Albamonti & Salmon Headline Women’s CAA Track & Field Year-End Honors
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (June 28, 2023) – Delaware senior
Megan Albamonti and North Carolina A&T graduate student Paula Salmon headlined the 2023 Women’s CAA Outdoor Track and Field year-end honors in which four programs got recognized with major awards in a vote of the league’s head coaches.
Salmon was selected as the CAA Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, and Albamonti was named CAA Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. Furthermore, Elon’s Reese Webster and Catherine Garrison of William & Mary shared CAA Co-Rookie of the Year accolades, as the Tribe and Phoenix have combined for the past four CAA Rookies of the Year. In addition, Elon’s Mark Elliston was tabbed as the CAA Women’s Coach of the Year by his peers.
Salmon leaves her impact on CAA Track and Field becoming the best 100m hurdler in league history during her first and only season in the conference. The graduate student earned First Team All-America honors by finishing eighth in the 100m hurdles (12.92) at the NCAA Championships. She was just the second CAA hurdler to qualify for the national championships in the 100m hurdles and the first to advance to the finals. Salmon broke the all-time CAA record in the 100m hurdles, becoming the first woman to run under 13 seconds, with a wind-legal time of 12.91. The graduate hurdler posted a season-best time of 12.75(w) and ran sub-13 in her last four races this spring. Earlier this spring, Salmon won the 100m hurdles at the CAA Championship and broke the meet record set in 2012 with a time of 13.25.
Albamonti becomes the first Delaware student-athlete to earn a major CAA Track and Field award since Victoria Caruso was named Rookie of the Year in 2010. Albamonti is the first CAA Field Athlete of the Year in Blue Hen program history. The senior thrower earned Second Team All-America accolades after finishing ninth in the javelin (54.46m) at the NCAA Championships. The performance came after a third-place finish (53.04m) at the NCAA East Preliminary. In May, Albamonti won her third straight CAA Title in the javelin, besting the field by 7.65m. The Westerly, R.I. native ranked first in the conference with a season-best mark of 55.33m (181-06.00) in the javelin. She was the only CAA athlete to throw over 50m in the event and did so in all eight competitions.
Webster won two gold medals and scored 17.5 points at the CAA Championships, helping the Phoenix to its third straight CAA Outdoor team title. The freshman sprinter became the first Elon runner in program history to be crowned a CAA Champion in the 100m (11.70) after anchoring Elon’s winning 4x100m relay team. The Phoenix broke Georgia State’s CAA meet record from 2007, running 44.91 to claim gold in the 400m relay. Webster rounded out her championship debut with a fourth-place finish in the 200m (23.99). The freshman ran season-best times of 11.57(w) in the 100m and 23.88 in the 200m. She is the third CAA Rookie of the Year for the Phoenix.
Garrison is the second straight CAA Rookie of the Year for the Tribe and the fourth in William & Mary program history. She was one of two freshmen in the conference to advance for the NCAA East Preliminary, qualifying in the 3000m steeplechase. Garrison ran to a fourth-place finish in her CAA Championship debut, finishing with a time of 10:33.40 in the 3000m steeplechase. Earlier this season, Garrison won the Colonial Relays with a personal-best time of 10:28.51 to break the William & Mary freshman record in the 3000m steeplechase.
Elliston earns his third straight CAA Coach of the Year honor and the fifth of his tenure during Elon’s nine-year stint in the conference. Elliston led Elon to the first-ever triple crown in CAA history, culminating with the 2023 CAA Outdoor Track and Field team title. Under his leadership, the Phoenix won its third consecutive CAA Outdoor Championship, becoming the first team to three-peat since William & Mary from 2008-10. Elon tallied 13 All-CAA finishes at the conference championships, including five gold medalists.
