New Haven, CT - Manhattan track and field earned six first-place finishes at the Yale Season Opener on Saturday, December 8, taking home wins in four track events and two in field competition.
Highlights:
- The Jaspers swept 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. Awonusi performed a 17.78-meter throw, a new personal best. Padedze also hit a personal best, reaching 14.81 meters for her win.
- Ryan Addlesberger (Cinnaminson, NJ / Cinnaminson) nabbed second in the men's shot with a distance of 16.48 meters, while teammate Eric Waugh (Wheatley Heights, NY / Half Hollow Hills West) took third, reaching 16.46 meters. Alexandra Preckajlo (Ocean, NY / St. Rose) earned second in the women's shot, hitting 13.62 meters and qualifying for the ECAC Championships.
- Freshman Hali Ielfield (Glenfield, NY / South Lewis Central) won the women's mile race, her first collegiate indoor victory. Competing in the race for the first time this season, Ielfield recorded a time of 5:06.20.
- Amahri Boyce won the women's 200-meter race with a time of 25.39, also her first collegiate victory. Boyce placed second in the 60-meter dash, setting a personal best time of 7.8.
- Freshman David Lozipone (Massapequa Park, NY / Kellenberg Memorial) rounded out the trifecta of freshman wins on Saturday, taking the men's mile in a time of 4:22.55. Classmate Ryan Tierney (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) followed just behind at 4:24.10, good for second place.
- Sophomore Will Salmon III (Baldwin, NY / Baldwin) took first in the men's 800-meter race, recording 1:56.48.
- Earning a second-place finish in the men's weight throw, Enrique Martinez recorded a IC4A mark of 17.59 meters, Will Stallings (Sleepy Hollow, NY / Sleepy Hollow) also nabbed a second-place finish, this time in the men's 400-meters, by finishing in an IC4A-qualifying time of 48.69.
- In the women's 500-meter race, sophomore Zarah Harris (Montgomery, NY / Valley Central) qualified for the ECAC Championships with a time of 1:15.45, good for a second place finish.
- Dominyka Leskauskaite earned second in the women's triple jump, qualifying for ECACs with a distance of 11.76 meters.
Up Next:
Manhattan will enjoy a month-long hiatus before returning to competition on January 11 at Fordham's Brian Horowitz Invite. The next day, the Jaspers head back to The Armory for the TCNJ Invitational.
