Feb. 2, 2008

Complete Results

NEW YORK - The St. John's track & field team earned three individual titles at the Indoor Metropolitan Championships hosted on Thursday and Friday.

The Red Storm finished fifth out of 13 teams with a team score of 89 points and earned four ECAC qualifying marks.

After the first day of competition at Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., the Red Storm led the 13 team field with a first place win by senior Dominique Eason in the weight throw. Her throw of 15.07 meters (49' 5.5") was good for 10 points and a third place finish in the Millrose Games, which coincided with the Metropolitan Championships for the weight throw competition. Freshman Rachel Williams placed fifth in the event and earned four additional points for the Red Storm. Williams and Eason earned seven more points at Friday's shot put event with a fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively.

On Friday, St. John's continued its run at the team title at the Armory, adding two additional individual Metropolitan Champions to the team's scorecard.

In the high jump competition, freshman Priscilla Frederick soared above the competition finishing first with a new season-high jump of 1.75 meters (5' 9") in her debut at the Metropolitan Championships. The freshman's jump bumps her up to third on St. John's Indoor Top Times/Scores List. She is the first Red Storm athlete to make it onto the top high jump list since 1995. Frederick is currently 1.5 inches away from tying Michele Holly for the top spot.

Junior Venisa Clarke-Lee was the high jump runner-up with a distance of 1.65 meters (5' 5"). Frederick and Clarke-Lee were seeded first and second, respectively going into Friday's championship. The pair earned 18 points for the team score. Both Frederick and Clarke-Lee have previously qualified for both the BIG EAST and ECAC Championships.

Junior Phobay Kutu-Akoi earned the Red Storm's third individual title with a season-best time in the 60-meter dash. Her first place time of 7.60 seconds also qualified her for the ECAC Championships. Classmate Paula Rennalls finished third with an ECAC mark of 7.74 seconds. The duo earned 18 points for St. John's. Freshman Kate Dulmovits also competed in the event finishing 14th with a time of 8:05 seconds.

Rennalls was also the Indoor Metropolitan runner-up in the 200-meter dash, falling short to Seton Hall's Jernail Hayes. Rennalls finished with a career-best, ECAC qualifying time of 24.75 seconds. The time places Rennalls at sixth in the Red Storm's Indoor Top Times List. Kutu-Akoi finished fifth in the event at 24.99, also an ECAC qualifying mark; while Dulmovits finished 13th, clocking in at 25.75.

Also earning points toward the team score was junior Tyneka Greene who finished fifth in the 1,000-meter run at 3:03.48.

In the long jump, sophomore Fayanne Francis and graduate student Kellie Brown finished sixth and seventh, respectively, and earned five combined points with their distances of 5.39 meters (17' 8.2") and 5.38 meters (17' 7.8"). Brown also earned four points for St. John's in the triple jump with a BIG EAST qualifying distance of 11.29 meters (37' 0.5"). Francis, freshman Bintou Dibba and junior Marie Griffiths finished ninth, 10th and 14th, respectively, in the same event.

Freshman Ashlee Payne placed sixth in the 500-meter dash, clocking in at 1:18.48, also good for three points. Sophomore Asia Nettles earned four points for the team with a fifth place time of 58.70 in the 400-meter dash. Freshman Rene Cousins earned one point with an eight place time of 58.95 in the same event. Fellow freshman Sarah Sudbury finished sixth with three points in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.24.

The Red Storm Relays earned a combined eight points with a seventh place time of 9:52.81 in the 800-meter relay and a third place time of 3:54.75 in the 400-meter relay.

Next on the schedule for the St. John's track & field team, is either a return to Coxe Cage in New Haven, Conn., for the Yale Invite; or its back to the Armory for some great indoor competition at the New Balance Invitational. Both events will be held Feb. 8-9.