The Monmouth University men’s and women’s track and field teams continued their 2023 outdoor season with some strong performances in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this past Saturday.
Four Hawks, all on the men’s side, came back to West Long Branch with wins at the meet hosted by the University of Pennsylvania. David Strong secured first place in the long jump with a jump of 7.05m. Strong didn’t stop there, maintaining his momentum in the 400m hurdles with a third-place time of 54.34. Taylor Boorse continued to let his dominance be known in the javelin with a throw of 60.59m, which was good for a first-place finish in the event. Mujeeb Ali won the hammer throw at 52.04m, and Louis DiLaurenzio earned first place in the 1500m with a time of 3:48.29.
On the women’s side, the all-time Top Ten list was shifted with some incredible performances. Yasmeen Tinsley showcased multiple strong performances for the Hawks, coming in second place in the 100m hurdles (14.28) and the 400m hurdles (59.80) and jumping up to fifth all-time for Monmouth in both events. Ashley Navarro managed to run the fastest 1500m time in school history, coming in at a blazing 4:28.98 to finish third in the event. Natalie Rolon-Issa joined her teammates in making an appearance on the all-time Top Ten list with a throw at 42.06m, putting her ninth in school history and second at the meet. Rolon-Issa also placed second in the hammer throw (49.78m).
Other impressive performances from the meet include Veronica Chainov’s third-place finish in the women’s high jump (1.61m) and on the men’s side, Keven Kevelier’s second-place finish (2.02m). The Hawks made some noise in the men’s pole vault as Connor Bennett and Dalton Yeust both cleared a 4.76m bar. Colson Martin placed third in the men’s long jump with a leap of 6.87m. Vanessa Wood placed third in the women’s shot put with an impressive throw of 13.01m, and AJ Bailor took second in the men’s hammer throw with a distance of 51.09m.
Head Coach Mike Nelson had nothing but positive remarks about the team’s performances: “We’re thankful for the event staff and coaches at Penn for doing everything possible to get this meet in. We finished the last event just as the skies started to open up. It was a great opportunity to compete at historic Franklin Field. We had some event victories and several new top ten marks. Overall, a very solid meet for our team!”
The Hawks will continue their 2023 outdoor season as they travel to Fairfax, Virginia for the Dalton Ebanks Invitational hosted by George Mason on Saturday, April 8.
