Iona track and field completes MAAC championships

Photo Courtesy of ionagaels.com

Richard Kiplagat holds the fastest mile time in Iona history, he ran 3:57.40 back in 2006.  

Jordan Score, Staff Writer

The Iona men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the indoor Metro Atlantic Athletics Conference Championships on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 at the New York Armory Track & Field Center.  

The men’s track and field team placed third out of eight as the women’s team finished with a tie in fourth place out of nine teams.  

On Feb. 18, the men’s team earned three gold medals and advanced six qualifiers in seven different events.  

Senior Jamie Dee earned a gold medal in the 5,000-meter run, and senior Graham Baird earned two silver medals in the 5k and the Distance Medley Relay quartet. 

In the 5,000-meter run, Dee earned a personal best indoor 5k time while lowering his own MAAC record with a time of 13:56.92. Baird earned silver in this event posting a time of 14:25.19, finishing more than six seconds ahead of the bronze medalist.  

During the Distance Medley Relay, Iona’s quartet of Junior Nick Sinofsky, Senior John Conroy, Senior Nick Hunziker and Junior Matt Rankin earned a silver medal in the event.  

In his MAAC Championship debut, freshman Aiden Coles ran the fastest time during the 800-meter preliminary heats, posting a time of 1:53.21. It was a personal best time and a Top 20 time in program history.  

Following the first day of the MAAC Championships the men’s team picked up four additional golds, two silvers and a bronze on Feb. 19.  

Dee was named Most Outstanding Track performer after a double gold performance in the 5k and 4×800 relay as Rankin was named Newcomer of the Meet with a gold in the DMR and the 3k event.  

In the 200-Meter Dash, junior Jadyn Tabois won gold in a MAAC-record time. Tabois finished with a time of 21.02 going on to repeat as MAAC Champion after winning the event last season.  

During the 3,000-Meter, Rankin earned gold with a time of 8:02.18 which was nearly two seconds ahead of junior teammate Mael Gouyette. Gouyette ended with 8:04.14 in just his second event of the winter indoor season.  

Iona also picked up gold medals from sophomore Damien Dilcher in the mile event with a time of 4:13.07 and in the 4X800-Meter Relay as Soldevere, freshman Scott Fagan, Dee and Coles finished first with a time of 7:41.05.  

On Feb. 18, sophomore Kedarjah Lewis set two school records and earned gold in the long jump on day one of the women’s indoor track and field competition. Lewis raised her school record in the long jump with a 6.01m effort and won the event by nearly eleven inches.  

In the 60-Meter Preliminaries, Lewis finished with a 7.68 time, earning the second fastest time. This finish lowered her own school record of 7.73 from last year’s competition. 

Following the first day of competition, the Gaels picked up two bronze medals. Lewis medaled in the 60-meter dash and junior Grace Sparrow finished third in the 800-meter run. Lewis matched her school record time from the previous night running a 7.68 in the women’s 60-Meter Run. This was her second medal of the meet and her fourth in her two seasons for Iona. Sparrow shaved off more than four seconds of her preliminary time and earned bronze with a time of 2:17.13.  

Both Rankin and Gouyette also broke the 4-minute mile mark at the Last Chance Indoor Qualifier. Rankin pipped his teammate running 3:58.06, with Gouyette running 3:58.38. The times are second and fourth on Iona’s all-time list.