This past weekend, the Men’s and Women’s track and field teams traveled to Boston, Mass. for the long-awaited conference championship meet. Multiple first-place medals were obtained by the blue and gold, showcasing the hard work and dedication put in by the Chargers this outdoor season.
Clinching the first gold medal of the meet was senior Kenneth Holland in the long jump. Holland was ranked third overall in the conference entering the meet with a seeded mark of 6.71 meters. Opening with a jump of 6.27 meters, Holland improved his mark on each of his next four jumps. Ahead of his final jump, Holland needed a mark above seven meters to jump into the top three. Completing this task with a final mark of 7.11 meters, Holland took first place and brought home a gold medal for New Haven. Holland’s mark was just 0.02 meters shy of the NCAA provisional mark. In the event, five other Chargers followed behind Holland and scored points in the event.
Continuing the success in the field was freshman Jimmy Oreste, who claimed the first silver medal of the meet for the blue and gold. Oreste placed second overall in the weight throw, finishing with a mark of 17.42 meters.
Claiming the second gold medal of the meet was senior Jordany Dely in the 60-meter hurdles. Entering the competition in the first seed, Dely dominated the event and crossed with a winning time of 8.14 seconds.
Sprinter Joshua Stewart took home a bronze medal for the Chargers in the 60-meter dash after climbing up the leader board from seventh place in the qualifying round. Crossing with a time of 7.09 seconds in the preliminary round, Stewart shaved off .08 to finish with a time of 7.01, placing third overall. Close behind Stewart was teammate Jason Lorent, who finished fourth in the event.
Taking home another silver medal for the Chargers was the men’s 4×400 meter relay team. The team included Dely, Nathaniel Peters, Nile Colson and Christopher Gregory, who worked together to cross with a time of 3:20.30.
The men’s team dominated the Triple Jump event on Saturday, earning the top five spots. Matthew Steele took home the gold for the Chargers with a jump of 14.20 meters. Following close behind Steele and earning second place was Jackson Marescot, who landed a mark of 14.16 meters. Holland earned the bronze medal in the event with teammates Jacky Marescot following in fourth place and Dely coming in fifth. Additionally, Luis Calderon finished seventh in the event.
The success was not limited to the men’s side, as many female Chargers also earned points and medals for the blue and gold. Thrower Jalynn McCown claimed the first medal of the meet for the women’s team in the weight throw. McCown claimed second place in the event with a mark of 14.75 meters.
Also taking home a silver medal was the women’s 4×400 meter relay team. The team was made up of Niquelle Johnson, Deja Harris, Micaela Owen and Kalaya Fitch, who placed New Haven in second with a time of 4:03.82.
Gabrielle Teel took home a gold medal, placing first in the Triple Jump with a mark of 12.20 meters.
Overall, the Chargers dominated the NE-10 championships. The men’s team finished with three gold medals, three silver and two bronze, scoring 152.50 points as a team and clinching second place in the conference. On the women’s side, New Haven earned three medals, one gold and two silvers. They scored 70.75 points overall and finished fourth overall in the championships. Collectively, the Chargers took home an impressive 11 medals.
The season is not yet over for the track and field teams. The blue and gold will return to the track this week and compete at the SCSU Last Chance Meet on Friday, Feb. 23. For more information, please visit NewHavenChargers.com.