STATEN ISLAND, NY– The Saint Peter's track and field programs recorded five podium finishes at the Wagner College Invitational on Saturday morning at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, led by performances from
Ciara Brown (shot put),
Amari Campbell (long jump),
Favour Owolabi (500m),
Brian Yeager (800m), and the men's 4x400 relay.
TRACK HIGHLIGHTS
In the women's 60m prelims, 30 athletes took to the track, with only the top eight advancing to the finals.
Karilynn Jimenez led the way for the Peacocks, finishing eighth in 8.01 to punch her ticket into the final.
Samyah Wilson placed 11th (8.10), while
Shania McDuffie finished 13th (8.15).
Mercedes Cruz-Fletcher and
Dezoara Diaz also competed, clocking times of 8.57 and 8.65, respectively.
In the finals, Jimenez posted an 8.00 flat, while unattached athlete Victoya Smith claimed gold in 7.59.
The men's 60m prelims featured a field of over 70 competitors, with
Niles Thony leading Saint Peter's with a 15th-place finish in 7.10.
Malique Jackson (7.16) and
Dylan Williams (7.17) also finished inside the top 20.
In her 400m debut,
Maya McKinley sprinted to a top-15 finish in a 33-athlete field, stopping the clock at 1:03.32 and shaving nearly three seconds off the team's previous best in the event on the season. On the men's side,
Ajani Peck-Wekunda paced the Peacocks with a 13th-place finish in 51.05. He was followed by
Desrick Hemans Jr (52.21, 20th),
Michael Odins (52.44, 26th),
Adeiza Albert (54.27, 37th), and
Michael Allison (54.70, 43rd).
Rookie Owolabi secured the first podium placement of the day for Saint Peter's, blazing to a bronze finish in his 500m debut with a time of 1:04.74, slashing nearly a full second off the program's previous best this season. Central Connecticut State senior Kymoy Phillip claimed gold in 1:04.65.
Solomon Dunham also competed, finishing in 1:11.09.
Yeager delivered the second podium finish on the track, taking third in the 800m with a time of 1:55.76. FDU's Chase Lopez won the event in 1:53.38, while
Johan Aparicio rounded out the race for the Peacocks in 2:06.79.
With nearly 90 athletes competing in the men's 200m,
Neo Clark-Tabb finished 13th with a time of 22.43. Jackson (22.74), Williams (22.84), and Thony (23.10) also represented Saint Peter's in the event. Unattached athlete Myles Small captured gold in 21.89, the lone sub-22 performance of the race.
On the women's side of the 200m, Jimenez placed eighth in 26.15.
Angela Owusu-Ansah secured a top-15 finish, placing 12th in 26.44, followed by McDuffie (26.61) and McKinley (27.59).
The men's 4x400 relay closed out the track portion of the meet for the Peacocks, claiming silver with a time of 3:18.40.
FIELD HIGHLIGHTS
Campbell was the lone Saint Peter's competitor in the men's field events, earning bronze in the long jump with a mark of 7.18m on his first attempt. Malachi Aiken secured gold with a third-attempt jump of 7.41m, finishing .17m ahead of the field.
On the women's side,
Chloe Montgomery recorded a fifth-place finish in the 19-athlete long jump field, landing a mark of 5.23m, just .01m off her personal best. NJIT's Zaidah Lightener won the event with a jump of 5.68m.
Brown was the highest-placed individual Peacock overall on the day, securing silver in the shot put with a throw of 11.38m.
Alyana Meador also earned a top-10 finish, placing sixth out of 15 athletes with a mark of 10.61m.
In the weight throw,
Kennedy Vaughn and Brown finished sixth (13.69m) and seventh (13.67m), respectively, with Meador rounding out the event at 9.98m.
Adriana Rollins capped the meet for Saint Peter's with a fifth-place finish in the triple jump, posting a mark of 11.11m. FDU's Jade Cruz claimed gold with a jump of 11.36m.
UP NEXT
Saint Peter's returns to action the final weekend of January, with the throwing squad competing at the Millrose Games on Friday, January 30, while the remainder of the team takes part in the Metropolitan Championships that same day at Ocean Breeze. The full squad reunites for day two of the Millrose Games on Sunday, February 1, at the 168th Street Armory in New York City.
For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
