Press Release written by Mitchell Coll

SALISBURY, Md. - - The Wilmington University Track & Field Team kicked off their 2022 season campaign at the Llyod Sigler Spring hosted by Salisbury University.

The women's Track & Field team scored a total of 22 points. Sophomore Layla Hunt started the day with a 4.71-meter-long jump, which was good for 5th place, two points, and with the jump, Hunt has qualified for the CACC Championships in May. Freshman Jalah Turner took 9th place in the long jump with a distance of 4.46 meters which is .05 meters away from qualification standards for the conference championship meet.

Freshman Temi Mustapha qualified for the CACC Championships in two events. First, Mustapha placed third in the triple jump with a jump of 9.72 meters. Mustapha also placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.43. Mustapha scored 14 points in total on the day.

Freshman Kharonay Brown took third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 28.33, which scored 6 points for the team. Her time is under a second of a difference between the qualification standards for the conference championship meet of a time of 27.89.

The Wilmington University Men's Track and Field Team was able to take home the first-place overall team win, winning the Llyod Sigler Spring meet, edging out Salisbury University by 1.50 points, 152.50 to 151 points.

On the men's side freshman, Akeel Blake started the day for the Wildcats in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. Blake took home first place honors in all three jumping events and set all three school records in the process: long jump, triple jump, and the high jump. In the long jump. In the long jump, Blake leaped 6.92 meters. In the triple jump, Blake won by almost a whole meter, with a jump of 13.54 meters. In the last jump, the high jump he was the only athlete to clear the 1.85-meter mark.

On the throwing side for the men, Wilmington University set a team record of qualifying three athletes in one throwing event for the CACC Championships, the men's javelin. Graduate student, Mitchell Coll threw 36.48 meters which went for 6th place and one point. Junior Josh Varghese was close behind with a toss of 33.33 meters and graduate student Jimmy Keenan came in 9th with a throw of 31.55 meters.

Josh Varghese took first place in the hammer and discus throw. In the hammer throw, he tossed a 41.63-meter throw and in the discus, he set the mark at 37.40 meters. Varghese took second in the shot-put event with a throw of 12.54 meters. Josh Varghese adds another milestone to his already impressive resume, by becoming the first thrower in Wilmington Track & Field history to meet qualification standards in all four throwing events for the CACC Championships.

Junior Mike Dowd set the tone for the distance races in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:46.65, this time gave him a second-place finish. In the 1,500-meter race freshman, Logan Strouse and freshman Dan Wyshinski took second and third place. Strouse finished with a fast time of 4:15.76 and Wyshinski was right behind him with a time of 4:16.95. Freshman Hayward Boutte Jr. finished with a time of 4:45.14.

In the 5000-meter Dan Wyshinski was able to score a point for the men's team with a time of 16:56.01, which was good for 6th place. Mike Dowd ran the event in 17:12.34 and Hayward Boutte Jr. finished with a time of 18:16.44

Freshman Tyler Levons one the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.16 seconds. Levons also took second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.38. Freshman Matt Hibbert was close behind him, taking second place with a time of 11.34 seconds. Hibbert also took third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.93 seconds. Levons and Hibbert both met qualification standards for the CACC Championship meet. Graduate students, Shemar Parker and Jimmy Keenan both also placed in the 100-meter dash. Parker took 4th with a time of 11.80 seconds and Keenan took fifth with a time of 11.86 seconds.

Graduate student Shemar Parker took home first place in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 58.13 second, which is now a new school record for the Wilmington University Men's Track & Field team.

The Wildcats travel down south to Myrtle Beach starting Wednesday in preparation for the Mrytle Beach Collegiate Challenge hosted by Coastal Carolina University, which is set for Friday, March 11th, and Saturday, March 12th.