UDC Women's Track & Field Crowned 2024 ECC CHAMPIONS!!
ROCHESTER, N.Y.- The 2024 ECC Outdoor Track & Field trophy is headed back to DC for the first time since 2014! The University of the District of Columbia's women's Track team has captured the programs second ECC Championship title in convincing fashion, winning by a margin of 37 points and taking down the eight time defending champion, Roberts Wesleyan.
The Firebirds boast eight event champions, sweeping all three relays for the first time in program history, the 400m, 200m, high jump, triple jump, and hammer throw. Two meet records were broken and 14 Firebirds earned All-Conference honors en route to the title.
UDC kicked off the track events placing third and fourth in the 400m hurdles to secure 10 points. Rainn Sheppard clocked in at 1:07.13 and Samantha Morrison was right behind her with a time of 1:07.39. Both times were personal bests. Both went on to run personal bests in the 800m, Sheppard clocking in at 2:17.80 and Morrison 2:21.15 to add a combined seven points.
Next up was the 4x100m relay, which the quartet of Mariela Hernandez, Ayesha Jarrett, Janel Baxter and Kayleigh Shelton took home the gold and 10 points.
The event that brought the most points was the 400m, which saw Jarrett defending her ECC title with a season best time of 57.43s. Teammate Tukey Francis was right behind her with a personal best time of 57.92s and Dayna Thompson placed fourth to pick up the final four points. Francis went on to win the 200m with a time of 24.74s, Jarrett placed 4th with a time of 25.36s and Cooper rounded out scoring placing sixth with a time of 25.82s.
Kayla Cooper and Baxter were 3rd and 4th in the 100m finals running 12.36s and 12.52s to secure another 10 points.
Shelton hit a season best 15.19s in the 100m hurdles placing second with eight points.
The quartet of Sheppard, Jarrett, Morrison and Francis made history, winning the 4x800m relay for the first time in program history. Chacoia Wilkes, Cooper, Baxter and Thompson closed out the track events winning the 4x400m relay.
UDC showed out in the field events breaking two ECC records and racking up a total of 74 points.
Emmanuela Katou Kouami broke the ECC record in the hammer throw with a personal best mark of 46.69m to take first place. She also placed fifth in the discus throw to finish with 12 points.
Serena Prince won the triple jump with an ECC record of 11.88m, placed third in the long jump with a mark of 5.36m and placed fourth in the high jump with a mark of 1.50m to add a total of 20 points.
Zoe Shaw won the high jump with a mark of 1.60m, placed second in the triple jump (11.52m) and fourth in the long jump (5.25m) to tally 22 points.
Ryana Goldson placed second in the javelin throw with a mark of 31.88m, Cooper placed second in the long jump with a PR mark of 5.56m, Kensley Benjamin placed 5th in the triple jump with a PR mark of 10.58m and Baxter placed fifth in the long jump (5.06m) to round out scoring in the field events for the Firebirds.
Women's Team Results
1. District of Columbia - 176
2. Roberts Wesleyan - 139
3. Daemen - 101
4. D'Youville - 86
5. St. Thomas Aquinas - 52
6. Molloy - 44
7. Queens - 32
8. Staten Island - 19
Event Winners
Women
100m dash: Jenna Capolupo, D'Youville – 12.04
200m dash: Tukey Francis, District of Columbia – 24.74
400m dash: Ayesha. Jarrett, District of Columbia – 57.43
800m run: Kylee Odell, Roberts Wesleyan – 2:15.08
1500m run: Kylee Odell, Roberts Wesleyan – 4:40.96
5000m run: Rachel Horner-Richardson, Roberts Wesleyan – 18:39.43
10,000m run: Emma Cain, Daemen – 41.12:95
100m hurdles: Hailee Lowe, Roberts Wesleyan – 14.81
400m hurdles: Alexis Rodriguez, Daemen – 1:04.49
3000m steeplechase: Lydia Smith, D'Youville – 11:32.96
4x100m relay: District of Columbia – 50.91
