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Track & Field Back In Action This Weekend
New York, NY - The Manhattan Jaspers will take on two meets this weekend, as track and field returns to action for the first time in the new year. On Friday, January 11, the team will travel across the Bronx to Fordham for the Brian Horowitz Invite, starting at 10:00 a.m. The next day, the Jaspers will head into Manhattan for the TCNJ Invitational at The Armory, starting at 6:00 p.m. Meet Notes:
The Jaspers will compete in several distance and field events at Fordham on Friday. The team will then take on a full slate for Saturday's meet.
This weekend will be the first competition for Manhattan since the Yale Opener on December 8. At that meet, the Jaspers earned six first-place finishes, including a sweep of the men's and women's shot put, with ECAC/IC4A qualifiers Lasma Padedze (Ogre, Latvia / Ogre Secondary School No. 1) and Anu Awonusi (Dublin, Ireland / Kilkenny College) taking first place in the events. Padedze hit a personal-best 14.81 meters in the event, while Awonusi earned a career-best 17.78 meters.
The pair, along with sprinter Amahri Boyce (Newark, NJ / North Star Academy), were each named Performer of the Week by the MAAC on December 11. Boyce earned the honor after winning the women's 200-meter race at the Yale Opener with a time of 25.39, good for her first collegiate victory. She also placed second in the women's 60-meter dash with a personal best time of 7.8.
Manhattan's fourth Performer of the Week so far this season was senior Eric Waugh (Wheatley Heights, NY / Half Hollow Hill West), who earned the honor from the MAAC on December 4 after throwing a career-best 16.78 meters in the men's shot put at the TCNJ Season Opener, earning first in the event. Waugh's throw qualified him for the IC4A shot put championship to be held in March.
The Jaspers currently hold claim to 11 of the MAAC's top performances so far this season, seven for the women's team and four for the men.
Padedze's shot put performance at Yale is the top finish for the league, while teammate Lisa Warfvinge holds the MAAC's best long jump at 5.61 meters. Dominyka Leskauskaite claims the league's best triple jump at 11.76 meters.
Boyce's 200-meter win at Yale is the league's fastest time in the event. Teammate Zarah Harris (Montgomery, NY / Valley Central) won the women's 500-meters at Yale with a time of 1:15.45, the league's best so far this season. On the distance side, freshman Hali Ielfield (Glenfield, NY / South Lewis Central) earned the MAAC's fastest 1000-meters time at the TCNJ Opener, finishing in 2:58.77. Caitlin Hartnett (Tappan, NY / Tappan Zee) holds the top time in the 5K, recording a time of 20:03.38 at the TCNJ Opener.
Awonusi's shot put finish at Yale is currently the league's best for the men. Junior Enrique Martinez (San Salvador, El Salvador / Barton CC) holds the MAAC's best weight throw performance at 17.63 meters.
Freshman David Lozipone (Massapequa Park, NY / Kellenberg Memorial) earned the MAAC's fastest mile time (4:22.55) at Yale, while senior Amir Khaghani (Bethesda, MD / Walt Whitman) posted the quickest 3K time at the same meet, hitting 8:33.64.
