Track and Field Ends America East Indoors With Medals and Records

Published: Tuesday, March 1, 2022

The NJIT track and field teams wrapped up their first-ever America East Indoor Championships Saturday evening on the campus of Boston University.

TEAM STANDINGS
The Highlander men completed their time at the championship meet with 20 points (8th place) while the NJIT women scored 11 points (9th place).

SCORING PERFORMANCES

  • Jacob Leigh earned NJIT's first-ever medal at the Indoor Championships, claiming bronze in the high jump with a school-record-typing leap of 2.00m / 6-6.75 (6 pts). Including his two medals at the 2021 America East Outdoor Championships (silver, 100 meters; bronze, High Jump), Leigh has now earned three individual medals in America East championship competition
  • With his top-three finish, Leigh also earned American East All-Conference honors in the high jump.
  • Leigh earned another bronze in the 4x400 Relay, joining Thomas Van Saders, Eugene Graves III, and Matt Bacchi in breaking the school mark with a time of 3:17.55 (6pts).
  • Matt Bacchi missed bronze in the 500 Meters fina by only .07 seconds with a fourth place time of 1:04.96 (5 pts).
  • Stuti Vyas produced the top individual scoring performance for the Highlander win, placing sixth in the 1000 Meters with a school record time of 2:59.03 (3 pts)
  • Nadia Zhecheva claimed the school freshman record after a seventh place run  (2:17.46) in the 800 meters (2 pts).
  • The 4x400 Relay group of Sydne Nance, Nadia Zhecheva, Grace Burke, and Stuti Vyas took seventh and set a school record with a time of 3:58.65 (2 pts)

FRIDAY SCORING
Both Distance Medley Relays squads recorded points with school record performances. The women's quartet of Stuti Vyas, Grace Burke, Nadia Zhecheva, and Cassandra Raia bested their own record - set earlier this month at the Metropolitan Championships - by nearly 12 seconds (12:28.61) in a fifth place, four-point performance. On the men's side, Matthew Morena, Thomas Van Saders, David Munera, and David Essel shaved 11 seconds off the school record set at the 2019 ASUN Indoor Championships with a sixth place, three-point effort of 10:07.84.

OTHER SCHOOL RECORDS SET

NEXT UP
NJIT will prepare for a return to Boston March 5-6 for IC4A/ECACs.