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Lukas Mees & Grant Murphy Break School Records in Emory’s Final Meet before NCAAs

Lukas Mees & Grant Murphy Break School Records in Emory’s Final Meet before NCAAs
Posted: May 15, 2015

From Emory University Athletics

Emory University junior Lukas Mees demolished the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and sophomore Grant Murphy bested his own program-best mark in the 1,500-meter run, leading the Eagles at the Gregory Invitational in Naperville, Illinois, the team's final meet before the 2015 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Mees finished eighth in the steeplechase with a time of 9:10.58, a 15-second improvement on his previous career best.  His time broke Tommy Fyffe's previous school record of 9:17.50, set in 2009, and ranks as the 17th-fastest in Division III this season, putting him in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the event.

Murphy edged his own school-record time in the 1,500-meter run, set earlier this year at the UAA Championships, winning the event with a time of 3:50.91.  It is tied for the 22nd-fastest mark in Division III in 2015, making Murphy a likely qualify for the NCAAs as well.

Adding a first-place finish for the Emory women was senior Hannah Smith, who improved on her career-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a mark of 10:55.18, the 19th-best in Division III (good for NCAA qualification) and the seventh-fastest in school history.

Freshman Shane Sullivan placed sixth in the 5,000-meter run with a mark of 14:43.47, the fourth-fastest time ever by an Eagle and 42nd in Division III.  Additional personal-best marks were recorded by freshman Benjamin Rogin in the 100-meter hurdles (15.09 seconds, eighth-place), senior Scott Greathouse in the high jump (2.02 meters, seventh-place) and senior Elise Viox in the 5,000-meter run (17:55.06, 12th-place).

Emory's 4x400-meter relay team of senior Zachary Rosenberg, junior Adam Rabushka, junior Spencer Koh and freshman Daniel Pietsch added a fifth-place finish in a season-best time of 3:15.04, the seventh-best in school history and a top-20 mark in the NCAA this year.

The meet was the final chance for Eagles to qualify for next week's NCAA Division III Championships.  In addition to Mees, Murphy and Smith, other Eagles close to qualifying include Piestch in the 400-meter dash, Rabushka in the 400-meter hurdles, the men's 4x400-meter relay and senior James Bassen in the javelin throw.