Men's Indoor Track & Field 2/6/2025 11:05:00 AM

Indoor Track & Field teams put forth sensational effort at Bison Open & Multi / Deschriver Invitational this past weekend

The Medgar Evers College men's and women's indoor track and field teams put forth sensational performances this past weekend while competing at the Bison Open & Multi (hosted by Bucknell University on 1/31 and 2/1) and the DeSchiver Invitational (hosted at East Stroudsburg University on 2/2).The Cougars set personal records, qualified for CUNYAC championship events, shattered long-standing school records, and climbed both conference and national rankings.

Quote from Coach Reid:

"I'm thrilled about our record-breaking weekend, which showcased exceptional performances at both the Bucknell Open & Multi and the Deschriver Invitational. Over three days of intense competition in Pennsylvania, we went up against some of the top Division I, II, and III programs in the Northeast. It was an exciting challenge for our program, and our athletes rose to the occasion.

As a small DIII school, we often find ourselves having to prove that we can compete with Track & Field powerhouses. This weekend, we did just that—we showed that we belong on the biggest stages of collegiate sports. The team delivered outstanding performances, setting multiple school records, achieving personal bests, and qualifying numerous athletes for the CUNYAC and AARTFC championships. From dominant sprint performances to impressive showings in jumps, throws, and relays, our Cougars demonstrated their strength across the board.

I'm especially proud of the eight school records we broke—Men's 4x400m Relay, Men's Heptathlon, Women's Pentathlon, Men's Pole Vault, Women's 60m, Women's 55m, Men's 500m, and Women's 60mH. Many of these records had stood for over 11 years, making this achievement even more remarkable.

As we continue to build momentum, our team is more determined than ever to compete for conference titles and national rankings. This weekend reinforced our resolve, and we're excited for what lies ahead."

Top Performances from the Cougars:

Jahiem Johnson posted a time of 7.23 seconds in the 60 meter dash at the Bison Open and Multi Friday. He also competed in the 200, posting a time of 22.85 seconds (22.45 converted) and set an MEC school record in the 500 (1:09.13, 1:08.07 converted). The standout was also a member of the 4x400 relay that placed seventh with a school-record time of 3:31.90.  At the DeSchriver Invitational this past Saturday, he placed fourth in the 55-meter dash (6.70 seconds) and was sixth in the 400 (converted 52.17).

Chrisnel Nicolas compiled 3,572 points in the heptathlon and the Bucknell Bison Open & Multi to set an MEC school record. He posted a 9.90 conference-qualifying mark in the 60-meter hurdles, a 5.62 in the long jump and a 7.82 in the 60-meter dash. Nicolas' pole vault clearance of 3.28 meters is currently first in the conference, while his 1.62 meter high jump is third.

Reco Griffith claimed Rookie of the Week for the third straight week. At the Bison Open and Multi, he placed second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.02 seconds, and finished 12th in the 200 with a converted time of 22.41. He was also a member of the 4x400 relay that placed seventh in a school-record time of 3:31.90. At the DeSchriver Invitational, Griffith placed eighth in the 55 (6.83) and eighth in the 400 (converted 54.88).

Toshel Goffe captured Track Athlete of the Week accolades for the fourth straight week. She won the 60-meter dash at the Bison Open & Multi with a school-record time of 7.77 seconds, currently 28th in Division III. Goffe also finished sixth in the 200 with a converted time of 25.73 seconds and was a part of the 4x400 relay that finished in 4:17.70 (4:14.33 converted). At the DeSchriver Invitational, she won the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.28 seconds and placed sixth in the 400 (converted time 1:04.89).

Thenica Thompson earned top rookie honors for the fourth straight week. At the Bison Open & Multi Thompson ran 8.36 seconds in the 60-meter dash and a converted 27.35 seconds in the 200. She also played a key role in the 4x400 squad that ran a converted time of 4:14.33 and placed fifth. At the DeSchriver Invitational, Thompson placed fifth in the 55-meter dash (7.62) and second in the 200 with a converted time of 27.06 seconds, and also came in fifth in the long jump (4.85 meters).

Aaliyah Bartholomew finished seventh in the pentathlon at the Bison Open & Multi with a school-record 2,697 points. She secured AARTFC and CUNYAC qualification in the high jump (1.46 meters) and earned conference qualification in the 60-meter hurdles (10.02), and the 800 (2:45.47 converted).  Her long jump of 4.67m marked a season-best and ranks fifth in the conference. Additionally, she threw 8.76m in the shot put. On Day two, Bartholomew finished with a converted time of 1:06.06 in the 400m, another CUNYAC-qualifying mark.

