week

James Bassen

Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly)

Mar. 23rd, May 26th

Maxwell Hoberman

Westport, CT (Staples)

Mar. 30th

Adam Rabushka

Deerfield, IL (Deerfield)

Mar. 23rd

 

 

The following were the top marks by Emory athletes during the 2015 season:

 

100m Dash

Phillip Greenfield

10.81

UAA Championships

200m Dash

Daniel Pietsch

22.11

Catamount Classic

400m Dash

Daniel Pietsch

47.50

UAA Championships

800m Run

Kevin Delaney

1:55.81

Georgia Invitational

1500m Run

Grant Murphy

3:50.91*

Gregory Invitational

3000m Run

Grant Murphy

8:31.29*

Mountain Laurel Invitational

5000m Run

Shane Sullivan

14:43.47

Gregory Invitational

10000m Run

Tyler Cooke

32:51.95

Emory Invitational

110m Hurdles

Benjamin Rogin

15.09

Gregory Invitational

400m Hurdles

Adam Rabushka

53.40

Georgia Invitational

3000m Steeplechase

Lukas Mees

9:10.58*

Gregory Invitational

High Jump

Scott Greathouse

2.02m

Gregory Invitational

Pole Vault

Spencer Koh

4.42m

UAA Championships

Long Jump

Maxwell Hoberman

6.57m

UAA Championships

Triple Jump

Maxwell Hoberman

13.99m

UAA Championships

Shot Put

Jacob Seigel

13.26m

UAA Championships

Discus

Jacob Seigel

44.45m

UAA Championships

Hammer

James Bassen

44.77m

UAA Championships

Javelin

James Bassen

64.61m*

NCAA Championships

400m Relay

Phillip Greenfield, Maxwell Hoberman, Spencer Koh, Daniel Pietsch

42.31

UAA Championships

1600m Relay

Zachary Rosenberg, Adam Rabushka, Spencer Koh, Daniel Pietsch

3:15.04

Gregory Invitational

3200m Relay

Robert Wilhelm III, Kevin Delaney, Josh Traynelis, Max Brown

7:45.90*

UAA Championships

DMR

Max Brown, Ian McIsaac, Josh Traynelis, Shane Sullivan

10:26.16*

Emory Invitational

 

* - Indicates Emory record