For the Red Storm track and field team, spring break means no rest as they travelled to Staten Island for day one of the BIG EAST Indoor Championships on Friday. They came out on top with second-place with a total of 150 team points.
“We had a great opening day led by the sweep in the weight throw, Anointing’s win in the long jump, and our second-third-fourth place finishes in the pentathlon. We advanced everyone through to the finals so tomorrow will be a great battle for the team championship. We will make an all out run to the top of the podium,” head coach Jim Hurt said.
All together on day one, the Johnnies had eight scoring finishes on day one with also a few first-place finishes. Sophomore’s Nyla Woods was one of the first-place winners in the weight throw along with Anointing Onuoha in the long jump. Wood’s partner in crime, senior Ann Dargin, came in second-place with a toss of 18.18 meters, as Wood’s first-place got her to a toss of 19.31 meters. St. John’s conquered the top three places as senior Patricia Clark who PR’d with a toss of 17.21 meters.
Sophomores Julia Schwan and Jasmine Burkett, along with freshmen Eboni Birch took the pentathlon by the storm by coming in second, third and fourth place. Schwan PR’d with a total of 3,226 in the 5-event race. Burkett also PR’d along with Birch and was the top 800-meter runner with a time of 2:17.43.
Sophmore Erica Graham also came in with a notable place alongside Woods and Onuoha in the field events. She finished 6th place with a mark of 5.30-meters.
Along with the events, four SJU runner’s made it in the finals of the 200-meter dash. Sophomores Maya Stephens and Pariis Garcia came in with a running time of 24.28 and 24.53 seconds. Then for fourth and fifth-place, Claire Mooney and Shenika King also qualified.
On day two, this past Saturday the athletes started off strong by finishing with the best team finish at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships since 1989. Garcia, Mooney, seniors Shenika King, and Raquel Ricketts ran the 4×400-meter relay, which then captured a third back to back championship title for SJU. Garcia also took back another championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 53.89 seconds.
Mooney also won her second individual BIG EAST championship title as she finished with a time of 1:10.90 in the 500-meter dash.
Stephens also placed second in the 60-meter and 200-meter dash. Not far behing her, Garcia finished third place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.35 seconds. As for the 60-meter hurdles, Chenoa Sebastian earned points as she came on top with 5th place in 8.94 seconds.
