HOUGHTON, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's track and field team made its long awaited 2020-21 debut by taking part in the Houghton Invitational this afternoon. The event was hosted by Houghton College at the Kerr-Pegula Field House.

It marked Daemen's first activity since Feb. 22, 2020 when the Wildcats took part in the East Coast Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. The entire 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Redshirt junior Kassandra Nolet (Fort Erie, Ontario) paced the Wildcats with two top-five finishes.

HIGHLIGHTS

• • Nolet turned in strong efforts in both the mile run and the 3,000 meter run. She placed second out of 14 runners in the mile with a personal-best time of 5:28.75. She eclipsed her previous best time of 5:30.73 that she posted at the Houghton Highland Invitational last year. Nolet later turned in a third-place effort with a time of 11:01.37 in the 3,000 meters.
  • Junior Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.) also took part in both the mile run and the 3,000 meters. She placed ninth in the mile with a person-best time of 5:50.28 and finished seventh in the 3,000 meters with a time of 11:44.69. Sophomore Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) competed in the mile run for the first time in her career and placed fifth with a time of 5:42.63.
  • Daemen had two top-five finishers in the 400 meters, as junior Amanda Bushway (East Aurora, N.Y.) placed third out of 11 runners with a time of 1:04.93, while redshirt sophomore Emily Shea (East Amherst, N.Y.) placed fourth with a person-best time of 1:05.01.
  • Freshman Alyssa Harrington (Tonawanda, N.Y.) had a solid collegiate debut in the 60 meter dash, as she qualified for the final with a run of 8.58 and then placed sixth in the finals with a time of 8:57. Senior Danielle Juby (Ilion, N.Y.) also took part in the 60 meter dash and posted a time of 8.86 in the qualifying round.
  • Redshirt sophomore Natalie Menz (Lyndonville, N.Y.) posted a personal-best time of 10.71 during the 60 meter hurdles qualifying run, and then placed seventh in the finals with a time of 10.72.
  • Bushway, Merrill, Shea and redshirt junior Alexis Villarrubia (Rochester, N.Y.) represented Daemen in the 4x400 relay and finished fourth with a time of 4:33.74.
  • Daemen had four competitors in the long jump, and three of them finished in the top ten. Harrington placed 6th (4.67 meters), while Juby placed eighth (4.56) and Menz finished 10th (4.42). Villarrubia rounded out the group with a 15th place showing (4.23).
  • Graduate student Taylor Haude (Rochester, N.Y.) posted a second-place showing in the pole vault (3.05 meters), while Harrington completed her busy day with a second-place showing in the triple jump (10.35 meters).
  • Sophomore Skye Dorcely (Buffalo, N.Y.) took part in both the shot put and the weight throw. She placed eighth in the shot put (9.68 meters) and finished 14th in the weight throw with a personal-best throw of 9.65 meters.

UP NEXT
Daemen is now idle until it opens the 2021 Outdoor Track & Field season. Details of the outdoor season are forthcoming.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen
Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.