Daemen Collects A Record 21 All-Conference Honors In Outdoor Track & Field

Wildcats Claim Six Conference Titles

5/7/2024 11:21:00 AM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen University was well represented on the East Coast Conference 2024 Outdoor Track & Field All-Conference teams, as a record 21 student-athletes from Daemen earned the honor this spring. The Daemen women had a record 13 All-ECC representatives, while the men had eight. The previous standard for women's selections (11) and overall selections (20) was set last year (2023). The eight representatives for the men was one shy of the program record set last spring.

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 2024 ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which were held last Thursday (May 2) at Roberts Wesleyan University.

In addition to the 21 all-conference honors, Daemen also had six individual champions, 13 individual medalists and two relay team medalists.

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

Emma Cain (Junior / Lockport, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - 10,000 Meters) - A second team honoree in the same event the past two seasons, Cain took medalist honors and earned first team honors in the 10,000 meters this season after placing first with a time of 41:12.95. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country in 2021 and 2023.

Courtney Merrill (Graduate Student / Speedway, Ind. / First Team & Conference Champion - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase) - Merrill competed in the 3,000 meter steeplechase for just the second time in her career and earned first team All-ECC honors after placing second with a personal best time of 11:50.82, which ranks as the third fastest time in program history. It marks the first time she has earned all-conference honors at the ECC Outdoor Championships. She is a three time All-ECC honoree during the indoor season, twice for the mile and once for the 3,000 meters. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country the past three seasons.

Kristen Oliver (Freshman / Grand Island, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - Hammer Throw) - Oliver capped off an outstanding rookie season, as she placed second in the hammer throw and earned first team All-ECC honors. She posted a program record toss of 44.27 meters, eclipsing the previous record of 43.93 meters she set at the Dave Labor Invitational earlier this year. Oliver now owns four of the top six hammer throw marks in program history. Oliver earned medalist honors and first team All-ECC recognition in the weight throw at the ECC Indoor Championships this past February.

Alexis Rodriguez (Sophomore / Williamson, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - 400 Meter Hurdles) - Rodriguez placed first out of 13 entrants in the 400-meter hurdles with a program-record time of 1:04.49, breaking the previous record of 1:06.68 she set at the Brockport Outdoor Multi earlier this year. She becomes the first Daemen athlete to win the 400-meter hurdles at the ECC Outdoor Championships. She was a second team All-ECC honoree in the pole vault at last year's ECC Outdoor Championships.

Tima Abdellatif (Graduate Student / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - Hammer Throw) - Abdellatif earned All-ECC honors in the hammer throw for the second straight season. The defending champion, she placed third this season with a toss of 41.54 meters--which ranks as the fifth best mark in program history. She also earned second team All-ECC honors in the weight throw at the ECC Indoor Championships this past February.

Camryn Bailey (Senior / Geneva, N.Y. / Second Team - 1,500 Meters & 5,000 Meters) - Bailey earned All-ECC honors in both the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters for the third straight season. She was the top Daemen finisher in the 1,500 meters and placed fourth out of 17 overall with a time of 4:56.02 and then placed third in the 5,000 meters with a time of 19:22.80. Bailey has now earned All-ECC recognition 10 times during her track & field career, four during the indoor season and six during the outdoor season. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she earned first team All-ECC honors in cross country this past fall.

Elizabeth Bentley (Junior / Belmont, N.Y. / Second Team - Hammer Throw) - Bentley earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career, as she placed fourth in the hammer throw with a personal best throw of 39.75 meters.

Samantha Kabel (Sophomore / Alexander, N.Y. / Second Team - Discus) - Kabel earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career, as she placed fourth in the discus with a personal best toss of 33.78 meters, which ranks as the third best mark in program history.

Alexis Nguyen (Sophomore / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase) - Nguyen earned all-conference honors for the second time, as she placed fourth in the 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 13:17.76. She earned first team honors in the pole vault last spring.

Patsy Oberholzer (Sophomore / Greece, N.Y. / Second Team - 5,000 Meters) - Oberholzer earned second team All-ECC honors in the 5,000 meters for the second straight year, as she placed fourth with a time of 19:35.69. A first team All-ECC honoree in the 10,000 meters last spring, she is now a four-time All-ECC honoree in track & field--once during the indoor season and three times during the outdoor season. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country this past fall.

Hayley Pizur (Sophomore / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - 10,000 Meters) - Pizur earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career. She ran the 10,000 meters for just the second time in her career and placed fourth with a personal time of 44:48.55.

Becca Schultz (Sophomore / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - 100 Meter Hurdles ) - Schultz earned All-ECC honors in the 110 meter hurdles for the second straight year. She qualified for the finals in the 100-meter hurdles after placing second out of 10 in the preliminary round with a school-record time of 15.62 seconds. She would break the school record again in the finals, as she placed third with a time of 15.54 seconds. She now owns seven of the top 10 100-meter hurdle times in program history. Also a goalkeeper for the women's soccer team, she earned second team All-ECC honors in soccer this past fall.

