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) |
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James Bassen |
Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly) |
Javelin (4th) |
Daniel Pietsch |
Kula, HI (Seabury Hall) |
400m Dash (8th) |
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NCAA Division III Championship Participant |
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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) |
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University Athletic Association Most Valuable Performer |
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James Bassen |
Tenafly, NJ (Tenafly) |
Field Events |
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UAA Rookie of the Year |
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Daniel Pietsch |
Kula, HI (Seabury Hall) |
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UAA Coaching Staff of the Year |
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Head Coach |
John Curtin |
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Assistant Coaches |
Aaron Campbell, Lance Harden, MedaLana Smith, Pedro Vazquez |
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UAA Champion |
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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 |
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All-UAA (Top-3 Finisher at UAA Championships) |
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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) |
Westport, CT (Staples) |
Long Jump (3rd), Triple Jump (2nd), 400m Relay (2nd) |
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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 |
Southlake, TX (Singapore American School)) |
400m Relay (2nd), 1600m Relay (3rd) |
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Plainsboro, NJ (W. Windsor-Plainsboro South) |
400m Dash (3rd), 1600m Relay (3rd) |
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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) |
Shanghai, China (Shanghai American School) |
Triple Jump (3rd) |
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Lukas Mees |
Marion, IA (Marion) |
3000m Steeplechase (1st) |
Grant Murphy |
Hillsborough, CA (Mills) |
1500m Run (1st) |
Highland Park, IL (Highland Park) |
110m Hurdles (3rd) |
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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) |
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Captial One/ CoSIDA Academic All-District |
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Lukas Mees |
Marion, IA (Marion) |
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Grant Murphy |
Hillsborough, CA (Mills) |
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UAA Athlete of the Week |
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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 |
32:51.95 |
Emory Invitational |
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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