Men's Track & Field 1/11/2008 5:00:00 AM MEAC Media Relations

UMES Women Take 3rd Men Take 2nd At Fordham Invite

Both the men and the women’s indoor track and field teams had impressive showings this past weekend at the Fordham Invitational held at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City. The women took third place as a team while the men tied for second, both competing in 14 team fields.

On the men’s side UMES totaled an impressive 77 points, second to only Manhattan. They tied with LaSalle and topped Holy Cross, Long Island, Iona, host Fordham, St. Peter’s Fairleigh Dickinson and Monmouth to round out the top ten.

The Fighting Hawks did it with speed as three Hawks placed in the 400-meter dash. Paul Jones-Burden took second with a time of 49.33, Dexter Miller was fourth with a time of 49.89 and Corey Alexander took ninth with a time of 50.43. Thomas Keane-Dawes took sixth place in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.99 while senior William McCullough was second in the 500 meter dash with a time of 1:04.92.

In the distance events Amon Kiprotich was fifth in the mile run posting at time of 4:29.05 and took fourth in the 3000-meter run with a 8:59.89. Clayton James got a win for UMES in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.54 while Peter Sang took third in the 5000 meter run in a time of 15:33.38.

In the 60-meter hurdles Jamahl Strachan took a ninth place finish with a time of 9.72 while the team of Miler, Jones-Burden, Alexander and James won the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:17.88.

In field events UMES took second and third in the high jump with James Moore taking second with a height of 1.99 meters and Strachan took third with the same height on a judge’s decision. Strachan also took fifth in the long jump with a jump of 6.41 meters.

On the women’s side speed again secured the win. UMES posted 89.50 points third place behind Princeton and Rutgers. They topped Manhattan, Long Island, Fordham, Holy Cross, La Salle, Marist and Fairleigh Dickinson in the top ten.

Reigning MEAC Performer of the Week, Tanisha Wisdom, won both of her events. She took first in the 200-meter dash with at time of 24.57 and in the 400-meter dash, posting a time of 55.55.

Also winning was Merrecia James who won the one mile run in a time of 5:05.19 and Celia Whyte who won in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:16.21

Helping the cause was Sherie Brown who took fifth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 8.01 and a fifth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.86. In the 400-meter dash Danai Lendor picked up three points with a sixth place crossing in 59.10 seconds.

Tamica Thomas took fifth in the 3000-meter run with a time of 10:18.28 while Danielle Spencer scored in the 500-meter dash with a eighth place finish with a time of 1:21.99.

As a group the 4x400 meter relay team of Brown, James, Whyte and Wisdom dominated the event, posting a 3:50.34, finishing more than five seconds above the second place team of Princeton.

In the field categories Rashida Beckford took home a third place finish with a high jump of 1.60 meters, tying the second place finisher but taking third on the judges ruling. Cori Otey took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 4.76 meters while the women’s shot put was dominated by UMES with throws by Saisha Woodward, Soledad Maurice and Tiona Long. Respectively they finished second, fourth and fifth with throws of 13.33 meters, 12.19 meters and 12.02 meters.