DOVER, Del. - - It was 705 days since the Wilmington University track & field team competed in a meet, but that streak is now over as the Wildcats battled in the Delaware State University Sting Invite on Wednesday at Alumni Stadium.
The last time the Wildcats were seen on the track was at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships on May 5, 2019. The 2020 season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic before their season even started.
Even with the long layoff, the Wildcats performed admirably, with new school records and meeting Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference qualifying times.
On the men's side, Tafadziswu Bunu set a new school record in the 100-meter event, racing to a second-place finish with a time of 11.19. Matt Hibbert finished fourth with a time of 11.28 while Jimmy Keenan was seventh in the event with a time of 11.68 seconds. All three are faster than the CACC qualifying standard for the CACC Championships in May.
Bunu and Hibbert also met the CACC qualifying standard in the 200-meter event, as Bunu raced to a fourth-place finish with a 23.01 time while Hibbert placed fifth with a time of 23.05 seconds. Keenan raced to a 10th place finish in 24.33 seconds.
Joshua Varghese set a new school record in the hammer throw, winning the event with a distance of 46.36 meters (152'1").
Dan Wyshinski also won his event in his Wildcat debut, claiming the 1,500-meter event. He bested the field of six with a time of 4:21.15, fast enough for the CACC qualifying standard as well. He also placed fourth in the 3,000-meter event with a time of 9:41.35.
Two school records also fell on the women's side as well, as Kayla Crawford set the new mark in the 400-meter event with a time of 1:03.34. She finished sixth out of 12 in the event, beating the CACC qualifying standard as well.
Alexa Crowell set a new mark in the 3,000-meter event, finishing with a time of 12:48.87 for third place.
Crawford also qualified for the CACCs in the 200-meter, racing to a fourth-place finish on Wednesday with a time of 27.43.
Yailynn Ramirez finished second overall in the 1,500-meter event, crossing the line in 5:47.53. Viviana Caamano qualified for the CACCs with a distance of 24.72 meters (81'1") in the hammer throw, finishing fifth overall.
The Wildcats are right back to action this weekend, as they head south again on Saturday. They will travel to Salisbury University to take part in the Eastern Shore Challenge in Salisbury, Md.