Firebirds Place Third in ECC Championships

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The University of the District of Columbia's women's indoor track and field team had some big and historic performances, resulting in a third place finish at the ECC Championships, Sunday night at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. 

Freshman Kayleigh Shelton secured the first six points for the Firebirds, placing third in the 60m hurdles with a season best time of 9.38s. 

Kayla Cooper took home the first gold for the Firebirds winning the 60m with a time of 7.79s. She was followed by teammate Janel Baxter who took the silver, running a personal best time of 7.87s.

Next up on the track for the Firebirds was the 500m that saw sophomore Ayesha Jarrett not only win with a personal best time of 1:16.43, she also broke the school and ECC records along the way. Freshman Tukey Francis also placed third with a personal best time of 1:18.18, which is the second fastest time in school history. 

In the midst of the commotion on the track, UDC was also having big performances in the field events as well. Freshman Emmanuela Katou Kouami won the weight throw with a throw of 14.72m to claim her ten points. Zoe Shaw also racked up 10 points, placing second in the high jump clearing 1.60m and fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 10.56m. Senior Kendra Williams also placed fifth in the shot put, adding two points to the team total. 

Cooper later went on to pull off the double, winning the 200m with a season best time of 25.45s and contributing a total of 20 points to the team. Francis, Baxter and Jarrett all ran season best times to place 5th, 6th and 7th. 

The Firebirds ended the evening with a second place finish in the 4x400m with a time of 4:05.21. 

This third place finish is a huge improvement from last year's sixth place finish for the Firebirds.

"The ladies on our team made a powerful statement at the East Coast Conference Championship," said Coach Grant. "We are a small team but MIGHTY! I couldn't be more proud of the performances Ive witnessed today. We are looking forward to continuing our momentum for outdoor season." 

* D'Youville not eligible for team scoring as NCAA Division II Provisional Member *