Merrill and Rodriguez Earn USTFCCCA All-Region Honors

5/20/2024 4:10:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. - Courtney Merrill (Speedway, Ind.) and Alexis Rodriguez (Williamson, N.Y.) of the Daemen University women's track & field team have both earned NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field All-Region honors as announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) from the organization's headquarters in New Orleans, La. The top five individuals in each event from each of the eight NCAA Division II regions (Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West) earned the All-Region distinction.

Merrill earns the honor in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Rodriguez collects the honor in the 400-meter hurdles. They become the fifth and sixth student-athletes from Daemen to earn USTFCCCA all-region honors during the outdoor season in program history, joining a select list that includes Mackenzie Donahue, Amy Trabert, Marcy Colca and Kassandra Nolet. Donahue earned the honor in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in 2016 and 2017, while Trabert was also a two-time honoree (2016, 2017) in the 10,000 meters. Colca and Nolet both earned USTFCCCA all-region honors in the 2022, Colca in the 5,000 meters and Nolet in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.

A graduate student, Merrill completed her fifth season with the team this spring. One of the top distance runners on the team and the school-record holder for the 1,500 meters (4:46.78), Merrill competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the first time in her career this spring. She ran it for the first time ever at the Brockport Multi Invitational and placed second out of eight competitors with a time of 12:10.09, which ranks as the fourth best time in program history. She ran it for second time at the ECC Championships and earned first team All-ECC honors after placing second with a time of 11:50.82, which ranks as the third fastest time in program history. A three-time all-conference honoree during her indoor career, it marked the first time she has earned all-conference honors at the ECC Outdoor Championships. Her time ranked as the third best in the East region this season. Also a member of the women's cross country team, Merrill earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country the past three seasons.

A sophomore, Rodriguez competed in all five meets during Daemen's outdoor season and posted five top five finishes and one first place effort. She placed first out of 13 entrants and earned first team all-conference honors in the 400-meter hurdles at the East Coast Conference (ECC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships earlier this month with a program-record time of 1:04.49, breaking the previous record of 1:06.68 she set at the Brockport Outdoor Multi this year. She becomes the first Daemen athlete to win the 400-meter hurdles at the ECC Outdoor Championships. Her school-record time in the 400-meter hurdles at the ECC Championships ranks as the third fastest time in that event in the East region this year.

The Daemen women placed third out of eight teams at the 2024 ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

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.

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