BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn track & field teams will be ringing in the New Year at the Villanova Open, hosted by Villanova University. This Friday, Jan. 8, the Blackbirds kick-off the indoor regular-season in Staten Island, N.Y. after solid preseason performances at both the sixth annual Bill Ward Meet and the Seahawk Shootout last month.
LAST TIME OUT
At the Seahawk Shootout, sophomore Ernest Agyeman and freshman Roderick Moodie clinched first and second place in the 60-meter dash to kick-off the meet for the Blackbirds. Agyeman crossed the finish line at 7.06 and Moodie finished a mere .02 seconds behind his teammate. In the 200-meter dash, junior Karl Cajuste posted another first place finish for LIU with a time of 22.10.
In the 60-meter hurdles, senior Gabriella Ade-Onojobi had another strong preseason performance, coming in second at 8.73. In the same event, freshman Shantae McDonald finished one spot behind Ade-Onojobi in third with a time of 8.84.
On the women's side, the 4x400 relay team of sophomores Esther Jean-Louis, Kharyn Ethridge, Adjovi Simpini and freshman Zaahira Deboise collected bronze for the Blackbirds, recording a time of 4:04.06.
NOVA OPEN NOTES
This will be LIU Brooklyn's first time competing at a meet hosted by Villanova University in recent years. This is also the inaugural year for the Villanova Open, which will be hosted by the university at the brand-new Ocean Breeze Track & Field Athletic Complex.
BLACKBIRD NEC HONOREES
Freshman Caleb Williams earned the NEC Rookie of the Week title for the men last month. Contesting the 60m dash for the first time as a collegian, Williams sprinted his way to the Northeast Conference lead. The first-year Blackbird flew through the finish line in 6.91s to win the sixth annual Bill Ward Invitational. The first-place time stands under the IC4A qualifying mark and grants Williams automatic entry into the regional championship meet set for March.
Junior sprinter Cassandra Jones was named the NEC Track Athlete of the Week in December. Jones unseated the Northeast Conference track honoree (Genamarie McCant - MSM) for the top spot on the league's 500m leader board. The Canadian-born Blackbird flew to a second-place finish at the sixth annual Bill Ward Invitational in 1:14.85. When it's converted for track size, the time shrinks to 1:13.91 and stands as the second-fastest on the ECAC regional performance list. Only one meet into her LIU Brooklyn career, Jones has established herself as a NEC title contender in the 500m dash.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will return to Staten Island, N.Y. on Saturday, December 16 for University of Albany's Great Dane Classic.