WEST LONG BRANCH, NEW JERSEY---The St. Francis College men’s and women’s track and field teams had a strong showing in the 15th Annual MU Outdoor Season Opener, hosted by Monmouth University at Kessler Field on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday afternoon, senior Matthew Megerdichian (Queens, New York/Archbishop Molloy) opened up the season finishing in fourth place in the hammer throw event with a throw of 51.53 meters (169-01 ft).
The Terriers had an outstanding performance on Day 2 on the competition.
Senior Kiechen Smith (Brooklyn, New York/Transit Tech) set the tone for the afternoon as he broke the St. Francis Outdoor school record with a mark of 14.23 meters (46-08.25). His jump also sets a new Monmouth University Meet Record, which was previously set by Saint Peter’s College Krzystof Augustynowicz in 2002 with a mark of 14.16m.
His teammates, freshman Aboshioma Obemeata (New Rochelle, New York/Iona Prep) and senior Dean Brown (New York, New York/August Martin) took second and third, respectively. Obemeata, jumping in his first outdoor event, leaped 13.94 meters while Brown soared 13.47 meters to sweep the event.
Freshman Paul Gilhuley (Brooklyn, New York/Bishop Ford HS) took second place honors in the 3000m Steeplechase crossing the line in 9:46.13, while setting a new St. Francis school record. In the 4x400m Relay, the team of Anthony Morales (Queens, New York/Archbishop Molloy), Rafal Ksepka (Queens, New York/Grover Cleveland HS), Brian Nersten (Brooklyn, New York/Xaverian) and Joseph Gilhuley (Brooklyn, New York/Bishop Ford HS) finished in second place with a time of 3:29.62 while J.Gilhuley paved the way for the Terriers in the 1500m placing second with a time of 4:02.17.
Other notable performances from the men’s squad:
· Senior Daquan Massey (New York, NY/Fashion Industries HS) finished fourth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 55.28.
· In the 800m, Kspeka and Nersten finished second and third in the 800m run, posting times of 1:56.75 and 1:56.87.
On the women’s side, Freshman Jasmine Viera (Staten Island, NY/Curtis HS) ran in 800m and finished in 5th with a time of 2:23.40. Junior Jasmine Brown (New York, New York/AP Randolph) finished in the Top 10 of the women’s triple jump, soaring 10.60m (34-09.05).
The 1600 Sprint Medley squad consisting of senior Jasmine Murdock-Hicks (Brooklyn, New York/Bishop Loughlin), junior Atoya Webb (Queens, New York/Jamaica HS), Viera and sophomore Alexandra Delacruz (Brooklyn, New York/Bishop Ford HS) placed in fifth with a time of 4:33.24.
Both squads are scheduled to compete in Raleigh, North Carolina for the Raleigh Relays, hosted by Duke University on April 2 and 3.