Mackenzie Donahue's 5,000-meter time puts her In the running for a bid to Nationals

Women's Track & Field 2/24/2017 11:28:00 PM Lea Sobieraski, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Wildcat Women Finish Fifth At ECC Indoor Championships

Donahue Repeats As League Champ In Two Events

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Daemen College women's track and field team closed out its 2017 indoor season today, competing at the East Coast Conference Championship held at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. The Wildcats finished tied for fifth in team standings out of nine competing teams, compiling 63 points. Roberts Wesleyan accumulated 110 points to win the conference championship.

Daemen was paced by junior Mackenzie Donahue (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) who established two ECC Championship records and placed first in both the 3,000 meter run and the 5,000 meter run for the second consecutive year. Donahue posted a time of 10:10.71 in the 3,000 meters – eight seconds faster than the record she set in 2016 (10:18.72). The long-distance standout followed up with a time of 17:00.75 in the 5,000 meters, smashing her previous championship record of 17:30.18 and besting her school record of 17:15.05. Donahue's 5,000-meter mark ranks 11^th in the country, putting her in an excellent spot for a bid to the national meet. The official selections will be announced on Tuesday.

Teammate Amy Trabert (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst) finished in the top five in both the 3,000 meter and 5,000 meter runs alongside Donahue. The junior long-distance veteran placed third in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:45.55. Trabert also added a fifth place finish in the shorter distance event with a time of 10:48.81.

Sprinting sensation Tiffany Cycon (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) eclipsed her school record in the 200-meter dash once again this season. The sophomore sprinter finished seventh, crossing the finish line in 26.21 seconds. She also added a sixth place finish in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.03 seconds.

Also in the record setting mood today was sophomore Sam Carro (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua Acad.). Carro placed fifth in the 60-meter hurdles, besting her previous Daemen benchmark of 9.72 in both the prelims and finals. She ran her first heat in 9.61 seconds, and finishing the final event in 9.58 seconds.

Additional highlights during the track events included a sixth place showing from three different Wildcats. Senior Morgan Urbanek (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) ran the 1-mile in 5:38.56. First-year Shania LiVecchi finished the 1000-meter race in 3:12.05, and sophomore Sydney McDonough (Alfred Station, N.Y./Alfred-Almond Central) crossed the finished line in 1:20.78 in the 500-meter dash.

Daemen's distance medley team of Urbanek, Livecchi, Katherine Robinson (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena), and Brittany Denton (Oakfield, N.Y./Oakfield-Alabama) placed second, earning Daemen eight points, with a time of 13:02.63.

Sophomore Kyra Kress (Wayland, N.Y./Alfred-Almond Central) collected 12 points for performances on both the field and the track. Kress topped the competition in the pole vault, clearing 3.05 meters on her first attempt. Freshman Taylor Haude (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) was one of two athletes who also cleared 3.05 meters, however it was not on their first try and resulted in a two-way tie for second place. Kress also added a fifth place finish in the 500-meter dash in a time of 1:20.57,

Sophomore Rachel Roberson (Tonawanda, N.Y./Sweet Home) and first-year Jaila Payne (Buffalo, N.Y./ McKinley) also fared well during field events. Roberson placed fifth in the long jump (4.64 meters), while Payne finished ninth (4.44 meters).

Daemen resumes its 2017 season when the outdoor portion of the schedule gets underway with the Geneseo Early Spring Invitational on April 1st.

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen men's and women's track and field teams, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenTRACK on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

Sam Carro: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Tiffany Cycon: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Brittany Denton: 5' 3"; Junior

Mackenzie Donahue: 5' 2"; Senior

Kyra Kress: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Rachel Roberson: 5' 1"; Sophomore

Katherine Robinson: 5' 3"; Senior

Amy Trabert: 5' 3"; Junior

Morgan Urbanek: 5' 2"; Senior

Sydney McDonough: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Sam Carro
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Tiffany Cycon
: 5' 5"; Sophomore

Brittany Denton
: 5' 3"; Junior

Mackenzie Donahue
: 5' 2"; Senior

Kyra Kress
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Rachel Roberson
: 5' 1"; Sophomore

Katherine Robinson
: 5' 3"; Senior

Amy Trabert
: 5' 3"; Junior

Morgan Urbanek
: 5' 2"; Senior

Sydney McDonough
: 5' 5"; Sophomore