TOWSON, Md. --- Junior Ryan Karnopp and sophomore Cory Taggert of the Moravian College Men's track and field team earned Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week honors after competing at the Collegeville Classic hosted by Ursinus and Tiger Open hosted by Princeton University this past weekend.
Karnopp placed second at the Collegeville Classic clearing 4.80 metera (15 feet, 9 inches) which is a ECAC qualifying mark. The meet was Moravian's first action since the season-opening Fast Times Before Finals at Lehigh University back on December 5-6.
"Ryan had some close calls taking it to three attempts at some earlier bars but it was a good meet because it put him in some pressure situations which you just can't replicate in practice," stated Head Coach Jesse Baumann. "The 15'9" bar that he cleared just might be high enough to get him to the NCAAs in March, but we have much higher aspirations than just getting there at a height below his PR. Regardless, there were a lot of positives to take from his meet including a really nice time in the 60m for him, so this should just be a building block for him heading into the remainder of the year."
Taggert won his heat and finished fourth overall with a time of 1:57.68 in the 800-meter run on Saturday.
"Like with any of the athletes, this was a meet to shake off the cob webs," commented Baumann. "Cory negative split the 800, something we don't like to see, so he clearly left a lot of time on the track and by his own admission learned a lot from the race and is much more confident going ahead. Even with the tactical errors in his race, he's where he finished off last indoor season, which is a great sign."
The Hounds are scheduled to compete on Saturday, January 31 at Lehigh University in the Covert Classic.