Press Release Written by Mitchell Coll
COLLEGE PARK, MD. - - The Wilmington University Track & Field teams spent their Saturday in College Park at the Maryland Invitational, hosted by the University of Maryland of the Big 10 Conference.
MEN
There were plenty of season bests on the throwing side. Junior Josh Varghese threw a season-best of 44.78 meters in the hammer throw. Varghese's toss helped him earn fourth place out of 11 throwers. Varghese threw a season-best in the shot with a throw of 13.18 meters and threw 41.37 meters in the discus throw, also a season-best.
Graduate students Shemar Parker and Mitchell Coll both had season bests in the javelin throw. Parker threw a distance of 38.48 meters. Coll threw his season and career best in a Wildcat uniform with a heave of 41.15 meters, both qualifying for the event's finals.
Parker also finished second in the pole vault, clearing the bar at 3.80 meters.
In the jumping events, freshman Akeel Blake leaped over the bar in the high jump at 1.90 meters. Blake finished both third in the long jump and the triple jump. Blake finished with a best jump of 6.77 meters in the long jump and 13.91 meters in the triple jump. Sophomore Matthew Hibbert finished in ninth in the long jump with a leap of 5.72 meters.
Graduate student Mike Dowd came across the line in 10:30.59 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, which put Dowd in second place overall.
Freshman Matt Gonzalez ran a fast time in the 1,500-meter run of 4:06.55. This time currently puts Gonzalez as the CACC leader in the event. Daniel Wyshinski and Logan Strouse were neck-and-neck with an 18th and 19th finish in a very competitive heat. Hayward Boutte Jr. crossed the line with a time of 4:33.31.
Tyler Levons had the fastest time of the day for the Wildcats in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 11.42, finishing in 7th place. Matthew Hibbert was right behind Levons, crossing the line at 11.43 seconds, a time good enough for ninth place. Alex Varona posted a time of 12.12 seconds and James Keenan finished with a time of 12.20 seconds.
Levons showed a strong presence in the 400-meter dash finishing fourth overall with a time of 50.61 seconds. Taf Bunu saw his first action of the season in the 400-meter dash and finished with a time of 54.90 seconds.
Gonzalez and Strouse put in strong performances in the 800-meter run as well, finishing in 10th and 12th place, respectively. Gonzalez ran with a time of 2:00.75 and Strouse with a time of 2:03.52.
Bradley Spencer finished with the best time for the Wildcats in the 400-meter hurdles, hurdling to a time of 1:00.04. Bradley joins Mike Dowd and Shemar Parker in meeting qualification standards for the CACC Championships.
The 4x100 meter relay team of Keenan, Hibbert, Levons, and Bunu crossed the line with a season-best of 42. 79 seconds, which took third place.
WOMEN
Freshmen Temi Mustapha and Kharonay Brown both competed in the 100-meter dash. Mustapha finished with a time of 13.64 seconds. Brown sprinted past the line with a time of 13.94 seconds.
Sophomore Layla Hunt competed in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Both of her times met CACC qualifications for May's Championship meet. In the 100-meter hurdles, Hunt was 8th best with a time of 16.51 and Hunt hurdled her way to a time of 1:11.01 in the 400-meter hurdles.
Sophomore Yailynn Ramirez started off her 2022 season campaign in the 800-meter run. Ramirez ended with a time of 2:41.67 and Lina Boussif finished right after Ramirez with a time of 2:55.89.
The 4x100 meter relay team of Brown, Hunt, Turner, and Mustapha finished in third with a time of 53.10 seconds.
Kharonay Brown had a team-best on the day in the 200-meter dash by crossing the line at 27.89 seconds. Brown's time is .62 seconds off of CACC qualification standards.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will travel to Glassboro, NJ next week to partake in the Oscar Moore Invite on Saturday, March 26th hosted by Rowan University.
