BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Monmouth men’s and women’s track and field both claimed first place at the Angry Birds Invitational at Lehigh University on Saturday, with the men posting 179 points and the women scoring 143 on the day.
“It was great to win a scored meet against three very good programs from three different conferences,” said Head Coach Joe Compagni. “This was definitely a step forward for us in most areas.”
The MU women scored 143 points, defeating Lehigh by seven points and Penn by 12. St. Joe’s finished fourth on the women’s side with 112 points. The men notched 179 points, topping Penn (132), Lehigh (130), and St. Joe’s (93).
For the men, the top three finishers in the 60 meter dash were all Hawks, as freshman Bryan Sosoo (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) won the event in 6.90 seconds, trailed narrowly by teammates Eric Kahana (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) at 6.92 and Ahmier Dupree (Lakewood, N.J./Lakewood/Montclair State) at 7.10. Kahana also won the 200 by a slim margin, finishing in 22.49 seconds. Sosoo qualified for IC4A’s in the 60, while Kahana qualified in both the 60 and 200. Senior Ben Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) finished second in the 400 with a time of 49.25 seconds, and classmate Andrew Langille (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada/R.S. McLaughlin C.V.I.) won the 800 at 1:55.16, an IC4A qualifying time. Dylan Capwell (Hopatcong, N.J./Hopatcong), last week’s MAAC Track Performer of the Week, won the mile in 4:14.72, with Alex Leight finishing just behind him. Both Leight and Capwell qualified for IC4A’s. Freshman Benjamin Dillon (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) captured first in the 5000m run with a time of 15:04.89.
The first four competitors to cross in the 60m hurdles were all Hawks, with Jalen Walker (Burlington, N.J./BCIT/Burlington Township) winning in 8.10 seconds. Geordan Ferguson (Lakehurst, N.J./Manchester Township) was .11 back of that pace, with Stephen Adkisson (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) and Tyrell Gibbs (Newark, N.J./Union Catholic) taking third and fourth. The MU 4×400 was third, with Capwell, Boyd, Ferguson and John Malespina (Park Ridge, N.J./Park Ridge) making up the group. The DMR belonged to Monmouth, finishing first in 10:27.59 behind the quartet of Alex Leight (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge), Jack Grace (Chester, N.Y./Warwick Valley), Langille and Capwell.
Daniel Jefferson (Mays Landing, N.J./Oakcrest) and Erik Anderson (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) took fourth and fifth in the high jump, while Tyler Poland (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) went 14’ 5¼” to claim second in the pole vault. Malcolm Chavis (Landing, N.J./Roxbury) went 22’ 8” in the long jump to finish second, and Joey Marini (Lincoln Park, N.J./Boonton) took the same spot in the triple jump. Taylor Bernstein (Pine Brook, N.J./Montville Township) and Tevin Kirby-Stewart (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) took first and third respectively in the shot put at 54’ 5.50” and 53’ 3.75”. Bernstein improved his IC4A mark with that throw, and Kirby-Stewart’s toss marked his qualifying throw. Bernstein also took third in the weight throw, edged by teammate Spencer Dimock (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) who was second at 56’ 2”. Both weight throw marks were good for IC4A qualifying.
The women’s 60m dash saw Kim McKinnon (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) place fourth. Antoinette Isekenegbe (Vineland, N.J./Vineland) was third in the 400 at 59.99 seconds, and Tionna Garner (Trenton, N.J./Trenton Catholic Academy) and Danielle Leavitt (Forked River, N.J./Lacey Township) paced the Blue and White in the 800 at 2:17.59 and 2:19.35. Jenna Cupp (Newark Valley, N.Y./Newark Valley) led MU with a fourth place mile finish, with Molly McKeon (Royersford, Pa./Pope John Paul II) taking third in the 3000. Mel Lewis (Midland Park, N.J./Midland Park) finished third in the 60m hurdles, and the Monmouth group of Allie Wilson (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven), Garner, Leavitt and Cupp won the DMR at 12:13.41, an ECAC qualifying time. Lauren McDonald (Roseland, N.J./West Essex Regional) won the pole vault to qualify for ECAC’s, vaulting 11’ 9.75”, with Casey Sturts (Dorothy, N.J./Buena Regional) taking third. Taylor Johnson (Woolwich, N.J./Kingsway Regional) was second in the shot put with a mark of 41’ 3.25”, and Alicia Hester (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) took fourth in the shot. Johnson also won the weight throw with a toss of 51’ 1”.
The teams return to action next weekend, with the Metro Team Challenge at the New York Armory on Friday and the Tiger Open at Princeton University on Saturday.
