Track and Field Teams Cap Busy Week at AIC's A-Day Meet

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – In the second of two meets across a three-day span this week, the University of Bridgeport's men's and women's track and field teams took part in AIC's A-Day Meet on Saturday in Springfield, Mass.

Men's Highlights
UB's throwing squad highlighted the Purple Knights on the men's side. Leading the way was Lucas Reinhardt, who delivered a standout performance in the discus with a fourth-place finish and a school-record toss of 39.50m, marking a new personal best.

Reinhardt also showcased his versatility by placing eighth in the hammer throw (33.25m) and ninth in the shot put (10.35m).

Jeremy Choi turned in an impressive day of his own, headlined by a third-place finish in the hammer throw with a mark of 38.50m. He also competed in the shot put, placing 16th with a throw of 9.20m.

Connor Israel added to the success of the throwing unit, recording a personal-best toss of 32.50m in the hammer throw to place ninth while also hitting a CACC qualifying standard. Israel competed in the shot put as well, finishing 17th with a mark of 8.91 meters.

On the track, the Purple Knights saw a number of strong performances across multiple events. Toby Middleton led the distance runners with a third-place finish in the 1500m, clocking in at 4:17.57.

Damian Coles also turned in a top-five performance, placing fifth in the 400m with a time of 53.66 seconds.

Tayshaun Bookal competed in both sprint events, finishing 14th in the 100m (11.90) and 17th in the 200m (24.82).

UB also found success in the hurdles and field events. Darreyle Simpson recorded a fourth-place finish in the 110-hurdles with a time of 18.69 seconds while also clearing 1.80 meters to place fifth in the high jump.

Alex Sanchez contributed a pair of strong efforts, finishing third in the 400-hurdles (59.94) and adding a fifth-place showing in the javelin with a throw of 39.31m.

In relay action, UB's 4 x 400 team of Edoardo Vandelli, Coles, Samuel Dundas, and Sunil Peters raced to a first-place finish with a winning time of 3:45.89.

Women's Highlights
Stephanie Lickteig led the way for the Purple Knights, capturing first place in the 1500m with a winning time of 5:42.01.

UB's distance group also shined in the 5000m, where Julia Fortune secured a runner-up finish with a time of 20:28.70, hitting a CACC qualifying standard in the process.

Marcela Banuelos followed closely behind, placing third with a personal-best time of 21:28.15 to give UB a pair of top-three finishers in the event.

In the field, Faith Hershberger delivered a strong performance in the pole vault, earning a second-place finish with a clearance of 2.45 meters, which also met CACC qualifying marks.

The Purple Knights saw success in the jumps as well, with Abety Kivagheni placing seventh in the long jump with a mark of 4.62 meters.

Monsio Davies added a pair of strong efforts, finishing eighth in the long jump (4.29m) while also placing fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 9.56 meters.

On the track, Suweba Jawula recorded a podium finish in the 400m, placing third with a time of 1:07.12.

Samantha Rodriguez also competed in the sprints, finishing 16th in the 200m with a time of 33.73 seconds.

Eileen Ogbuka rounded out the Purple Knights' performances in the field events, placing 16th in the shot put with a throw of 6.70 meters.

UP NEXT
The Purple Knights will compete one final time prior to the CACC Championships at next Saturday's Vassar Spring Invite in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.