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Distance Runners Pace Wildcats At Outdoor Season Opener

4/2/2022 7:32:00 PM

By: By Tom McDermott

GENESEO, N.Y. - The Daemen University women's track and field team opened its 2022 outdoor season today by taking part in the Geneseo Early Season Invitational. The event took place on the campus of SUNY Geneseo.

A strong showing in the 1,500 meter run highlighted the afternoon for the Wildcats, as six Daemen runners placed among the top-20 finishers. Daemen also had three top-20 finishers in the 800 meter run and two top-20 finishers in the 100 meter dash. Junior Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.), graduate student Kassandra Nolet (Fort Erie, Ont.) and senior Hannah Thomas (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) all posted top-20 efforts in two events today.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Merrill ran the 1,500 meters for just the second time in her career and placed sixth out of 46 runners with a time of 4:50.23—which ranks as the third fastest time by a Daemen runner in the 1,500 meters in program history. Merrill came just three seconds shy of breaking the program record of 4:48.52 set by Mackenzie Donahue at the 2016 Westminster Invitational. Merrill also ran the 800 meters for the first time in her career and placed 16th out of 71 runners with a time of 2:27.47.
  • Nolet finished just behind Merrill in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:52.64—which ranks as the seventh fastest time in the 1,500 meters in program history. Nolet also owns the sixth fastest time in program history (4:52.15), which she set at the Redhawks Capstone Meet last spring. Nolet capped her day with by placing first among Daemen runners and 12th out of 72 runners overall with a personal best time of 2:26.46—eclipsing her previous best time of 2:40.75 that she posted at the University at Buffalo Mid-Week Invite last spring.
  • Thomas placed 12th in the 1,500 meters and 20th in the 800 meters. Her time of 4:58.63 in the 1,500 was a personal best effort—eclipsing her previous best time 5:18.20 that she posted at the University at Buffalo Invitational last spring. She posted a time of 2:29.45 in the 800—which ranks as a personal best time in the 800 at an outdoor meet and just three seconds shy of her overall personal best time in the 800 (2:26.42) that she posted during this year's indoor season.
  • Freshman Marcy Colca (Getzville, N.Y.) made her outdoor debut today following an outstanding indoor season. She took part in the 1,500 meters for the first time in her brief career and placed 13th out of 46 runners with a time of 4:58.83.
  • Daemen had eight entrants in the 1,500 meters. Sophomore Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) placed 17th with a personal best time of 5:01.38. She also posted a personal best time in the 800 meters and placed 27th out of 71 runners with a time of 2:34.14. Freshman Emma Cain (Lockport, N.Y.) ran the 1,500 meters for the first time and placed 18th (5:01.62). Senior Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.) placed 31st with a personal best time (5:13.67), while sophomore Haley Hinds (Blossvale, N.Y.) also posted a personal best time and placed 39th (5:20.05).
  • Senior Nazjahe Boswell (Rochester, N.Y.) took part in the 100 and 200 meter dash and was the top Daemen runner in each event. She placed 17th overall in the 100 meter dash (13:47) and placed 21st in the 200 meters (28.26).
  • Sophomore Neissa Raymond (Brooklyn, N.Y.) competed in both the 200 and 400 meters. She was the top Daemen finisher and placed 24th out of 37 runners in the 400 meters with a personal best time of 1:06.86.
  • Sophomore Alyssa Harrington (Tonawanda, N.Y.) took part in the 100 meter dash and the triple jump. She placed 19th in the 100 meters with a personal best time (13:57) and finished 15th out of 25 in the triple jump with a leap of 10.05 meters.
  • Sophomore Paige Pavelski (East Aurora, N.Y.), graduate student Betty Jones (Camillus, N.Y.) and freshman Elizabeth Bentley (Belmont, N.Y.) took part in the shot put. Pavelski placed 18th out of 41 entrants with a toss of 9.99 meters, while Jones (9.35 meters) and Bentley (8.18 meters) placed 23rd and 28th respectively.
  • Daemen's 4x100 relay team of Harrington, Boswell, freshman Alyssa Amirato (Depew, N.Y.), graduate student Alexis Villarrubia (Rochester, N.Y.) placed fifth out of eight teams with a time of 53.91.
  • Daemen's 4x400 relay team of Raymond, Hinds, Cain and senior Monahe Marchione (Buffalo, N.Y.) placed fourth out of six teams with a time of 4:47.67.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats return to action next weekend (April 9) when they travel across town to take part in the University at Buffalo Spring Opener.


Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

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