New Era Begins As CAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Start On Friday
Hunter Peters
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL LIVE RESULTS
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (May 4, 2023) – A new chapter in conference history starts this weekend during the 2023 CAA Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va., hosted by William & Mary.
The 12-team women’s field is the largest in league history, while eight teams battle on the men’s side, matching the most at the championships. Both fields include conference newcomers Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook for the first time outdoors.
The action begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday with the women’s weight throw. Field event champions will also be crowned in the men’s hammer throw (12 p.m.), women’s pole vault (12:30 p.m.), men’s long jump (1 p.m.), men’s javelin (1:30 p.m.) women’s long jump (4:00 p.m.), men’s pole vault (5:00 p.m.) and men’s discus (5:45 p.m.) on the opening day of competition.
Running prelims begin at 1 p.m. and continue throughout the evening, with the last four events of the day contested as finals. Gold medals will be awarded in the men’s (5:45 p.m.) and women’s (6:00 p.m.) 3000m steeplechase as well as the men’s (7:00 p.m.) and women’s (7:45 p.m.) 10,000m.
Women’s
Two-time defending CAA Outdoor Track and Field Champions, Elon looks to complete the triple crown in 2023, coming off its fourth straight CAA Cross Country title in the fall and the inaugural CAA Indoor Track and Field title this winter. The Phoenix, which scored in all 18 events indoors, enters the outdoor championship with the top marks in four events.
Leandra Lorenz owns the best time in the 1500m (4:19.94) and will attempt to defend her title in the event to become the sixth straight Elon runner to win gold in the 1500m. In addition,
Hannah Miller has to time to beat in the 3000m steeplechase (10:23.93) and Kaitlin McGoogan has the league-leading mark in the hammer throw (61.05m) after breaking the program record earlier this spring. The Phoenix 4x100m relay team also enters the meet with the fastest time (45.12) in the conference this year.
Hampton finished runner-up indoors, and Delaware was the runner-up outdoors last season. Both teams own the top mark in two events this spring. For the Lady Pirates,
Dejah Grant has the fastest time in the 400m hurdles (57.87), and
Dieusi Armand ranks first in the triple jump (12.70m). The Blue Hens have
Myrissa McFolling-Young atop the discus (53.74m) ranks, while
Megan Albamonti looks to defend her title in the javelin after a record-setting performance in 2022. She is the favorite (55.33m) heading into the championship.
Northeastern and North Carolina A&T look to build off solid performances indoors and will be among the contenders this weekend. The Aggies have the most league-leading marks, ranking first in five events, including All-American hurdler
Paula Salmon in the 100m hurdles (13.08),
Jada Griffin in the 400m (52.97),
Kenady Wilson (1.75m),
Julieth Nwosu in the shot put (15.42m) and the A&T 4x400m relay (3:36.29). The Huskies rank atop the conference in three events as
Dominique Biron is first in the long jump (6.25m) and heptathlon (5,485 pts), and
Abigail Hassman owns the top mark in the 5,000 (16:13.29).
Men’s
Northeastern is the favorite on the men’s side and looks to continue a dominant run in CAA Track and Field. Last spring, the Huskies won their seventh straight CAA Outdoor team title, which set a conference record for most consecutive championship victories. Then Northeastern claimed the team title at the inaugural CAA Indoor Track and Field Championship this winter. The Huskies rank first in the CAA in four events led by
Benjamin Godish, who has the top seed in the 1,500m (3:41.46
c) and league-leading time in the 5,000m (13:41.22). In addition,
Kyle Sarney ranks first in the 3000m steeplechase (8:47.88), looking to be the fifth straight Husky to claim gold in the event, and
Nicholas Pisciotta tops the hammer ranks (61.95m), attempting to repeat as champion.
A pair of newcomers – Monmouth and North Carolina A&T – finished second and third, respectively indoors, and look to challenge for the title moving outdoors. The Aggies have conference-leading marks in a league-high nine events.
Reheem Hayles and
Carlos Alexander rank first in multiple events, along with both A&T relay teams. Hayles is first in the 200m (20.71) and 400m (45.57), while Alexander tops the charts in the shot put (17.68m) and discus (53.31m). The Hawks have continued to excel in the field events outdoors, including top marks from
Dalton Yuest in the pole vault (4.88m),
Evan Niedrowski in the javelin (74.20m) and
David Strong in the decathlon (6,154 pts).
UNCW returns to the equation after a runner-up finish at the 2022 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Seahawks do not compete indoors and will be hungry to prove they belong among the contenders.
Josh Parks is back for UNCW after earning six All-CAA finishes a season ago and looks to defend his titles in the 110m and 400m hurdles. The Seahawks also welcome back the defending champion in the high jump as
Donovan Lara enters the competition with the top seed (2.13m) in the event.
To stay up to date with what is happening at the 2023 CAA Track and Field Championship, be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, recaps, and more, visit
http://www.caasports.com/OTF.
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