The following student-athletes earned All-CAA honors for placing top three in their respective event(s) at the 2023 CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
2023 Women’s Outdoor Track & Field All-CAA Honorees
100m: Reese Webster, Elon (11.70); Maya Tucker, Towson (11.73); Meghan Wilcox, Elon (11.87)
200m: Jada Griffin, N.C. A&T (23.51); Maya Tucker, Towson (23.94), Cristal Cuervo, Towson (23.96)
400m: Jada Griffin, N.C. A&T (52.26*); Halima Scott Delaware (53.01); Dejah Grant, Hampton (53.39)
800m: Ashley Navarro, Monmouth (2:08.80); Jordan Mozie, Hampton (2:09.42); Samantha Rutt, Stony Brook (2:09.67)
1500m: Leandra Lorenz, Elon (4:36.60); Jette Beermann, Elon (4:37.61); Rhian Purves, Charleston (4:37.65)
5000m: Leandra Lorenz, Elon (16:33.61); Sofia Istnick, William & Mary (16:33.99); Katie Blount, Elon (16:34.08)
10,000m: Arianna DeBoer, William & Mary (36:08.73); Katie Blount, Elon (36:11.65); Maria Ahm, Elon (36:31.01)
100m Hurdles: Paula Salmon, N.C. A&T (13.25*); Lucheyona Weaver, N.C. A&T (13.34); Maya Seay, Hampton (13.78)
400m Hurdles: Dejah Grant, Hampton (57.79*); Kayla Spencer, Hampton (58.16); Marie-Frederique Poulin, Delaware (58.83)
3000m Steeplechase: Madison Neuner, Northeastern (10:21.74); Hannah Miller, Elon (10:27.08); Jordyn McDonnell, Hofstra (10:28.21)
4x100m Relay: Elon (Meghan Wilcox, Kalli’Ana Botelho, Piper Jons, Reese Webster) | 44.91*
North Carolina A&T (Pebbles Scott, Lucheyona Weaver, Mykayla Perry, Paula Salmon) | 45.12
Towson (Ty’Liyah Hannah, Cristal Cuervo, Sydney Tucker, Maya Tucker) | 45.38
4x400m Relay: North Carolina A&T (Pebbles Scott, Fajr Kelly, Mykayla Perry, Jada Griffin) | 3:35.87*
William & Mary (Amaya Johnson, Mary Gregory, Emily Ervin, Carly Swierbut) | 3:35.97
Hampton (Kayla Spencer, Jaydea Carter, Jordan Mozie, Dejah Grant) | 3:41.06
High Jump: Kenady Wilson, N.C. A&T (1.75m); Leeann Redlo, Towson (1.68m); Veronica Chaynov, Monmouth (1.65m)
Long Jump: Courtney Lines, UNCW (6.18m); Dominique Biron, Northeastern (6.04m); Maya Hanks, Hampton (5.96m)
Triple Jump: Maine Mevo, Towson (12.35m); Linn Hertz Saebbo, Elon (12.32m); Dieusi Armand, Hampton (12.22m)
Pole Vault: Luzy Lieger, Charleston (4.10m); Olesya Sitkowski, William & Mary (3.90m); Bridget Joyce, Delaware (3.80m)
Shot Put: Julieth Nwosu, N.C. A&T (15.88m); Nya Harmon, Hampton (15.68m); Keeley Suzenski, William & Mary (15.00m)
Discus: Myrissa McFolling-Youing, Delaware (53.32m); Nya Harmon, Hampton (50.70m); Kamaria Horton, Hampton (50.00m)
Hammer Throw: Kaitlin McGoogan, Elon (59.74m); Gianna Rao, Northeastern (58.88m); Georgia Coleman, Towson (58.17m)
Javelin: Megan Albamonti, Delaware (51.24m); Grace Dieleman, Elon (43.59m); Liv Cantby, William & Mary (41.97m)
Heptathlon: Dominique Biron, Northeastern (5,505 pts*); Kalli’Ana Botalho, Elon (5,091 pts); Kennedee Cox, Northeastern (4,830 pts)
* - indicates CAA Championship Meet Record
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