4x400m relay: District of Columbia – 4:12.31
4x800m relay: District of Columbia – 9:53.80
High Jump: Zoe Shaw, District of Columbia – 1.60m
Pole Vault: Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan – 4.60m
Long Jump: Jenna Capolupo, D'Youville – 5.62m
Triple Jump: Serena Prince, District of Columbia – 11.88m
Shot Put: Emily Strunk, St. Thomas Aquinas – 12.63m
Discus: Emily Strunk, St. Thomas Aquinas – 39.55m
Hammer: Emmanuela Katou Kouami, District of Columbia – 46.69m
Javelin: Faith Rousseau, Molloy – 34.35m
All-Conference Honorees
Women's First Team
100m dash: Jenna Capolupo, D'Youville & Khareena Primus, Queens
200m dash: Tukey Francis, District of Columbia & Jenna Capolupo, D'Youville
400m dash: Ayesha Jarrett, District of Columbia & Tukey Francis, District of Columbia
800m run: Kylee Odell, Roberts Wesleyan & Raechel Zielinski, D'Youville
1500m run: Kylee Odell, Roberts Wesleyan & Raechel Zielinski, D'Youville
5000m run: Rachel Horner-Richardson, Roberts Wesleyan & Lydia Roselund, Roberts Wesleyan
10,000m run: Emma Cain, Daemen & Alexandra Tucker, Roberts Wesleyan
100m hurdles: Hailee Lowe, Roberts Wesleyan & Kayleigh Shelton, District of Columbia
400m hurdles: Alexis Rodriguez, Daemen & Hailee Lowe, Roberts Wesleyan
3000m steeplechase: Lydia Smith, D'Youville & Courtney Merrill, Daemen
4x100m relay: District of Columbia (Mariela Hernandez, Ayesha Jarrett, Janel Baxter, Kayleigh Shelton)
4x400m relay: District of Columbia (Chacoia Wilkes, Dayna Thompson, Kayla Cooper, Janel Baxter)
4x800m relay: District of Columbia (Rainn Sheppard, Samantha Morrison, Tukey Francis, Ayesha Jarrett)
High Jump: Zoe Shaw, District of Columbia & Madison Macneill, D'Youville
Pole Vault: Brynn King, Roberts Wesleyan & Melia Couchman, Roberts Wesleyan
Long Jump: Jenna Capolupo, D'Youville & Kayla Cooper, District of Columbia
Triple Jump: Serena Prince, District of Columbia & Zoe Shaw, District of Columbia
Shot Put: Emily Strunk, St. Thomas Aquinas & Faith Rousseau, Molloy
Discus: Emily Strunk, St. Thomas Aquinas & Moriah Mills, Roberts Wesleyan
Hammer: Emmanuela Katou Kouami, District of Columbia & Kristen Oliver, Daemen
Javelin: Faith Rousseau, Molloy & Ryan Goodson, District of Columbia
Women's Second Team
100m dash: Kayla Cooper, District of Columbia & Janel Baxter, District of Columbia
200m dash: Khareena Primus, Queens & Ayesha Jarrett, District of Columbia
400m dash: Lydia Ware, Roberts Wesleyan & Dayna Thompson, District of Columbia
800m run: Rainn Sheppard, District of Columbia & Hannah Thomas, Daemen
1500m run: Rachel Horner-Richardson, Roberts Wesleyan & Camryn Bailey, Daemen
5000m run: Camryn Bailey, Daemen & Patsy Oberholzer, Daemen
10,000m run: Ciara Durcan, St. Thomas Aquinas & Hayley Pizur, Daemen
100m hurdles: Rebecca Schultz, Daemen & Skylar Savage, D'Youville
400m hurdles: Rainn Sheppard, District of Columbia & Samantha Morrison, District of Columbia
3000m steeplechase: Zoe Perkins, Roberts Wesleyan & Alexis Nguyen, Daemen
4x100m relay: St. Thomas Aquinas (Ciara Doyle, Jazmin Rogers, Isabella Farino-Esposito, Aalianne Gilbert)
4x400m relay: Molloy (Alaysia Cobb-Rountree, Megan Sohl, Isabella Fortaleza, MaryGrace Coll)
4x800m relay: Daemen (Courtney Merrill, Christa Oates, Camryn Bailey, Hannah Thomas)
High Jump: Faith Rousseau, Molloy & Serena Prince, District of Columbia
Pole Vault: Taylor Heineman, Roberts Wesleyan & Isabella Fortaleza, Molloy
Long Jump: Serena Prince, District of Columbia & Zoe Shaw, District of Columbia
Triple Jump: MaryGrace Coll, Molloy & Alana Rider, St. Thomas Aquinas
Shot Put: Moriah Mills, Roberts Wesleyan & Jessica Kowalski, Roberts Wesleyan
Discus: Ava Thompson, Staten Island & Samantha Kabel, Daemen
Hammer: Tima Abdellatif, Daemen & Elizabeth Bentley, Daemen
Javelin: Madelyn McMath, Queens & Kristen Kennedy, St. Thomas Aquinas