Women's Track & Field Opens Indoor Campaign

Williams, Rice Pace Wildcats At Hamilton College Invitational

CLINTON, N.Y. - Thrower Toria Williams (Buffalo, N.Y./Medaille College) and distance runner Hannah Rice (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) came up with victories in a pair of events to lead the Daemen College women's indoor track and field team in their 2014-15 season debut today at the Hamilton College Invitational held at Scott Field House.

Williams, a sophomore, continued her fine career in the throwing circle for the Wildcats by winning the shot put with a long toss of 12.47 meters. That was good enough to best second-place Ashley Gadway of SUNY Plattsburgh by an entire meter.

Rice, also a sophomore, won the one-mile run with a time of 5:21.64. That time beat runner-up Haley Mooney of SUNY Plattsburgh by three seconds. Rice was joined as a top performer in the race by teammate Ashley Cheff (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Niagara Falls) who came in 10th place with a time of 5:58.49.

Daemen got additional top-10 finishes from Luz Mota (Bronx, N.Y./University Heights), Kailyn Szymanski (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport), Samantha Gardner (Wolcott, N.Y./North Rose-Wolcott), Stephanie Czaja (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda), Brooke Nolan (Depew, N.Y./Depew), Mackenzie Donahue (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora), Amy Trabert (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst) and Ashley Krol (Depew, N.Y./Depew).

The headliners of that group include Szymanski and Donahue who finished third and fourth in their respective events. Szymanski, a freshman, ran the 500-meter dash in 1:24.26 to pick up the proverbial bronze medal in the event during her collegiate debut. Donahue, meanwhile, picked up where she left off after the fall cross country season, finishing the 3000-meter run in 11:11.50, less than a second behind third-place Tina Bowers of Division I Colgate University.

Mota came in ninth place in the 60-meter dash with her time of 8.93 seconds. That came after qualifying for the race finals with a time of 8.87 seconds to snag the last qualifying spot from the race preliminaries.

Gardner and Czaja joned Szymanski in doing damage in the 500-meter dash. The duo finished eighth and ninth, respectively, with times of 1:33.38 and 1:33.98.

Nolan was a seventh-place finisher in the 1000-meter run with a time of 3:25.81. Her cross country teammate Trabert, a freshman, was likewise a seventh-place finisher in the 3000-meter run (11:28.89).

Rounding out the Wildcats' top performers today was Krol who finished in eighth place in the long jump with her leap of 4.46 meters which was less than a meter off the pace set by Alexandria Kober of The College at Brockport (5.12 meters).

Daemen returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 7 when they travel to The College At Brockport for the Golden Eagle Invite.

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Players Mentioned

Ashley Cheff: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Stephanie Czaja: 5' 1"; Senior

Mackenzie Donahue: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Ashley Krol: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Brooke Nolan: 5' 8"; Junior

Hannah Rice: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Toria Williams: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Amy Trabert: 5' 3"; Freshman

Luz Mota: 5' 4"; Freshman

Samantha Gardner: 5' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ashley Cheff
: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Stephanie Czaja
: 5' 1"; Senior

Mackenzie Donahue
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Ashley Krol
: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Brooke Nolan
: 5' 8"; Junior

Hannah Rice
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Toria Williams
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Amy Trabert
: 5' 3"; Freshman

Luz Mota
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Samantha Gardner
: 5' 2"; Freshman