AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen University women's track and field team generated 11 all-conference honors including five first-team selections, the East Coast Conference announced today. The selection of All-ECC athletes is based on individual finishes at the ECC Indoor Track and Field Championships which was held February 26 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. Medalists Marcy Colca (Getzville, N.Y.) and Skye Dorcely (Buffalo, N.Y.) headline the Daemen honorees.
Colca, a freshman long distance runner, picked up a pair of first-team honors after placing first in the 5,000 meters and second in the 3,000 meters. She posted a personal best time of 17:45.10 in the 5,000 meters, shaving 16 seconds off her previous best (18:01.40) with an effort that ranks as the second fastest in program history (Mackenzie Donahue, 17:00.75 at the 2017 ECC Championships). Her 3,000-meter time of 10:27.10 was also a personal best. Colca, who was additionally named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region Team in the 5,000 meters, is just the third women's track and field athlete from Daemen to earn All-ECC First Team honors in multiple events during the indoor season, joining Donahue (2016, 2017) and Brittany Denton (2018).
Dorcely, who joined Colca on the All-East Region Team as well, was named to the All-ECC First Team after placing first out of 21 competitors in the weight throw. Her toss of 13.73 meters eclipsed the program record set earlier in the season by graduate student Betty Jones (Camillus, N.Y.). It marks the second All-ECC honor of Dorcely's career after she was named to the second-team for the hammer throw following the 2021 outdoor season.
Graduate student Kassandra Nolet (Fort Erie, Ont.) finished as the runner-up to Colca in the 5,000 meters and was named to the All-ECC First Team for the event. She posted a personal best time of 18:61.41. She was additionally named to the All-ECC Second Team for the 3,000 meters, placing fourth with a time of 10:42.07. Including cross country, Nolet has earned All-ECC honors for her performances at five consecutive conference championship meets dating back to the 2019 ECC Cross Country Championships.
Daemen's fifth All-ECC First Team selection came in the Distance Medley Relay. The team of seniors Amanda Bushway (East Aurora, N.Y.) and Hannah Thomas (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) and sophomores Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) and Haley Hinds (Blossvale, N.Y.) won the event with a time of 13:01.97 - just one second shy of the program record. It's the fourth time in program history that Daemen has earned all-conference honors in the event, but this marks the initial first-team performance.
Thomas joins junior Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) and freshmen Alyssa Amirato (Depew, N.Y.) and Sydney Taylor (Brockport, N.Y.) in earning additional All-ECC Second Team selections. Thomas' selection came in the 800 meters after she placed third with a time of 2:29.00.
Merrill is a double honoree after placing third in the one mile run (15:15.15) and the 3,000 meters (10:30.10), posting personal best times in each race. Her time in the mile was the fastest by any Daemen athlete this season.
Amirato posted a personal best leap of 4.88 meters and placed fourth in the long jump, while Taylor was the fourth-place finisher in the high jump when clearing 1.50 meters.
Daemen's 11 all-conference selections are the most for any indoor season in program history. The Wildcats finished in third place at the ECC Championships - the program's best-ever finish for an indoor conference championship meet.
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
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