Daemen Collects A Record 20 All-Conference Honors In Outdoor Track & Field

Wildcats Claim Four Conference Titles

5/6/2023 5:31:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen University was well represented on the East Coast Conference 2023 Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference teams, as a record 20 student-athletes from Daemen earned the honor this spring. The Daemen women had 11 All-ECC representatives, while the men had nine. Both teams broke the record for most selections during the outdoor championship. The previous standard for women's selections (10) and overall selections (17) was set in 2021, while the record for most men's selections (7) was set in 2016 and 2021.

The announcement of All-ECC teams was made from league headquarters on Long Island. The selection of All-ECC athletes is based on individual performances at the 2023 ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which were held this past Thursday (May 4) at Roberts Wesleyan University.

In addition to the 20 all-conference honors, Daemen also had three individual champions and one relay team champion.

The following member's of the Daemen women's track & field team earned All-ECC.

Tima Abdellatif (Graduate Student / Grand Island, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - Hammer Throw) - Abdellatif is in her first season at Daemen. The hammer throw individual champion, she also earned first team All-ECC after placing first out of 14 entrants with a program-record toss of 41.18 meters—eclipsing the previous standard of 40.86 meters posted by Betty Jones at last year's ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Daemen has now produced the individual champion in the hammer threw each of the last three seasons, as Jones won the event in 2021 and 2022.

Alyssa Amirato (Sophomore / Depew, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - Triple Jump) - Amirato capped off a solid sophomore season by claiming the conference title in the triple jump after placing first out of seven entrants with a leap of 10.72 meters, which ranks as the fifth best effort in program history. It also marks the second conference championship for Amirato, who placed first in the long jump last year as a freshman. Amirato owns the indoor and outdoor school records for both the triple jump and the long jump. A two-time All-ECC honoree in indoor track & field, she has now earned five All-ECC awards over her two year career.

Camryn Bailey (Junior / Geneva, N.Y. / First Team - 5,000 Meters / Second Team - 1,500 Meters) - Bailey earned first team honors in the 5,000 meters and second team honors in the 1,500 meters for the second-straight year. She placed second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:35.98, which ranks as the second fastest time of her career. She was one of five Daemen runners to compete in the 1,500 meters and placed fourth out of 17 entrants with a time of 5:02.67. She has earned four all-conference honors this year, as she also collected second-team All-ECC honors in the mile and the 3,000 meters during the indoor season.

Emma Grzebinski (Junior / West Seneca, N.Y. / First Team - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase) - Grzebinski earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career, as she placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a personal best time of 12:14.10, which ranks as the third fastest time in the event in program history.

Alexis Nguyen (Freshman / Grand Island, N.Y. / First Team - Pole Vault) - Nguyen earned all-conference honors for the first time, as she placed second in the pole vault with a leap of 2.32 meters.

Patsy Oberholzer (Freshman / Greece, N.Y. / First Team - 10,000 Meters / Second Team - 5,000 Meters) - Oberholzer placed second in the 10,000 meters and fourth in the 5,000 meters. She ran the 10,000 meters for the first time in her brief career and placed second out of seven entrants with a time of 39:44.76—just 16 seconds behind senior Jennifer Zambuto of Roberts Wesleyan. She would place fourth in the 5,000 meters with a personal best time of 18:58.56—eclipsing her previous best time of 19:04.69. She also earned second team All-ECC honors for the 5,000 meters during the indoor season.

Emma Cain (Sophomore / Lockport, N.Y. / Second Team - 10,000 Meters) - Cain earned second team honors in the 10,000 meters for the second straight year after running to a third place showing with a time of 41:18.02. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she was a second team All-ECC honoree as a freshman in 2021.

Skye Dorcely (Senior / Buffalo, N.Y. / Second Team - Hammer Throw) - Dorcely took part in the shot put, hammer throw and javelin and posted a personal best toss 35.64 meters in the hammer, which placed her fourth out of 14 entrants. It marks her third career All-ECC selection. She also took home second team honors in the hammer throw at the 2021 Outdoor Championships and claimed ECC medalist honors in the weight throw at the 2022 Indoor Championships with a program-record toss of 13.73 meters.

Alexis Rodriguez (Freshman / Williamson, N.Y. / Second Team - Pole Vault) - Rodriguez earned all-conference honors for the first time, as she placed fourth in the pole vault with a leap of 2.17 meters.

Becca Schultz (Freshman / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - 100-Meter Hurdles ) - Schultz took part in four events and earned points in all four. She earned All-ECC honors in the 110 meter hurdles after placing fourth with a time of 16.58 seconds. She qualified for the finals in the 100-meter dash after posting a personal best time of 12.91 seconds in the qualifying round. That time ranks as the eighth fastest time in program history. She would place sixth in the finals (13.11). She would also place sixth in the long jump with a personal best leap of 4.89 meters and fifth in the triple jump (9.84 meters).

Hannah Thomas (Graduate Student / Cheektowaga, N.Y. / Second Team - 1,500 Meters) - Thomas earned second team all-conference honors for the second straight year, this season in the 1,500 meters. She finished third out of 17 runners with a personal best time of 4:56.20—eclipsing her previous best of 4:58.53 she posted at the 2022 Geneseo Early Season Invitational. Also a member iof the Daemen cross country team, this is her first All-ECC recognition during the outdoor track & field season and her fourth overall selection. She earned second team All-ECC in the 800 meters during the 2022 and 2023 Indoor Championships and also eaned second team All-ECC in cross country this past fall.