Hannah Thomas (Graduate Student / Cheektowaga, N.Y. / Second Team - 800 Meters) - Thomas earned All-ECC recognition in the 800 meters for the second time in her career. She ran the 800 for the 16^th time in her career and placed fourth out of 11 entrants with a school-record time of 2:18.61, eclipsing the previous standard of 2:19.62 set by Hannah Rice at the 2015 ROC City Classic. Thomas now owns three of the top five 800-meter times in program history. She earned second team all-conference honors in the 1,500 meters last spring and is a six-time All-ECC honoree during her track & field career--three during the indoor season and three during the outdoor season. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she earned second team All-ECC in cross country for the second straight season this past fall.

Daemen's 4x800 Meter Relay Team of Merrill, Christa Oates (Tonawanda, N.Y.), Bailey and Thomas placed second with a program record time of 9:54.62.

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

John Jaworski (Graduate Student / Naperville, Ill. / First Team & Conference Champion - 100 Meters / First Team & Conference Champion 200 Meters) - Jaworski qualified for the finals of the 100-meter dash after placing fourth out of 18 sprinters in the preliminary round with a school-record time of 10.84 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 10.89 seconds set by Rodney Corbin in 2018. Jaworksi then broke the record again and placed first out of eight sprinters in the finals with a time of 10.73 seconds, setting a new meet record in the process. Jaworski edged Vincent Ohenhen of Staten Island for the title by the slightest of margins, as Jaworski posted an official time of 10.727 seconds, while Ohenhen came in at 10.730. Jaworski then moved onto the 200-meter dash where he placed first out of 23 sprinters with a program-record time of 22.17 seconds. He once again edged out Ohenhen for the title, as Jaworski's official time was 22.166, while Ohenhen came in at 22.168. Jaworski broke his own program record of 22.33 seconds that he set at the University at Buffalo Alumni Invitational on April 20. Jaworski, who was a four-year member of the Daemen men's volleyball team before joining the track & field team this year, becomes the first Daemen sprinter to win the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash at the ECC Outdoor Championships.

Adam Kamagate (Sophomore / Hilton, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - 110 Meter Hurdles) - Kamagate placed first out of eighth entrants in the 110-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 15.45 seconds, eclipsing the previous record of 15.69 seconds he set at the Brockport Outdoor Multi earlier this year. He now owns the top three 110-meter hurdle times in program history. Kamagate edge Damilola Babaola of Queens for the title, as Babaola placed second with a time of 15.48 seconds. He becomes the second-straight Daemen athlete to win the 110-meter hurdles at the ECC Outdoor Championships, as Erik Matthews took the title last year. It is the second All-ECC honor for Kamagate, who earned first team honors in the 60 meter hurdles at the ECC Indoor Championships this past February.

Connor O'Brien (Senior / Hamburg, N.Y. / First Team & Conference Champion - 3,000 Meter Steeplechase) - O'Brien participated in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for the eighth time in his career and placed first out of 10 entrants with a time of 10:04.26, which ranks as the second fastest time in program history behind his program record of 9:57.19. He becomes the first athlete in program history to win the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the ECC Outdoor Championships. He earned second team All-ECC honors in this event in 2021 and 2023. Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he has earned second team All-ECC honors in cross country each of the last three seasons.

Hessen Bahgat (Senior / Fredonia, N.Y. / Second Team - Discus) - Bahgat earned second team honors in the discus for the second straight year. He placed fourth with a personal best throw of 39.34 meters, which ranks second best in program history. The program record holder in the pole vault (3.75 meters), he earned All-ECC honors in the pole vault in 2021 and 2022.

Michael Christensen (Freshman / Grand Island, N.Y. / Second Team - Hammer Throw) - Christensen earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career, as he placed fourth out of 13 in the hammer throw with a toss of 40.15 meters.

CJ Johnson (Freshman / Baltimore, Md. / Second Team - 800 Meters ) - Johnson ran the 800 meters for the fifth time this season and placed fourth out of 17 runners with a personal best time of 2:00.92. Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he earned first team All-ECC honors and ECC Rookie of the Year in cross country this past fall.

Jon Moote (Senior / Wilson, N.Y. / Second Team - 5,000 Meters ) - Moote placed third out of 10 runners with a time of 15:53.55, which ranks as the eighth fastest time in program history. Moote now owns six of the top eighth 5,000-meter times in program history. It marks the second straight season he has earned All-ECC honors in the 5,000 meters. He is now a five time All-ECC honoree during his track & field career, two during the indoor season and three during the outdoor season. Moote is the current program record holder for both the indoor (9:04.55) and outdoor (8:43.94) 3,000 meters and the outdoor 10,000 meters (32:27.98). Also a member of the Daemen cross country team, he has earned first team All-ECC honors in cross country the past two seasons.

Tyler Prescott (Freshman / Cheektowaga, N.Y. / Second Team - Triple Jump) - Prescott earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career, as he took fourth place in the triple jump with a personal best leap of 12.53 meters, which ranks as the fifth best mark in program history.

Daemen's 4x800 Meter Relay Team of O'Brien, Ethan Keating (Wooster, Ohio), Matthew Strasser (Alden, N.Y.) and Johnson placed second with a time of 8:24.81, which ranks as the fifth-best time in program history.

The Daemen women placed third out of eight teams at the 2024 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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