March 2, 2015 BOSTON, Mass. - University of Maryland Eastern Shore track & field runners, jumpers and throwers had one last opportunity to compete in postseason play as they competed at the Boston Last Chance Meet Sunday in New England. The day proved perfect for several Hawks on the bubble, while others bolstered their position on the final meet of the indoor regular season.
For the Lady Hawks, one runner beat the qualifying mark for the first time this season. Freshman Dypna Umunakwe (Bronx, N.Y.) finished the 200 meter dash with a time of 24.18 seconds, meeting the standards of the IC4As. She joins three other freshman from the women's team who will return to Boston next week. Fellow first year players Royce Aiken (Wilmington, Del.), Aliah Cherry (Waldorf, Md.) and Loundy Desire (Queens Village, N.Y.) also qualified for the 200 meter dash.
On the men's side, sophomore Sodiq Amusat (Lanham, Md.) qualified in the 800 meter run for the first time with a pace of 1:53.70. Freshman Oussama Chouati (Manresa, Spain) got past the standard in the 3000 meter run with his time of 8:24.10. In the field, sophomore Naje Benton (Philadelphia, Pa.) qualified in the long jump with a distance of 7.05 meters, finishing first in the Last Chance Meet with that mark.
Although he already earned his spot in Boston for next weekend, senior Dillon Simon (Roseau, Dominica) improved on his mark. His distance of 19.30 meters broke his own school record for the fourth time this season, and placed him third among ECAC qualifiers.
Other Lady Hawks who qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Championships include sophomore Rachel Halmon (Waldorf, Md.), junior Jheniel Kelly (Edgewood, Md.) and senior Shantol Hemley (St. Catherine's, Jamaica), who will each compete in the 800 meter run, and sophomore Shelasia Leitch (Newark, N.J.) who will compete in both the 60 meter hurdles and the long jump. Fellow sophomore Shauntel Lucius (Newark, N.J.) will partake in the triple jump, and the two relay teams and distance medley team will also be running.
The men will also bring several athletes to Boston. Sophomore Khalil Rmidi Kinini (Malaga, Spain) will run in three races-the mile, 3000 meter and 5000 meter runs-and a third sophomore, Taj Showalter (Anchorage, Ak.) will compete in the 60 meter hurdles.
On the field side, sophomore Nicarge Arnold (Castries, St. Lucia) will join Kerr and Benton in the long jump, and Benton will join Kerr in the triple jump. Simon will also compete in the weight throw along with senior Rico Duncan (Cheverly, Md.).
The IC4A/ECAC Championships will begin on Friday and last thru Sunday, taking place at Boston University.
UMES participants will start running, jumping and throwing on Saturday beginning at 9:45 a.m. until approximately 6:30 in the evening. Sunday's events will run from 9:30 a.m. unitl mid-afternoon. The meet will be hosted at the Terriers' Track & Tennis Center.
