Wheaton track & field teams combine to record nine wins at Central Connecticut State Invitational

April 13, 2002

NEW BRITAIN, CT- The Wheaton College men's and women's track & field teams both had successful outings on Saturday, as the Lyons combined to record nine individual event championships at the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devil Invitational.

The Wheaton women were led by senior Niara Woods (Philadelphia, PA), who captured the 800-meter title in 2:19.46 in addition to running a leg on the winning 4x400-meter relay squad. The team finished with an NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time of 3:54.62. Woods was joined by sophomore Amber James (Woodbury, MN) and freshmen Tessa Donoghue (Springfield, MA) and April Butler (Clinton, MD). Donoghue was also victorious in the long jump at 17' 8 3/4". Senior Shimera Daniels (Brentwood, NY) rounded out the event winners in the triple jump, as she posted an automatic qualifying distance of 40' 1 1/4". Donoghue finished third at 37' 7 1/4", a mark good enough for a provisional standard.

First-year Erin O'Brien (North Easton, MA) and Woods paced the Lyons in middle distance running, as O'Brien shattered the school record in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:47.58. Following O'Brien's fifth-place finish was Woods, who placed seventh overall in 4:55.09. Rounding out the list of provisional qualifiers were juniors Kerry Teamey (Klamath Falls, OR) and Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA). Teamey placed third in the pole vault with a 10' 6" clearance, while Bromell also finished third in the shot put with a heave of 43' 8". Bromell placed sixth in the hammer throw.

Rounding out other strong performances was Daniels in the 100-meter dash, James in the 100 and 200M events, Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT) in the 200-meter dash, Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY) and Kim Spence (Dover, NH) in the 100 and 400-meter hurdles, Kate Getz (Cumberland, ME) in the 100-meter hurdles, high and long jump, Jen Sutyak (Scarborough, ME) in the pole vault and first-year Kirsten Larsen (Hampden, MA) in the javelin.

Leading the charge for the men was a pair of field athletes in senior Rahiem Greenridge (Wyandanch, NY) and first-year Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY). Greenridge and Olson registered NCAA national meet automatic qualifying marks in the triple and high jumps, respectively. Greenridge outdistanced all collegiate competitors with a mark of 48' 10 1/4" in the triple, while Olson posted his third straight high jump win with a height of 6' 11 1/2". Rounding out Wheaton's dominance in the jumps was senior Ray Smith (Providence, RI), who bested the field in the long jump at 22' 3 3/4".

On the track, the Lyons performed just as well, as sophomore Erik Benson (Southbury, CT) took the 200-meter dash in 22.71, while classmate Stan Pyle (S. Portland, ME) picked up a first-place triumph in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 15:12.26. Wheaton's 4x100-meter relay team also finished first with a time of 42.73. Other top-five marks came from Lance Wagner (Beverly, MA), Greenridge, Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT), Smith and Benson in the 100-meter dash, Wagner and Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ) in the 200M dash, Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY) in the 800-meter run, Noah Hill (Templeton, MA) in the 5,000-meter run, Alex DeJong (Hamilton, MA) in the hurdle events, Brannin Buehner (Lubec, ME) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, McClain in the long jump, Smith in the triple and Chris Wilbur (Weymouth, MA) in the javelin.

For complete results, go to http://www.nesportstime.com/results/Ccsu.htm.

Last updated on 4/15/02.
Send questions about this page to Scott Dietz or contact Wheaton College.

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