Mahwah, N.J. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's and Women's Track & Field program opened their spring outdoor season on Friday and Saturday at the Ramapo College Invitational in New Jersey.
On the day, the men's squad took a second place finish, just three points behind host Roadrunners. Meanwhile, the women's team finished seventeenth.
On the men’s side, the sprints and hurdles group delivered standout performances. Justus Behne led the way with a dominant victory in the 110-meter hurdles (14.91), while also taking third in the 200 meters (22.30). Teammate Darwin Almonte added depth with a fourth-place finish in both the 200 meters (22.48) and 110-meter hurdles (15.41). In the 100-meter dash, Leelan Maxwell sprinted to a third-place finish in 11.23.
Relay teams also made their presence known. The 4x100 meter relay squad of Carl Auguste, Robert Port, Stephane Desert, and Aaron Cruz placed fourth (45.11), while the 4x400 meter relay team finished seventh. The 4x800 meter relay group secured a solid sixth-place finish in 8:49.24.
In the field events, Brian Appiah was a top performer, earning second in the long jump (6.58m) and third in the triple jump (14.24m). Egill Atlason Waagfjoro added a third-place finish in the long jump and placed ninth in the triple jump. Ryan Folmer cleared 4.10 meters in the pole vault for a second-place finish, and also competed in the triple jump.
Throws were another area of strength, led by Gavin Kopf, who placed third in both the shot put (13.95m) and discus (40.55m). Christopher Cajamarca added a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw, while Chauncey Lapointe and others contributed additional top-20 finishes across throwing events. Charles Hurd led the javelin group with a seventh-place mark.
On the women’s side, Victoria Maher delivered a historic performance, setting new school records in both the discus (40.71m, 1st place) and hammer throw (48.40m, 4th place). Her efforts highlighted a strong day for the throwing squad, with Dayna Jimenez also competing in both events.
In the javelin, Kristen Kennedy led the way with a 12th-place finish, followed by Grace Ntango in 17th. On the track, Yulessa Johnson rounded out the top-20 finishers with a 20th-place effort in the 200 meters.
The Spartans next compete at the East Stroudsburg University All-American Meet on Friday, April 4 at the Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium in the Keystone State.
Top 20 Finishers (By Event) at Ramapo College Invitational
Men's Events
100 Meter Dash: Leelan Maxwell - 11.23 (3rd Place)
200 Meter Dash: Justus Behne - 22.30 (3rd Place), Darwin Almonte - 22.48 (4th Place)
1500 Meter Run: Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez - 4:15.51 (10th Place)
110 Meter Hurdles: Justus Behne - 14.91 (1st Place), Darwin Almonte - 15.41 (4th Place)
400 Meter Hurdles: Jude Petersen - 1:06.95 (19th Place)
4x100 Meter Relay: Carl Auguste, Robert Port, Stephane Desert & Aaron Cruz - 45.11 (4th Place)
4x400 Meter Relay: Aaron Cruz, Stephane Desert, Danny Lu & Jude Petersen - 3:52.12 (7th Place)
4x800 Meter Relay: Leonardo Rosas, Henry Mascia, John Ciuffo & William Whitton - 8:49.24 (6th Place)
High Jump: Kim Wingren - 1.73 meters/5'8" (4th Place)
Pole Vault: Ryan Folmer - 4.10 meters/13'5.25" (2nd Place)
Long Jump: Brian Appiah - 6.58 meters/21'7.25" (2nd Place), Egill Atlason Waagfjoro - 6.46 meters/21'2.5" (3rd Place), Leelan Maxwell - 6.42 meters/21'0.75" (6th Place)
Triple Jump: Brian Appiah - 14.24 meters/46'8.75" (3rd Place), Egill Atlason Waagfjoro - 12.28 meters/40'3.5" (9th Place), Ryan Folmer - 12.08 meters/39'7.75" (11th Place)
Shot Put: Gavin Kopf - 13.95 meters/45'9.25" (3rd Place), Seamus Gallagher - 13.69 meters/44'11" (6th Place)
Discus: Gavin Kopf - 40.55 meters/133'0" (3rd Place), Chauncey Lapointe - 37.85 meters/124'2" (9th Place)
Hammer Throw: Christopher Cajamarca - 47.89 meters/157'1" (4th Place), Chauncey Lapointe - 36.79 meters/120'8" (13th Place)
Javelin: Charles Hurd - 45.71 meters/150'0" (7th Place), William Whitton - 39.22 meters/128'8" (11th Place)
Women's Events
200 Meter Dash: Yulessa Johnson - 27.74 (20th Place)
Discus: Victoria Maher - 40.71 meters/133'7" (1st Place) *NEW SCHOOL RECORD*, Dayna Jimenez - 25.48 meters/83'7" (16th Place)
Hammer Throw: Victoria Maher - 48.40 meters/158'9" (4th Place) *NEW SCHOOL RECORD*, Dayna Jimenez - 27.57 meters/90'5" (17th Place)
Javelin: Kristen Kennedy - 27.94 meters/91'8" (12th Place), Grace Ntango - 23.63 meters/77'6" (17th Place)