Amherst, MA - The University of Hartford outdoor track and field teams competed at the University of Massachusetts Spring Meet in Amherst, MA on Saturday. The women's team tallied 49 points to score a fifth place finish while the Hartford men placed seventh with 41 points. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the track and field programs at Hartford, senior Elizabeth Foster ran an NCAA qualifying time of 10:49.63 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Kaycee Martinez highlighted the Hawks with her performances in the hurdles, taking an individual title in the 400-meter hurdles as well as a top-five finish 100-meter hurdles event. The junior finished the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:05.96 to take top-billing in the event. Classmate Ariana Bass placed third in the event, clocking in at 1:06.90. Martinez's time of 16.47 in the 100-meter hurdles was good for the third place spot. Nicolle Adams joined Martinez in the top finishers in the 100-meter hurdles, placing sixth with a time of 17.19.
Foster found success in the track events for the Hawks on Saturday. The senior scored a second place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase, missing first place by just one second. Foster's time of 10:49.63 was not only an NCAA qualifying time, but also shattered her school record in the 3k distance by more than 20 seconds, set in the opening meet of the year.
Rounding out the top-10 performers in the track events for the Hartford women was junior Melanie Wilson. Wilson competed in the 800-meter run, clocking in with a 2:21.91 time in the event for a 10th place finish. Additionally, the Hawks' 4x400-meter relay team placed fourth, racing to a time of 4:04.54.
Sophomore Flake Gjonbalaj recorded two top-10 finishes to lead the Hartford women in the field events. Gjonbalaj's throw of 30.63-meters in the javelin ranked seventh, while the sophomore garnered 10th in the discus throw following her distance of 25.59-meters.
Also bringing home top-10 finishes in the field events were Miranda Wallace, Raquel Payne and Kristalena Lamore. Wallace and Payne took the seventh and ninth place spots in the long jump, recording distances of 4.91-meters and 4.87-meters respectively. Lamore saw her top finish of the day come in the triple jump. The rookie landed a distance of 10.65-meters to score fifth place in the event.
In the field events, the Hartford men were led by top-10 performances in the javelin, discus throw, triple jump and the high jump. Rookie Nigel Nimoh and senior Ryan Trupin each scored third place finishes in their respective events. Nimoh landed a distance of 13.31-meters for third in the triple jump while Trupin's jump of 1.86-meters earned third place in the high jump.
For the throwers, Trevor Brunelle's heave of 39.91-meters in the javelin was good for a sixth place finish in the event while Anthony Green took 10th place with his hurl of 32.62-meters in the discus throw.
Nimoh also highlighted the track events for the Hartford men, scoring a fourth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles with his time of 16.66, just missing the school record. Also performing well in the event was Adam Wells. Wells clocked in with a time of 16.95 to finish sixth for the Hawks.
Rookie Anderson Emerole saw two top-10 performances on Saturday. The sprinter finished sixth in the 400-meter run with a time of 50.79 while scoring fourth in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 23.25. Also joining Emerole in the top-10 finishers in the 400-meter event was Warren Lane, who finished just behind his teammate at seventh with a time of 50.83.
Also seeing top finishes for the Hartford men on the track side was Christian Ehigiator and Jonas Hampton. Ehigiator, a sophomore sprinter, recorded a sixth place finish in the 100-meter dash, clocking in with a time of 11.66. Hampton competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase, earning ninth in the 3k event posting a time of 10:07.32.
The University of Hartford men's and women's outdoor track and field teams will travel to Worcester, MA on Saturday, April 18 to compete at the Holy Cross Invitational. The Hawks will also be sending one female student-athlete who will be taking part in the Holy Cross Multi-event meet on April 15-16.