Additional Cougar accomplishments/feats:

Rupert Luard-Charles – At Bucknell, Luard-Charles leaped 6.62m in the long jump, placing him 2nd in MEC school history. He also completed the 400-Meter Dash in 53.50 (converted to 52.66, CUNYAC qualifier), and the 200-Meter Dash in 24.11 (converted to 23.62, CUNYAC qualifier) At Deschriver, he placed: 6th in the 200m (24.26) 10th in the long jump (5.82m)

Michael Ortega – Personal Best in Throws Ortega impressed in the men's weight throw, finishing 9th with 10.83m (PR, CUNYAC qualifier), ranking 4th in MEC history and 2nd in the conference. He also placed 7th in the shot put (10.65m). Several other athletes delivered remarkable performances across both meets, setting personal bests, qualifying for championships, and securing top finishes.

Dontay Washington placed 17th in the Heptathlon with 3,219 points, qualifying for CUNYAC in the 60m hurdles (9.79, 2nd in the conference) and high jump (1.72m, 2nd in the conference). At Deschriver, he secured 4th place in the 55m hurdles (9.36).

Adeolu Adeyemi finished 10th in the 500m at Bucknell (1:14.58 converted) and took 3rd in the 600m at Deschriver (1:33.93 converted).

Omari Hinds impressed in the long jump, placing 6th at Bucknell (6.48m, CUNYAC qualifier) and 6th again at Deschriver (6.45m, CUNYAC qualifier).

Joshua Felix had a strong showing at Bucknell, qualifying for CUNYACs in the 200m (24.24, converted to 23.82) and setting a personal best in the 400m (56.60, converted to 55.72). At Deschriver, he placed 4th in the 600m (1:35.95, converted to 1:34.53).

Jalen Atkinson ran a personal best in the mile at Deschriver, clocking 5:46.33 (converted to 5:41.97).

Jose Janvier had an impressive meet at Deschriver, finishing 6th in the 600m with a personal best of 1:56.27 and placing 8th in the 55m hurdles with a PR of 10.24.

Chris Edosomwan set a personal best in the weight throw at Deschriver, placing 12th with a mark of 7.43m.

Zion Young ran a personal best in the 60m at Bucknell (7.42) and clocked a CUNYAC-qualifying time in the 200m (24.03, converted to 23.61).

Tyler Smith delivered two personal bests at Deschriver, finishing 9th in the 400m (58.77, converted to 57.55) and placing 5th in the 1000m (3:14.56, converted to 3:11.91), marking the third-fastest time in MEC history.

Men's 4x200m Relay (Deschriver): Joshua Felix, Adeolu Adeyemi, Omari Hinds, Zion Young ran 1:36.71 (converted to 1:35.01), finishing

Men's 4x400m Relay (Bucknell): Jahiem Johnson, Reco Griffith, Adeolu Adeyemi, Rupert Luard-Charles set a new MEC school record, finishing 7th in 3:35.28 (converted to 3:31.90).

Men's 4x400m Relay: (Joshua Felix, Adeolu Adeyemi, Omari Hinds, Rupert Luard-Charles) – 3rd place at Deschriver (3:40.00 converted).

Kenia Irish-Bramble – She continued her strong season with a personal best of 8.70 in the 60m dash, earning a CUNYAC qualification. She also placed 5th in the 600m at Deschriver with a time of 1:50.59 (converted to 1:49.25).

Rinnah Brown finished 11th in the Pentathlon with 2,198 points, qualifying for CUNYAC in the high jump (1.37m) and 60m hurdles (10.35). At Deschriver, she placed 2nd in the 55m hurdles (9.63), 7th in the triple jump (9.37m), and 7th in the 400m (1:07.29 converted).

Nia Butler delivered solid results at Deschriver, placing 7th in both the shot put (8.62m) and the weight throw (12.04m), with the latter earning her a CUNYAC qualification.

Jada Clayton set a personal best in the weight throw at Bucknell (10.07m), marking the 3rd-best throw in MEC history. She also placed 8th in the shot put at Deschriver (8.33m).

Jada Lambert had a strong showing, finishing 5th in the 55m hurdles (11.52) and 6th in the triple jump (9.53m), the 4th-best mark in MEC history.

Women's 4x400m Relay (Bucknell): Toshel Goffe, Thenica Thompson, Rannah Brown, Kenia Irish-Bramble ran 4:17.70 (converted to 4:14.33), the 2nd fastest time in MEC history.

Women's Distance Medley Relay (Deschriver): – Nana Samake, Sariyah Brumaire, Jada Lambert, Kenia Irish-Bramble finished 4th (15:36.02), the 5th fastest time in MEC history.

Women's 4x200m Relay: (Keyona Evans, Maritza Argueta, Jennifer Metra, Kinnik Timothy) – 5th place at Deschriver Invitational.

Women's 4x400m Relay: (Nana Samake, Sariyah Brumaire, Maritza Argueta, Kenia Irish-Bramble) – 8th place at Deschriver Invitational.

Next up for the Cougars:

The Cougars will return to the track and field this weekend, as the teams will compete at the Frank Colden Invitational, hosted by Ursinus College. Start-time for the meet is scheduled for 8:45am.

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