Press Release written by Mitchel Coll
LAKEWOOD, N.J. - - The Wilmington University Track & Field teams rounded out the 2022 CACC Championships this Wednesday as the men's team was able to score 134 points and take second place overall. The women's team scored 15 points and finished tied for tenth place.
The men's 134 points as a team are the highest points total in its young program's history in only its third conference championship. This is also the men's highest team finish, which continues to ascend upwards after finishing fifth in 2019 and third overall in 2021. In the field events today the men's team added two more individual conference champions in Akeel Blake (Long Jump) and Josh Varghese (Discus Throw).
Josh Varghese adds another conference title to his resume. Varghese topped the field and took home the gold in the discus throw, with a best toss of 41.98 meters.
Akeel Blake came in with the best mark in the long jump with a season-high of 7.23-meters and he also left the CACC Championships with the best mark of 7.13-meters. This marks Blake's first individual conference victory as a freshman.
The men's high jump and women's hammer started off the day for the Wildcats. Akeel Blake broke his previous school record of 1.98 meters set at the Oscar Moore Invitational this year. Blake eclipsed that mark today by clearing the 2.00-meter mark. His school-record mark earned him second place honors. Blake also broke his previous school record in the triple jump. Blake finished with a best jump of 13.55-meters, finishing in 5th place (4 points). Lina Boussif was close to 20 centimeters off of her career-best in the hammer throw. Boussif finished 12th best in the CACC conference with a toss of 23.40 meters.
Angel Oliver qualified and competed in the high jump at the CACC Championships. Oliver cleared the bar at 1.43-meters. Oliver's 1.43 meter jump placed her 11th overall on the day.
In the javelin throw, the school record was broken not once, not twice, but seven times as Shemar Parker and Mitchell Coll were going back and forth. Parker was able to sneak into the finals from the first flight with a toss of over 44-meters. Mitchell Coll advanced to the finals with a toss of over 46-meters. The finals are where the best throws were seen by both javelin throwers. Parker finished the day with a career-best 45.01-meters, which placed him in 8th (1 point). Coll finished with a new school record of 48.70-meters, which placed 6th (3 points).
In the hammer throw, Josh Varghese came in the clutch after fouling his first two throws, by clearing a toss of over 42 meters to qualify for the finals. Varghese caught his rhythm in the hammer finals with a best toss of 47.07 meters, which gave him the silver medal (8 points). Mitchell Coll stole a point in the hammer throw, as he was able to sneak into the finals with his first toss of the day of 26.95-meters. This was also his best distance of the day, taking 8th place overall (1 point).
Josh Varghese was the lone shot-put thrower for the Wildcats. Varghese tossed out a best toss of 13.35 meters. This toss gave him fourth place (5 points).
Shemar Parker was a meter shy of his season-best in the pole vault. Parker still cleared the bar at an impressive height of 3.95 meters. This earned Parker fourth place overall (5 points).
Bradley Spencer competed in his first field event in the CACC Championships in the long jump. Spencer leaped 5.67-meters for his best jump of the day.
UP NEXT
A select few athletes will be heading to Mount Olive, North Carolina this weekend to partake in the Mount Olive First Chance and Mount Olive Last Chance meets on Saturday and Sunday, hosted by the University of Mount Olive. The meet is designed as two separate meets, giving the athletes two days to try and hit their best marks at the end of the season.