LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University track and field team kicked off the 2024 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships on Saturday, with nine events going final on Day 1 at the Georgian Court Track and Field Complex in Lakewood, New Jersey.
The Wildcats found success with both teams, with the men collecting 39 team points to sit in first place among nine teams while having an individual winner in the pole vault and a school record in the 10,000-meter race.
The women picked up 31.5 team points in four events on Saturday to sit in third place overall among eight teams, having two All-Conference performances for finishing second overall.
Trent Taylor set a new school record in the 10,000-meter event, as the Wildcats earned 15 points with three scorers. Taylor finished third overall with a new school record, finishing the 25 laps on the track in 32:38.80 for six team points. Dan Wyshinski was 20 seconds behind Taylor in fourth place, earning five team points while finishing in 32:58.79. Carter Sparwasser made it three straight Wildcats to cross the line, finishing in fifth for four points with a season's best time of 33:47.63.
Hayward Boutte, Joe Volk, and Jared Cushlanis all set new season's best in the 10,000-meter event as well, finishing, 9th, 10th, and 11th, respectively.
Dallas Parker gave the Wildcats 10 points by winning the pole vault competition. He earned First Team All-CACC honors with a height of 2.67 meters.
Christian Dollard gave the Wildcats five points with a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw, going for 40.52 meters. Sam Distler tacked on two more points with a seventh-place finish in the hammer, tossing a season's best 36.46 meters. Braeden Peterson reset the team's best distance in the javelin throw for the season at the CACC Championship, finishing fifth overall with a distance of 41.88 meters for four more points.
Rayhan Issah gave the Wildcats three points in the long jump, finishing in sixth place with a distance of 6.50 meters.
On the women's side, the hammer circle produced 14 points for the Wildcats with Viviana Caamano and Jada Obegi finishing second and third overall. Caamano earns Second Team All-Conference with the second-place finish, finishing with a distance of 38.69 meters for eight points. Jada Obegi placed third overall for six points, finishing with a distance of 38.27 meters. Abigail Chomo set a new season's best in the hammer finishing ninth overall with a distance of 32.74 meters.
Tiffany Banning also earned a Second Team All-CACC honor with a second-place finish in the 10,000-meter event, racing to a 41:08.13 finish for eight points for the Wildcats. Cassidy Burr finished sixth overall in the finish, bringing in three more points with a time of 44:29.14. Claudia Rodriguez set a new season best in the 10,000-meter event as well, finishing 10th overall.
Temi Mustapha gave the Wildcats five more points toward the team score, placing fourth overall in the long jump with a distance of 5.20 meters.
Abigail Chomo rounded out the Wildcats' scoring in the javelin field, placing eighth overall for a point. She used a distance of 27.60 meters for the eighth-place finish while Leeah Eisenhower and Alicia Whyte finished ninth and 11th, respectively, in the javelin as well.
A number of Wildcats competed in their preliminary heats with the championship races being concluded on Sunday at Georgian Court.
Finals:
Men:
10,000m – Trent Taylor – 3rd – 32:38.80 – 6 points – SR
10,000m – Daniel Wyshinski – 4th – 32:58.79 – 5 points
10,000m – Carter Sparwasser – 5th – 33:47.63 – 4 points – SB
10,000m – Hayward Boutte – 9th – 35:13.21 – SB
10,000m – Joe Volk – 10th – 35:24.16 – SB
10,000m – Jared Cushlanis – 11th – 36:18.84 – SB
Long Jump – Rayhan Issah – 6th – 6.50m – 3 pts
Hammer – Christian Dollard – 4th – 40.52m – 5 pts
Hammer – Sam Distler – 7th – 36.46m – 2 pts – SB
Javelin – Braeden Peterson – 5th – 41.88m – 4 pts - TB
Pole Vault – Dallas Parker – 1st – 2.67m – 10 pts
Women:
10,000m – Tiffany Banning – 2nd – 41:08.13 – 8 pts
10,000m – Cassidy Burr – 6th – 44:29.14 – 3 pts
10,000m – Claudia Rodriguez – 10th – 48:21.57 – SB
Long Jump – Temi Mustapha – 4th – 5.20m – 5 pts
Hammer – Viviana Caamano – 2nd – 38.69m – 8 pts
Hammer – Jada Obegi – 3rd – 38.27m – 6 pts
Hammer – Abigail Chomo – 9th – 32.74m – SB
Javelin – Abigail Chomo – 8th – 27.60m – 1 pt
Javelin – Leeah Eisenhower – 9th – 27.02m
Javelin – Alicia Whyte – 11th – 25.13m
Trials:
100 and 110 hurdles
100
400
400 hurdles
200