Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's and Women's Track & Field program continued to shine bright both on the track and in field events on Friday and Saturday at the Marist University Red Fox River Rumble.
The men’s squad delivered a strong showing, highlighted by multiple event victories and podium sweeps across track and field events.
On the track, Leelan Maxwell led the way in the 100-meter dash, capturing first place in 10.87. In the 200 meters, Darwin Almonte sprinted to victory in 21.61. Almonte doubled back in dominant fashion in the 110-meter hurdles, winning in 14.58, followed closely by teammate Justus Behne, who secured second in 15.21.
In relay action, the quartet of Maurice Douglas, Leelan Maxwell, Justus Behne, and Darwin Almonte combined for a third-place finish in the 4x100-meter relay (41.87), marking one of the team’s top finishes on the track.
In the field events, Francesco Stratico claimed gold in the high jump with a clearance of 1.80m, while Kim Wingren added a third-place finish. The jumps squad continued its success in the horizontal events, as Brian Appiah (2nd) and Egill Atlason Waagfjoro (3rd) both reached the podium in the long jump. Stratico also added a second-place finish in the triple jump, with Appiah taking third.
The throws group was particularly dominant. Gavin Kopf (2nd) and Seamus Gallagher (3rd) secured podium finishes in the shot put. Kopf went on to win the discus with a throw of 42.31m, followed by Chauncey Lapointe in second. In the hammer throw, Christopher Cajamarca led a 1-2-3 sweep with a winning mark of 47.76m, just ahead of Kopf (2nd) and Gallagher (3rd).
The team capped off its field success in the javelin, sweeping the podium as Charles Hurd (1st), William Whitton (2nd), and Danny Lu (3rd) finished one-two-three.
The women’s team also made the most of its top performances, highlighted by dominant efforts in the throwing events.
Victoria Maher led the way with an outstanding double victory, capturing first place in both the discus (40.47m) and hammer throw (49.95m). Her sweep of the two events marked the team’s top achievement of the meet and showcased her strength across multiple disciplines.
Maher’s performances accounted for the team’s only top-three finishes on the day, as the rest of the squad competed hard across track and field events.
The Spartans next compete at the prestigious Penn Relays on April 23-25 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Top 10 Finishers (By Event) at Marist University Red Fox River Rumble
Men's Events
100 Meter Dash: Leelan Maxwell - 10.87 (1st Place), Maurice Douglas - 11.23 (9th Place), Egill Atlason Waagfjoro - 11.30 (10th Place)
200 Meter Dash: Darwin Almonte - 21.61 (1st Place), Leelan Maxwell - 21.88 (5th Place), Justus Behne - 22.24 (10th Place)
800 Meter Run: Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez - 1:56.18 (5th Place)
110 Meter Hurdles: Darwin Almonte - 14.58 (1st Place), Justus Behne - 15.21 (2nd Place), Pedro Mulero Martinez - 17.26 (5th), Jude Petersen - 18.35 (6th Place)
400 Meter Hurdles: Pedro Mulero Martinez - 59.63 (8th Place), Jude Petersen - 1:06.75 (10th Place)
4x100 Meter Relay: Maurice Douglas, Leelan Maxwell, Justus Behne & Darwin Almonte - 41.87 (3rd Place), Carl Auguste, Aaron Cruz, Stephane Desert & Egill Atlason Waagfjoro - 44.25 (5th Place)
4x400 Meter Relay: Aaron Cruz, Stephane Desert, Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez & Colin Graham - 3:34.00 (4th Place), Danny Lu, Jude Petersen, William Whitton & Pedro Mulero Martinez - 3:49.86 (6th Place)
High Jump: Francesco Stratico - 1.80m/5'10.75" (1st Place), Kim Wingren - 1.75m/5'8.75" (3rd Place), Pedro Mulero Martinez -1.65m/5'5" (4th Place), Ryan Folmer - 1.55m/5'1" (5th Place), Justus Behne - 1.55m/5'1" (5th Place)
Long Jump: Brian Appiah - 6.70m/21'11.75" (2nd Place), Egill Atlason Waagfjoro - 6.55m/21'6" (3rd Place), Kim Wingren - 6.20m/20'4.25" (6th Place), Leelan Maxwell - 6.16m/20'2.5" (8th Place), Ryan Folmer - 6.02m/19'9" (9th Place), Pedro Mulero Martinez - 5.73m/18'8.75" (10th Place)
Triple Jump: Francesco Stratico - 14.19m/46'6.75" (2nd Place), Brian Appiah - 13.58m/44'6.75" (3rd Place), Kim Wingren - 13.24m/43'5.25" (4th Place)
Shot Put: Gavin Kopf - 13.67m/44'10.25" (2nd Place), Seamus Gallagher - 13.57m/44'6.25" (3rd Place), Jayviel Martinez - 10.75m/35'3.25" (5th Place)
Discus: Gavin Kopf - 42.31m/138'10" (1st Place), Chauncey Lapointe - 39.01m/128'0" (2nd Place), Charles Hurd - 36.00m/118'1" (4th Place), Seamus Gallagher - 33.27m/109'2" (5th Place), Jayviel Martinez - 31.19m/102'4" (7th Place), Christopher Cajamarca - 28.65m/94'0" (8th Place)
Hammer Throw: Christopher Cajamarca - 47.76m/156'8" (1st Place), Gavin Kopf - 47.61m/156'2" (2nd Place), Seamus Gallagher - 29.46m/96'8" (3rd Place), Jayviel Martinez - 27.74m/91'0" (4th Place)
Javelin: Charles Hurd - 46.87m/153'9" (1st Place), William Whitton - 40.72m/133'7" (2nd Place), Danny Lu - 38.66m/126'10" (3rd Place), Ian Forsyth - 30.90m/101'4" (4th Place), Luke Skardinski - 27.59m/90'6" (5th Place)
Women's Events
100 Meter Dash: Aalianne Gilbert -12.92 (7th Place), Yulessa Johnson - 12.96 (8th Place)
200 Meter Dash: Yulessa Johnson - 26.52 (8th Place)
4x400 Meter Relay: Aalianne Gilbert, Yulessa Johnson, Ciara Doyle & Sophonie Michel - 4:27.41 (6th Place)
Shot Put: Dayne Jimenez - 8.71m/28'7" (8th Place)
Discus: Victoria Maher - 40.47m/132'9" (1st Place), Dayna Jimenez - 27.99m/91'10" (10th Place)
Hammer Throw: Victoria Maher - 49.95m/163'10" (1st Place), Dayna Jimenez - 32.82m/107'8" (5th Place)
Javelin: Kristen Kennedy - 29.45m/96'7" (5th Place)