NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams opened the 2010-11 season at the 2010 Yale Lidlifter Invitational Saturday afternoon at Cox Cage. Senior sprinter Shannon Gagne hit NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, while Kevin Downing and David Thomas led the men’s team with a pair of first place finishes.
David Thomas of the men’s team collected the first triumph of the meet, as he leaped for a distance of 7.05 meters in the long jump event. Ian Querze then took third place in the triple jump (12.46m) and was followed by another third place showing in the high jump (1.84m) by Matt Jeune.
In the running portion of the meet, Kevin Downing, Tevonne Hemmans and Thomas paced the Chargers. In the 21st event of the competition, Downing captured the gold in the 60m dash with a time of 6.93. Thomas closely followed his fellow teammate, crossing the finish line with a time of 6.97 and a second place decision. Hemmans collected the next triumph in the 800m dash with a time of 1:56.02 and the tandem of Downing and Thomas added another one-two finished in the 200m event. The duo completed the event in 22.26 and 22.33 respectively.
Shraya Manick kicked things off for the women’s team with first place finishes in the weight throw and the shot put events. She tossed a distance of 15.67m in the weight throw and a 12.18m in the shot put. Her distance in the shot put set a new mark in the New Haven record books, defeating Amy Bratt’s toss of 11.61m. Camille Charles and Brittany Bussiere also competed in the events, placing 11th and 12th in the weight throw and seventh and eighth in the shot put.
Shannon Gagne followed with her first of two victories on the afternoon. Gagne captured the gold in the 60m dash with a time of 7.66, while fellow teammate Ada Udaya followed closely for a second place finish (7.72). In the next event, Gagne won the 200m dash with a time of 24.71. Udaya also fared well with a seventh place showing in the event (26.38).
The Chargers return to action on Friday, December 10 with the Southern Connecticut State University Alumni Invitational. The meet will be held at Moore Field House in New Haven, Conn.
