LANDOVER, Maryland — A small travel squad of nine men and nine women led the University of Maryland Eastern Shore track & field team to an improved finish at the 2019 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor Championships. The men's team finished tied for fifth with 30 points while the women took seventh with 26 points.
"I'm very pleased with the outcome of this year's championship." Hawks Head Coach Damion Drummond said. "Bringing a small squad of mostly freshman and sophomores and to finish fifth and seventh speaks volumes."
The men had 11 points and the women had six entering Saturday's (Feb. 23) final. Several players from both teams made contributions to increase the scores.
Two Delmarva products were major factors from the men's side. Wicomico High's Joshua Goslee (Salisbury, Maryland) grabbed third with a 3.80 meter mark in the pole vault. He joins Parkside's Tamunoibi Dabipi (Salisbury, Maryland) who already scored in Friday's weight throw.
Delaware native Shemar Parker (Wilmington, Delaware) finished fourth behind Goslee with a 3.65 catapult in the pole vault. Between him and Goslee the duo netted 11 points for the Hawks.
For the women's team, Luan Gabriel (Roseau, Dominica) upped her personal best time to 57.12 seconds in the 400 meter dash. The time was good for fifth place and four points. Neus Quinonero (Roseau, Dominica) — still contributing while pursuing her masters - added seven points individually between the 800 and mile. She ran a 2:19.85 in the 800 and a 5:09.89 in the mile.
In the field, Attinuke Shittu added another five points with her fourth place finish in the triple jump. The freshman registered her second best mark of the season at 12.05 meters.
One final individual event for the men was Jonathan Robertson (Washington, District of Columbia), who won the tiebreaker for seventh place in the 800 meter. A photo finish of 1:57.277 overcame a time of 1:57.279 from Coppin State's Cheyenne Johnson, adding two points for The Shore.
Both the men and women earned points in the 4x400 relays. Gabriel, Ayanna Lynn (Rockville, Maryland), Naomi English (Kensington, Maryland) and Arianna Krcik (Pasadena, Maryland) took fifth in the women's relay with a time of 3:57.24. The men's team of Janoi Brown (Randallstown, Maryland), Robertson, Jaylin Nelson (Hyattsville, Maryland) and John Akakeya (Staten Island, New York) took eighth with a time of 3:25.02.
The scores marked a four position improvement for the men from a year ago, and a three position improvement for the women.
This weekend's meet concluded the indoor season for most Hawk athletes. Some performers have the opportunity to compete at the IC4A/ECAC Championships in Boston in March. For the rest, their focus turns to the outdoor season, which also begins next month.
