Princeton, N.J. – The UMBC track and field squad brought home multiple top-five finishes this weekend in the Sam Howell Invitational, hosted by Princeton University.
The women led the way for the Retrievers, after sophomores Bridgett Redding and Briana Roberts took first and second in the 800m, finishing with times of 2:18.19 and 2:19.50. Senior Funmi Daramola also earned second place in the 400m, running a time of 57.41, while junior Amani Wallace took sixth in the same event with a time of 57.84. Daramola also took seventh in the 200m with a time of 25.11.
Wallace, along with Collese Daley, Erin Patrice, and Kara Patrice took third place in the 4x100m with a time of 47.17. Both Erin and Kara also earned top ten finishes in the 100m, with Erin taking sixth (12.45), and Kara taking eighth (12.54). Yinka Alabi took tenth with a time of 12.72.
In long distance, junior Kelsey Ponton took home fifth in the 5,000m event with a time of 17:48.62. This time was a personal best for Ponton. In the field, senior Ricca Graham also earned a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw with a distance of 41.94m. Her distance places her ninth in UMBC history.
On the men's side, senior Tony White continued his strong start in the javelin throw, this time taking first place with a distance of 65.47m. Also in the field, fellow senior Russell Bowman took third in the shot put, throwing 16.67m, which was good for third all-time in UMBC history, while classmate Musangu Bukasa jumped a distance of 12.90m to take fourth.
Andrew Haberman threw the tenth best hammer throw in school history with a distance of 49.51m.
On the track, freshman Erik Jenks took second in the 800m with a time of 1:58.97, while Taylor Baranoski set a personal record with a time of 1:54.61, which included a negative split of 57.3/57.2. Junior Kyle Kulp also took second in the 400m hurdles, crossing the line in 59.60. Senior Samuel Enomanna placed sixth in the same event with a time of 1:00.41.
Sophomore Brian Nelson and junior Nathan Nadal each earned a third-place finish in the 200m and 5,000m, respectively. Nelson ran a time of 22.16, and Nadal ran a time of 15:09.21, a personal best for the junior. Also in the 5,000m, sophomore Matt Bennett took sixth with a time of 15:23.26. Nelson also took sixth in the 400m with a time of 49.80.
In long distance, junior Matt Kingeter ran a time of 31:10.10 in the 10,000m to take tenth, and to move into fifth all-time in school history. Elijah Hawkins ran the tenth fastest time in program history with a time of 31:44.66.
The Retrievers travel to Virginia next weekend, when they take part in the Mason Spring Invitational next Saturday.
