PRINCETON, N.J. - With just two weeks remaining until the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships, the Manhattan College men's and women's outdoor track & field teams headed to Princeton University's Weaver Stadium for the Larry Ellis Invitational on Saturday. The Jaspers enjoyed several top performances, including Kevin D'Emic's (Rockaway Point, N.Y.) IC4A-qualifying effort in the 800 meters.
Running in the elite section of the 800 on Friday night, D'Emic reached the qualifying standard for the IC4A Championships. He finished 14th overall in a time of 1:51.51. Mikael Rojeras (Sala, Sweden) notched a season-best clocking of 1:52.63, while Greg Perrier (Dix Hills, N.Y.) posted a time of 1:54.32. The Jaspers also just missed qualifying for the IC4A Championships in the 4x400 meter relay. The team of Tyrek Barney (Hempstead, N.Y.), Sheldon Derenoncourt (Patchogue, N.Y.), Carlos Petrovich (Yonkers, N.Y.) and Greg Hodge (Brewster, N.Y.) recorded a time of 3:17.65, just .05 off the IC4A automatic qualifier.
In Saturday's events, the Jaspers were led by their field event contingent. Anastas Papazov (Balchik, Bulgaria) was second overall, and the top collegian, in the men's hammer throw. His best effort was 63.69 meters (208 feet, 11 inches). In the men's javelin, Phil Ragan (Belmar, N.J.) placed third with a toss of 62.84 m (206'2), while Roman Ewald (Olching, Germany) took fifth in the discus (49.53 m, 162'6). Brian McGovern (Yonkers, N.Y.) topped his season-best by one centimeter in the pole vault, taking third place with a clearance of 4.96 m (16'3¼).
On the women's side, Heidy Palacios (Yonkers, N.Y.) turned in a 10th-place showing in the 400 meters (56.24). Doreen Horschig (Lumpzig, Germany) posted a time of 14.60 seconds to secure 11th place in the 100 meter hurdles, and Emmy Koskinen's (Sodertalje, Sweden) season-best effort of 2:15.49 in the 800 was good enough for 16th place. In the women's triple jump, Jordan Rand (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished 13th with a best effort of 11.10 m (36'5).
Next week, select Jaspers will head to Philadelphia for one of the most prestigious meets in the world-the 118th Penn Relays. Manhattan will also send athletes to the Yale Springtime Invitational next Sunday.