COMPLETE RESULTS (.html)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. The Seton Hall track and field team added 14 athletes in 10 different events to its postseason roster after an impressive showing at the Penn State Open over the weekend. The Pirates set three meet records and are closing in on NCAA Provisional times in several events.
Sophomore Christopher Cox (Manahawkin, N.J.) is now a perfect 4-for-4 in qualifying for the IC4A Indoor Championships in individual events after strong showings in the 200-meter dash and 500-meter run. Cox won the 500-meter in 1:02.68, breaking the meet record held by Seton Hall’s own Greg Gomes, who graduated last season. In the 200-meter, Cox placed third with a time of 21.86, missing the NCAA provisional time by .63 seconds.
Cox also anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay team with Carl Smith (Camden, N.J.), Jemel Williams (Bronx, N.Y.), and Kamar Ellis (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The squad clocked in at 3:13.61 and is just over three seconds from hitting the NCAA Indoor provisional time.
In the men’s distance medley, the Pirates quartet of Tom Corona (Fairfield, Conn.), James Gurr (Sydney, Australia), Stafford McFarlane (Norwalk, Conn.), and Rob Novak (Bordentown, N.J.) set a new meet record of 10:05.38 en route to a first place finish.
In addition, every member of the men’s winning relay teams either qualified for the postseason or won in their respective individual events.
Gurr bested his IC4A qualifying time in the 800-meter run, clocking in at 1:52.24 to break Novak’s meet record set last season. Novak clinched a berth in the IC4A’s in the 1,000-meter run, clocking in at 2:24.53. Corona will join Novak after a 2:27.15 performance in the same event.
Smith was the runner-up in the long jump with an attempt of 7.03 meters to be added to the list of IC4A competitors. McFarlane finished seventh in the 500-meter run, hitting a BIG EAST qualifying time of 1:04.59. Williams ran a 49.55 in the 400-meter dash to qualify for the conference championships. Ellis took home the seldom ran 600-meter run crown, crossing the tape in 1:19.61.
Other male individual qualifiers included Ricky West (Scarborough, Canada) in the 800-meter run (1:54.58 IC4A) and Matt Rendina (Boothwyn, Pa.) in the 200-meter dash (22.43 BIG EAST).
The women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Alexandra McCoy (Goldsboro, N.C.), Toneisha Friday (Somerset, N.J.), Clarisse Moh (Paris, France), and Jernail Hayes (Newark, Del.) won the event in 3:42.08, narrowly missing an NCAA Provisional time by two seconds. Like the men, the members of the relay also had strong individual performances on Saturday.
Hayes just missed an NCAA Provisional time in the 200-meter dash by .33 seconds, but did qualify for the ECAC’s with a mark of 24.23. Friday clocked in at 24:44 in the same event to earn a spot at the BIG EAST Championships. In the 600-meter race, Moh won the event in 1:31.11, while McCoy was the runner-up with a time of 1:31.15, respectively.
Other female individual qualifiers included KeAira Dickerson (Wilmington, Del.) in the 500-meter run (1:14.76 ECAC), Shamika Kentish (Virginia Beach, Va.) in the 60-meter dash (7.80 BIG EAST), Adama Pitts (Jacksonville, Fla.) in the 200-meter dash (24.36 BIG EAST), and Charisse Bryant (Virginia Beach, Va.) in the 60-meter hurdles (8.87 BIG EAST).
The Pirates return to action at the Terrier Classic on January 23-24 in Boston, Mass.
