New York, NY... Competing for the first time in 2010, The College of New Jersey women’s indoor track and field team started the new year in style boasting numerous qualifying marks for championship events at the New York Gotham Cup held at the 168th Street Armory.
Senior Michelle Wallace (Emerson, NJ/Emerson) won the 5,000 meters just missing an NCAA provisional mark as she completed the race is a time of 17:38.72.
Senior Priscilla Senyah (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) placed in the top 10 in a pair of events as she was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a NCAA provisional cut of 8.92 and then finished seventh in the 60-meter dash in 7.90 seconds. Her time in the hurdles broke her own school record.
In the unseeded mile, sophomore Katie Nestor (Allendale, NJ/Northern Highlands) ran a swift time of 5:14.63 to finish third with that time being an ECAC qualifying mark.
TCNJ had two ECAC qualifiers in the 500 meters as senior Jianna Spadaccini (Butler, NJ/Butler) ran a time of 1:15.41 to place sixth, which also broke her own school record, and junior Meryl Wimberly (Farmingdale, NJ/Colts, Neck) was 11th with a clocking of 1:18.96.
The Lions had a pair of top-10 finishes in the weight throw as Sarah Wehrhan (Dodge City, KS/The Peddie School) claimed sixth place with a toss of 14.01 meters, while senior Ashley Krauss (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) placed ninth at 13.52.
The team had a strong showing in the shot put as well as freshman Mary Chismar (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) was ninth (11.23m) and Wehrhan in 11th (10.74m).
Freshman Rachel Morris (Marlboro, NJ/Colts Neck) was the top Division III finisher in the 3,000 meters as she finished in 11th place with a time of 10:43.23.
Two relays teams placed in the top 10 as the quartet of Kayla Ghanavati (Seaville, NJ/Ocean City), Spadaccini, Rochelle Prevard (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow), and Wimberly combined for a time of 3:57.74 in the 4x400 to place fifth, while the team of Nestor, Alyssa Bannon (Spotswood, NJ/Bishop Ahr), Morris, and Cassandra Valdes (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) placed seventh in the distance medley relay in 12:58.78.