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Sports

Track & Field Divide Team to Compete in Three Meets

track grahamThe Monmouth track and field team competed at the Moravian Greyhound Invitational Saturday, with a small group competing at the University of Virginia, and a group at the Larry Ellis Invite hosted by Princeton University.

Junior Ahmier Dupree won the 100 meter dash with a time of 10.55 seconds a personal best and a school. Freshman Bryan Sosoo came in third with a personal best of 10.69 to qualify for IC4A’s, with junior Eric Kahana in fourth. Sosoo was also sixth in the 200, with Kahana eighth. Sophomore Malcolm Chavis qualified for IC4A’s with his first place finish in the 400, running a personal best of 47.55 seconds. Junior John Malespina took fifth in the 400 running 49.02 a season personal best. 

Junior Geordan Ferguson won the 110 hurdles with a time of 14.45 seconds, while junior Stephen Adkisson took fourth after a shaky start. Ferguson also took a second place finish in the 400 hurdles, running 53.64 seconds. 

“It was a great day at a great track and it really showed in the team performances with the sprinters alone having 32 personal or season bests, it shows that we are ready for MAAC championship meet in two weeks,” Ferguson said.

Junior Conner Fuller won the 3k Steeple, finishing in 9:28.59 with teammate Tommy Darlington taking sixth, after a slip into the water.

In the field events, senior Erik Anderson won the high jump with a mark of 6’8”, with sophomore Daniel Jefferson in sixth. Junior Liam Vogt finished third in the long jump with a jump of 23’3.50” and placed third in the triple jump with a mark of 45’1.50”, with Sosoo in sixth. 

MU came in two-four in the shot put, with junior Tevin Kirby-Stewart in second at 55’5.50”, senior Taylor Bernstein and freshman Corey Murphy trailing. Junior Spencer Dimock also placed coming in sixth. Bernstein won the discus with a throw of 158’3”, and freshman Vincent Santarsiero took fifth with Dimock in sixth. 

Sophomore Troy Andretta finished second in the hammer throw, at 179’1”, and Dimock placed sixth. Senior Zach Torrell finished fourth in the javelin with a mark of 192’4”.

On the women’s side, freshman Domoah Kutu-Akoi won the 100 meter dash with an ECAC qualifying time of 12.19 seconds. 

“So far I’ve had a consistent start to my outdoor season in both long jump and the 100 meter dash. I want to keep improving and getting ready for MAAC Championships to help contribute to another conference win for my team,” Kutu-Akoi said. 

Sophomore Vanessa Dautruche took fifth in the 200 running 26.07 seconds. Sophomore Antoinette Isekenegbe took third in the 400 with a time of 57.35. Sophomore Andrea Olsen qualified for ECAC’s with a time for 14.49 coming in second, and senior Mel Lewis came in third running 14.60 seconds 100 meter hurdles. Sophomore Nia Driver won the 400 hurdles with an ECAC qualifying time of 1:02.92, with sophomore McKenna Coakley in second and sophomore Ashley Grenger in fifth. 

“I’m really excited I finally qualified, it lifted a lot of weight off of my shoulders because it was one of the major goals for the season. Now I can move on to focusing on my next move: winning the MAAC championships with my team,” said Driver. 

Sophomore Jessica Ball finished fifth in the 800 with a time of 2:20.87. Sophomore Maggie Hanlon was fifth in the 5000 with a time of 18:47.91. The MU 4×100 relay took second at 48.34 seconds, while the 4×400 group finished third with a time of 3:55.69.

In field events, sophomore Casey Sturts finished tied for first with a mark of 5’4.50” in the high jump a seasons best. Junior Brittany Papa took fourth in the pole vault. Kutu-Akoi finished second in the long jump with a mark of 18’4.25”, and was followed by junior Victoria Miskel in fourth and Sturts in sixth. Senior Kim Price finished second in the triple jump at 37’6.75”. 

Senior captain Taylor Johnson took third in the shot put with a throw of 43’5”. and won the discus with a mark of 163’3”. Junior Aziza Ahmed finishing in second with 146’4”. 

Johnson also won the hammer throw, marking in at 168’8” with senior Amber Brown in third and freshman Kennisha Okereke in fourth. Senior Kelsey Reese took first in the javelin at 153’6”, and freshman Stephanie Roones took fourth.

At Virginia, Senior Jalen Walker finished seventh in the 110 hurdles at 14.36 seconds. Junior Kendal Hand ran a personal best in the 800 at 2:11.55. Sophomore Dylan Capwell won in a 50 person field, running 1:48.70 to win by .42 seconds. Senior captain Kate Frye finished 11th in the 400, running 55.60 seconds while senior captain Ben Boyd also took 11th in the men’s 400, running 47.82 seconds.

At the Larry Ellis Invite hosted by Princeton University, Junior Sydney Engelberger took 30th in the 1500 in 4:34.88 the second fastest time in school history, and was trailed by teammate sophomore Molly McKeon, who ran it in 4:37.83. 

Junior Graham Huggins-Filozof took 19th in the 3k Steeple with a time of 9:17.04 even after a fall into the water, his time is just two seconds off the University’s record. 

PHOTO COURTESY of Mel Lewis