Indoor Track Closes Final Weekend Before Championships
Millrose Results │ Scarlet and White Results
NEW YORK – While most indoor track athletes at the University at Albany enjoyed a weekend off to recover in preparation for America East Championships next week, a select few remained on the competition circuit to showcase their talents at this year’s Millrose Games at the Armory in New York City. UAlbany fielded five relay teams and sent one individual to compete in the John Thomas High Jump. Additionally, UAlbany had one athlete attend Boston University’s Scarlet and White Invitational.
Originally, a selection of athletes was supposed to travel to the Spire Insititute for the NCAA Division I Invitational. The trip was cancelled, however, due to the weather, so those athletes joined the majority of their teammates in a weekend free from competition. That left just the Millrose and Scarlet athletes active this weekend.
UAlbany’s sole entry at the Scarlet and White invitational was senior Alfonso Scannapieco in the men’s pole vault. Scannapieco, who had yet to record a height in the event all season, placed first overall with a mark of 16’-2.75”. The jump is the best on the team this season and qualifies Scannapieco for IC4A’s. The mark also tops the America East conference by two inches, based on performances entering the weekend.
At Millrose, perhaps the most prestigious indoor meet in the world, UAlbany fielded a men’s and women’s 4×200 relay, a men’s and women’s 4×400 relay, and a men’s 4×800 relay. Additionally, junior Alexander Bowen, who was originally supposed to compete at Spire, received an invitation to compete in the John Thomas High Jump.
The men’s 4×200 kicked off proceedings for the Danes on Saturday. The team of Jaymen Teemer, Kareem Morris, Robert Harris III, and Winston McCormack placed second overall with a time of 1:27.66. The time narrowly sets a new school record, breaking the old mark of 1:27.70 set at last year’s Millrose Games. Morris led off in 22.4, Harris split 21.5, Teemer split 21.8, and McCormack closed in 21.7.
The women’s 4×200, consisting of Jillian Haynes, Kahlia Taylor, Michelle Anthony, and Ashlee Maduro also placed second with a time of 1:41.50. Both UAlbany squads raced against a mixture of college and club teams.
Both the men’s and women’s 4×400 teams competed in the Eastern division, which consisted entirely of collegiate squads. The men’s team of Taariq Jones, Daryl Subran, Jason Tomlinson, and Jeremiah Obeng-Agyapong placed second in overall with a time of 3:16.91. The women’s team of Aderinsola Ajala, Kamilah Williams, Dominique Claudio, and Tynelle Taylor-Chase placed fifth with a time of 3:46.89, finishing just shy of the school record they set a week ago at the Collegiate Invitational.
Like the 4×400, the Byron Dyce 4×800 field solely featured collegiate squads. UAlbany placed fourth overall, with the team of Andrew Pirnie, Larry Ramirez, Youness Benzaid, and Dylan Lowry crossing the finish line in 7:33.25. Benzaid followed up his 1:51.7 split in the 4×800 at Collegiate with a 1:51.4 today. But the big split on the team was from Lowry, who split 1:52 chasing Duke and Villanova. His previous best was 1:54.
Finally, in the John Thomas High Jump, Bowen was one of five elite competitors. After putting forth a poor-by-his-standards showing at Collegiate, jumping 6’-10.75”, Bowen righted the ship with a mark of 7’-2.25”, finishing just shy of his personal best on the season. Bowen also had some close attempts at 7’-4.25”, which would have been a personal best, so it appears he is rounding into form.
Next up for UAlbany is the America East Indoor Championships, which kick off on Sunday, February 23rd and conclude on Monday, February 24. The meet will be hosted at the Armory in New York City, and will be the fifth time this season that the Great Danes have competed at the facility.