Daemen's 4x800 Meter Relay Team of Grzebinski, Nguyen, Bailey and Thomas placed first with a time of 10.01.69, which ranks as the fourth fastest time in program history.

The following member's of the Daemen men's track & field team earned All-ECC.

Dominic Clementi (Senior / Barker, N.Y. / First Team - 800 Meters) - Clementi ran the 800 meters for the third time this season and placed second out of 15 runners with a time of 1:58.51. It ranks as his best time this season and his second-best time overall. A four-year member of the team, he earned All-ECC honors in four different events over his career. He earned second team honors during the outdoor season in the 400 meters as a sophomore and the 1,500 meters as a junior. This past indoor season he earned second team All-ECC in the 1,000 meters. He was also a member of Daemen's 4x800 relay team that placed second at the the 2021 ECC Outdoor Championships. He will exit the program with three team records, as he owns the indoor mark for the 600 meters (1:25.01) and outdoor standards for the 400 meters (51.09 seconds) and the 1,500 meters (4:05.40). A four-year member of the Daemen cross country team, he earned first team All-ECC honors this past fall after placing seventh at the ECC Men's Cross Country Championships.

Erik Matthews (Graduate Student / Galway, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - 110 Meter Hurdles / First Team - 400 Meter Hurdles) - Matthews outstanding three-year career came to end this past week at the ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He placed first out of seven entrants in the 110-meter hurdles with a program-record time of 15.94 seconds—eclipsing the previous record of 16.04 seconds he set last weekend at the St. John Fisher Cardinal Classic. He would place second out of seven entrants in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.23 seconds, which ranks as the second fastest time in program history. Matthews, who spent his first two years at Daemen on the men's soccer team, caps his career with eight All-ECC awards, four ECC individual titles and four program record times, as he owns the indoor records for the 60 meter hurdles (8.69 seconds) and the 400 meter dash (51.05 seconds) and the outdoor records for the 110 meter hurdles (15.94 seconds) and the 400 meter hurdles (56.08 seconds).

Henry Moffitt (Graduate Student / Sydney, Australia / First Team - High Jump / First Team Triple Jump) - Moffitt closed out his five year career at the ECC Outdoor Championships this past Thursday and placed second in both the high jump and the triple jump. He posted a leap of 1.80 meters in the high jump, which ranks as the seventh best effort in program history. His leap of 12.17 meters in the triple jump ranks as the ninth best effort in program history. Moffitt, who has also played on the Daemen men's volleyball team the past five seasons, caps his career with seven All-ECC awards, one ECC individual title (2021 outdoor triple jump) and four program records, as he owns the indoor records for the high jump (1.89 meters) and triple jump (12.61 meters) and the outdoor standards for the high jump (1.90 meters) and the triple jump (13.17 meters).

Hessen Bahgat (Junior / Fredonia, N.Y. / Second Team - Discus) - Bahgat took part in the shot put, discus and javelin and earned second team All-ECC honors in the discus after placing third with a toss of 33.35 meters. He placed fifth in shot put with a personal best toss of 10.79 meters and 10^th in the javelin (32.73 meters). The program record holder in the pole vault (3,75 meters), this marks his second career All-ECC nod after earning first team honors in the pole vault in 2021.

Steven Blatto (Junior / Lancaster, N.Y. / Second Team - 10,000 Meters) - Blatto earned all-conference honors for the first time, as he placed fourth in the 10,000 meters with a personal best time of 33:45.77.

Jake Elias (Sophomore / Depew, N.Y. / Second Team - Discus) - Elias earned all-conference honors for the first time, as he placed fourth in the discus with a personal best toss of 32.71 meters.

Aidan Kincaid (Freshman / Orchard Park, N.Y. / Second Team - 10,000 Meters) - Kincaid earned all-conference honors in track & field for the first time, as he ran the 10,000 meters for the first time in his career and placed third with a time of 33:43.13--which ranks as the fifth fastest time in program history. He also ran the 5,000 meters and would finish eighth with a time of 16:53.19. Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he earned second team All-ECC and was named ECC Rookie of the Year for finishing first among all freshmen at the ECC Championships this past fall.

Jon Moote (Junior / Wilson, N.Y. / Second Team - 1,500 Meters / Second Team - 5,000 Meters ) - Moote placed fourth in both the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters to earn second team All-ECC honors in both events. He placed fourth out of 16 runners in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:09.24, which is less than a second shy of his personal best time (4:08.98) and ranks as the fourth fastest time in program history. He would cap his day by placing fourth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 15:46.18, which also ranks as the fourth fastest time in program history. He now owns three of the top five times in program history for the 5,000 meters. As a freshman Moote was a member of Daemen's 4x800 meter relay team that earned second team All-ECC honors in 2021 and he collected first team All-ECC honors as a sophomore during the 2022 ECC Indoor Championships in the mile run. Moote is the current program record holder for both the indoor (9:04.55) and outdoor (8:43.94) 3,000 meters. Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he earned first team All-ECC honors in cross country this past fall.

Connor O'Brien (Junior / Hamburg, N.Y. / Second Team - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase) - O'Brien earned second team All-ECC in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the second time in his three-year career after placing third with a time of 10:09..91, just under three seconds shy of his program-record time of 10:07.00. He nearly earned All-ECC honors in the 800 meters as well, placing fifth with a time of 2:03.29, which ranks as the second-best time in his career. Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he has earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country each of the last two seasons.

The Daemen women placed third out of seven at the 2023 East Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, while the men placed fourth out of six teams.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 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.

Follow the Daemen College women's track & field program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenXCTF.

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