Sophomore Kate Avery broke the school record in the represented the 5,000-meter race by 36 seconds as she represented the Iona women’s track and field team at the Stanford Invitational on April 4. Avery finished fourth overall in the event, crossing at 15:27.90. The record was set nine years ago (2005) in the NCAA East Regionals by Salome Kosgei, who finished in 16:03.80.

The Iona men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams traveled to Williamsburg, Va. for the 49th annual Colonial Relays at the College of William & Mary on April 4 and 5.

The men’s team was led by senior Daniel Clorley, senior Matthew Gillespie and sophomore Kieran Clements, who took the top three spots in the 5,000-meter event. Clorley finished first overall with a final time of 14:06.16, followed by Gillespie, who finished one second behind his teammate, and Clements finished in third place for the Gaels (14:10.52). Sophomore Otis Ubriaco also placed in the 5K event, finishing seventh with a time of 14:17.04. All four Gaels qualified for the IC4A Championships.

Freshman Chartt Miller finished in third place in the 1,500-meter event for the Maroon & Gold, crossing in 3:47.98. Miller was followed by senior Chris Stogsdill in sixth (3:50.34) and sophomore Xavier King in 11th (3:51.43).

In the 3,000-meter event, junior Quinn Raseman recorded a third-place finish with a final time of 8:31.21, and senior Jimmy Tarsnane finished 10th with a time of 8:40.86.

In the 800-meter event, junior Reed Kochanek crossed the finish line in 11th place at 1:55.24, less than three seconds behind the first-place finisher.

Senior Tara Jameson led the women’s team with a seventh place finish in the 5,000-meter event (16:38.81). Junior Marlene Delices ran the 1,500-meter seeded event and finished in 27th place with a final time of 4:41.68, and freshman Zoe Wojtech finished in 19th place (5:00.58) in the unseeded 1,500-meter event for the Gaels.

On April 12, both Iona teams traveled to New Jersey to compete in the 2014 Rider Invitational. Freshman Thomas McClellan led the way for the men’s team, finishing first in his heat and third overall in the 5,000-meter event (15:55.32). Classmate Ross Wightman finished 19th place in the 1,500-meter event for the men with a final time of 4:05.71.

For the women, there were three top-15 performances in three different events. Freshman Victoria Moynihan finished 12th in the discus for the women (27.71 meters). Freshman Marianna Sticca finished 10th in the 100-meter hurdles (16.93) and 14th in the long jump (4.66 meters).

The Gaels followed the Rider Invitational up with the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. The men began their competition on April 17, and the women started a day later.

Gillespie and Clements competed in the 10,000-meter event. Gillespie finished second overall, crossing in 29:08.71, and Clements finished four places behind him in sixth with a final time of 29:17.22. Miller and Stogsdill ran the 1,500-meter event, finishing seventh (3:46.53) and 26th (3:49.90) respectively. Both runners set personal records with their times.

The top performer for the women was Jameson, who finished second overall in the 10,000-meter event, crossing with a final time of 16:30.90, an ECAC qualifying time.

Freshman Maya Rehberg had an impressive performance for the women, as she set a new school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase event. Rehberg finished eighth overall with a final time of 10:07.61.

Also on April 18 and 19, members from both teams competed at the 2014 Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton University. Avery shined, finishing second overall in the 1,500-meter event with a time of 4:24.05.

For the men, Kochanek ran the 800-meter event and finished ninth overall with a final time of 1:54.84. King and freshman Brandon Allen finished 12th and 18th, respectively, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase event. King finished with a time of 8:58.74, and Allen crossed in 9:05.42; both set personal bests with their times.

Next up for both teams is the Penn Relays on April 24-26. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships follow and begin on May 3.