May 4, 2007

Results |  Photo Gallery 

WASHINGTON - Led by a blazing anchor performance from senior Dustin Emrani, the American University men's 4 x 800 meter relay won its sixth straight outdoor title on day one of the Patriot League Championships. Combined with a third-place finish from Awit Yohannes in the men's 10-K, the men sit in fifth, while the women are in a tie for seventh.

American clinched its sixth straight outdoor PL Championship in dramatic fashion as the race came down to an anchor leg battle between Emrani and Navy's Craig Meekins. Handing off neck and neck, the AU senior ran off Meekins' shoulder through the first 600m and then blasted for home, running a 1:47.5 split for the win. The team combined for a time of 7:27.66 thanks to unofficial splits of 1:53.7 from Alex Caudana, a 1:54.2 by Brian McCabe and a 1:52.2 from Steve Hallinan. Caudana and Emrani return tomorrow for the 1500, while McCabe and Hallinan will race the 1500m.

The men got another six points on day one from Yohannes who took third in the 10,000m. Yohannes, the 2006 PL Champion, was unable to cover a move late in the race by two runners from Bucknell. His finishing time of 31:00.20 was a personal best and just four ticks behind the race winner.

The women's team got seventh-place finishes in both the 4 x 800m relay and the 10,000m. The team of Kate Lilley, Mercedes Ball, Ashley Dellinger and Danielle Loughrey ran 9:22.75. In the 10,000m, sophomore Meghan Mason took seventh in her first attempt at the 25-lap race. Mason ran 38:15.63 - the fourth-fastest time in school history, just five seconds out of a scoring sixth-place.

American's track teams return to the track tomorrow for the remainder of the individual events on the second day of the PL Championships.