Simone Grant Earns Co-East Coast Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year Honor; Host of Firebirds Earn All-Conference Honors
CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – The University of the District of Columbia's Simone Grant and Roberts Wesleyan College's Chelsea Hayward share the East Coast Conference Women's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year honor as voted on by the conference's coaches.
Grant earns the second major conference honor of her career after being voted the ECC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year honor in 2015. Grant's 2016 indoor season saw her earn All-Region honors with the fourth best marks in the Long Jump and 200M. The preseason athlete of the year and one-time Athlete of the Week also ranked seventh in the region in the 60M.
Grant's best day of the season came in the ECC Championship meet, earning her Most Outstanding Athlete of the Championship meet honors, as well. Grant competed in five events and earned All-Conference recognition in all of them, earning the Firebirds 36 points towards their runner-up total. She earned First-Team All-Conference honors for winning the Long Jump (5.64M) and 4x400M relay (3:58.85) and for finishing second in the 200M (24.98s). In addition, she earned Second Team recognition for her fourth place finishes in the 60M (7.91s) and the triple jump (11.02M).
The ECC also announces the All-Conference finishers from the championship meet. The top two finishers in each event were named First Team All-Conference, while the third and fourth place finishers earned Second Team All-Conference distinction. A list of all winners can be found below.
2016 ECC Indoor Track and Field All-Conference Awards
Women's First Team
60m dash: Chelsea Hayward, Roberts Wesleyan & Kathleen Amstad, Roberts Wesleyan
200m dash: Chelsea Hayward, Roberts Wesleyan & Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia
400m dash: Jerily Benjamin, Dist. Columbia & Gabriela Sloezen, St. Thomas Aquinas
500m dah: Marlena Wright, Dist. Columbia & Francesca Dee, Georgian Court
800m run: Jessica Handsaker, Georgian Court & Diana Cruz, Queens
1,000m run: Kristen Borriello, St. Thomas Aquinas & Rachel Prutsman, Roberts Wesleyan
1 mile: Rachel Hutchinson, Roberts Wesleyan & Meaghan Ventarola, St. Thomas Aquinas
3,000m run: Mackenzie Donahue, Daemen & Meaghan Ventarola, St. Thomas Aquinas
5,000m run: Mackenzie Donahue, Daemen & Amy Trabert, Daemen
60m hurdles: Damira Banks, Queens & Octivia Booker, Georgian Court
4 x 400m relay: Jerily Benjamin, Marlena Wright, Jasmine Walker, & Simone Grant - Dist. Columbia
Distance Medley Relay: Patricia Nersten, Marissa Connolly, Amber Lubaszka, & Kristen Borriello - St. Thomas Aquinas
High Jump: Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia & Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan
Pole Vault: Kasey Smith, Roberts Wesleyan & Kyra Kress, Daemen
Long Jump: Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia & Katharine Dovi, Roberts Wesleyan
Triple Jump: Octivia Booker, Georgian Court & Saralee Martelly, Queens
Shot Put: Tajah Franklin, Dist. Columbia & Katherine Mollahan, St. Thomas Aquinas
Weight Throw: Brittany Sepe, Molloy & Danely Rodriguez, Queens
Women's Second Team
60m dash: Damira Banks, Queens & Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia
200m dash: Kathleen Amstad, Roberts Wesleyan & Jerily Benjamin, Dist. Columbia
400m dash: Kristina Button, Roberts Wesleyan & Danielle Budd, Roberts Wesleyan
500m dash: Brianna Calderon, Roberts Wesleyan & Madison Gosch, Roberts Wesleyan
800m run: Nicole Hubert, Molloy & Emilee Durso, Roberts Wesleyan
1,000m run: Rachel Hutchinson, Roberts Wesleyan & Brittany Denton, Daemen
1 mile: Rachel Prutsman, Roberts Wesleyan & Talya Williams, LIU Post
3,000m run: Amy Trabert, Daemen & Ashley Cheff, Daemen
5,000m run: April Sablan, Roberts Wesleyan & Kaitlin O'Grady, St. Thomas Aquinas
60m hurdles: Saralee Martelly, Queens & Brianna Calderon, Roberts Wesleyan
4 x 400m relay: Damira Banks, Terrilyn Britton, Diana Cruz, & Ronsheica Trotman - Queens
Distance Medley Relay: Brittany Denton, Brooke Nolan, Lindsay Wood, & Ashley Cheff - Daemen
High Jump: Malawi Allen, Georgian Court & Savannah Forte, Georgian Court
Pole Vault: Sarah Zollner, Georgian Court & Nicole Natland, Molloy
Long Jump: Octivia Booker, Georgian Court & Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia
Triple Jump: Saida Burns-Moore, Dist. Columbia & Simone Grant, Dist. Columbia
Shot Put: Brittany Sepe, Molloy & Ellyn Byrnes, Molloy
Weight Throw: Ellyn Byrnes, Molloy & Tara Byrnes, Molloy