The men and women’s track and field teams both had record finishes in the ECAC/IC4A Championships at Boston University this past weekend. The men placed fifth out of 100 teams and the women placed eighth out of 86 teams. These are the highest finishes at the ECAC/IC4As by both MU’s men and women in program history, marking a major milestone for the athletes, and the program.
Competing against some of the most competitive athletes and institutions in the north east, MU managed to produce All-East Honorees in 12 events.
“Finishing among the top teams at this championship has always been a big goal for our program, and this team made some history this weekend,” head coach Joe Compagni said.
In the IC4A’s, freshman Dylan Capwell had one of the most impressive finishes of the year as he won the 800 meter run with a time of 1:50.16. To qualify for a regional event as a freshman is rare, and to win is nearly impossible.
Capwell had yet another strong showing when he, along with junior Andrew Langille, sophomore Domenick D’Agostino, and junior Alex Leight ran a 4×800 meter relay time of 7:23.75, good enough for second place in the event and an MU school record. This was the second time the men’s 4×800 broke a school record. The first was on Saturday, March 8 when the men ran 7:28 to qualify for the finals.
Aside from the middle distance events, Jalen Walker also posted an impressive finish in the sprints, placing fourth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.03 seconds. All of the mentioned received All-East Honors.
For the men’s field, it was senior Errol Jeffrey once again, who won the weight throw with a distance of 65 feet, 6 ¼ inches setting not only a school record but securing him an All-East honor as well. Jeffrey also placed third in the shot put. Junior
Taylor Bernstein and sophomore Tevin Kirby-Stewart joined Jeffrey in All-East honors for the shot put placing sixth and seventh respectively at 55’9.25″ and 55’9″.
The ECAC’s provided just as impressive performances as the men. Junior Kate Frye placed sixth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.91 seconds, earning All-East honors. Frye also assisted the 4×400 meter relay team to fifth place in a very tight race.
MU’s other relay members included senior Laura Williams, freshman McKenna Coakley, and freshman Antoinette Isekenegbe.
The women’s field events, senior captain Tilah Young placed fifth in the weight throw, senior Rachel Aliotta placed sixth in the shot put, and junior Lauren McDonald placed sixth in the pole vault. These women all received All-East honors as well, rounding out the men’s and women’s totals of 14 All-East athletes across 12 events.
The Hawks will send senior Mariah Toussaint to the NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track & Field championships in Albuquerque, NM on March 14 to compete in the long jump.
“We’ve had a few women make it to the NCAA Div. I Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, most notably Rachel Watkins, who earned All-America honors last year in the 400 hurdles, and Tisifenee Taylor, who earned All-America honors in the long jump in 2007,” Compagni continued. “The Indoor Championships are the hardest to make, as they only accept 16 athletes per event from across the country. When you look at the schools that have athletes qualified this year in different events, you can see we’re in good company!”
Notable Performances…
Mariah Toussaint has been ranked in the nation’s long jump top 10 and will become the first MU athlete in program history to compete in the NCAA Women’s Indoor Championships. She also becomes the first ECAC Indoor Track & Field Champion in school history.
MU’s previous best IC4A/ECAC was in 2011 when the women finished in 17th place with 21 points and in 2012 when the men finished in ninth place with 27 points. This year, MU placed eighth in the ECAC and fifth in the IC4A.
Seven is the total number of IC4A Championships men’s track and field team have earned.
Jon Kalnas is the only previous Monmouth University male athlete to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
