Lady Crusaders Win Fifth Straight SSAC Indoor Track Title
The Lady Crusaders claimed the SSAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Championship for the fifth straight year, continuing their dominance in the conference, school officials said Tuesday. The men’s team finished as runners-up for the second consecutive season, officials added.
Day one saw strong performances from the women, with Kerrishma Williams winning the long jump with a mark of 5.92 meters. Tyeese Smith was second at 5.82 meters, and Zaniyah Wilson placed sixth. Wilson then won the high jump, clearing 1.62 meters, while Williams finished second at 1.57 meters.
On the track, Maria Schroeder and Jennifer Ezeoha finished third and fourth in the 400 meters with times of 57.66 and 58.04 seconds. The Crusaders dominated the 5,000-meter race, placing four runners in the top five. Kristina Stojanovic led with a winning time of 19 minutes, 14 seconds. Virginia Tirado was third at 19:56, and Hannah Mitchell and Sydney Moudy finished fourth and fifth with times of 20:11.05 and 20:11.09.
Stojanovic also finished second in the 800 meters in 2:13. Maria Tirado placed third, while Smith and Ja’Niya McDonald added third- and fourth-place finishes in the 200 meters. The day concluded with the Lady Crusaders winning the distance medley relay in 13:39, with Mitchell, Tirado, Latimer, and Pierce on the team.
Day two saw Williams finish second in the triple jump at 11.35 meters. Natalee Dillon added a sixth-place finish. Smith continued her success, winning the 60-meter dash in 7.42 seconds. McDonald was just off the podium in 7.68 seconds. Schroeder finished second in the 600 meters in 1:38, with Tirado placing fourth in 1:39.
Stojanovic earned her second podium finish, second place in the 1,000 meters. Macy Robertson finished sixth. The Lady Crusaders swept the top four spots in the one-mile run, with Stojanovic winning in 5:31. Mitchell was second, Tirado third, and Moudy fifth. In the 3,000 meters, Mitchell won in 11:12, Moudy was second in 11:15, and Tirado finished fourth in 11:17.
In relay events, Ezeoha, Pierce, McDonald, and Schroeder finished second in the 4×400 meters with a time of 3:52. The team of Robertson, Moudy, Latimer, and Williams placed second in the 4×800 meters to cap the women’s championship. On the men’s side, the team opened with a dominant performance in the long jump, claiming three of the top four spots. Romaine Lewis jumped 7.14 meters to win, with Avery Abram second at 6.92 meters.
Jovel Madourie won the 400 meters in 48.07 seconds. Matthew McGuire took first in the 5,000 meters in 15:14. Santiago Vazquez and Luke Skinner finished fourth and fifth in the 800 meters. The Crusaders also placed three in the top five in the 200 meters, led by Jaylyn Session in 21.25 seconds.
The meet concluded with the team finishing fourth in the 4×800 meters relay. Both squads are set to compete at the NAIA National Championships March 5-7 at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center in Gainesville, Florida, officials said.
Source: Original Article
