Martines, Floyd-Bennett, Waleski, and Hightower Appear on First CACC Track & Field Weekly Report
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New Haven, Conn. – (3/31/2016) – Early-season successes put four Griffins on the first installment of the CACC Track & Field Weekly Report as sophomore Giancarlo Martines (Cherry Hill, N.J.), freshman Raevon Floyd-Bennett (Union City, N.J.), senior Noel Hightower (Easton, Pa.), and freshman Erica Waleski (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) all received recognition. Martines was named the CACC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week while Floyd-Bennett and Waleski were the respective Men’s and Women’s Track Rookies of the Week. Hightower was an Honor Roll mention for the CACC Field Athlete of the Week.
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Joining a host of local collegiate institutions at the University of Pennsylvania’s legendary Franklin Field, Chestnut Hill College enjoyed if first outdoor competition of the spring on Saturday, March 19. Building toward the upcoming CACC Championships, Hightower finished third in the 110-Meter Hurdles with a time of 16.10 while Martines hustled to a ninth place finish in the 3,000-Meter Run with a time of 8:39.63. Meanwhile on the women’s side, Waleski and Erica Dukleth (Murrieta, Calif.) respectively ran 19th (5:34.48) and 20th (5:35.47) in the 1,500-Meter Run.
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In addition to Hightower and Martines’ performances, the Griffins also received a top-five finish from senior Manon Purnell (Philadelphia, Pa.) and a top-10 finish from junior Eric Barton (Colora, Md.). Purnell placed fifth (53.33) in the 400-Meter Dash while Barton ran ninth (7:27.58) in the 2,000-Meter Steeplechase. Junior Samuel Mondello (Staten Island, N.Y.) offered a 22nd (4:17.35) place finish in the 1,500-Meter Run, which was supported by a 29th (4:30.51) place finish from Raevon Floyd-Bennett (Union City, N.J.).
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For the second straight Saturday, March 26, the Chestnut Hill College men’s and women’s track and field teams tested their mettle against local competition. This time at the St. Joseph’s College Spring Opener where the women saw some middle distance success and Martines highlighted the men’s effort with a second place (1:59.55) finish in the 800-Meter Run. The Griffin women had their best team effort in the 800-Meter Run, where four Chestnut Hill College representatives finished among the top 15 finishers.
?Waleski was the first Griffin across the line in the women’s 800-Meter Run. She finished sixth with a time of 2:36.42 and was followed by fellow freshmen Raquel Lopez (East Meadow, N.Y.) (8th, 2:36.95), Amy Lombard (Pennsauken, N.J.) (11th, 2:42.66), and Dukleth (14th, 2:53.28). Their classmate, freshman Sabrina Castano (Paterson, N.J.) placed 20th (16.09) in the 100-Meter Dash and 25th (33.77) in the 200-Meter Dash before anchoring the Griffins’ 4x100-Meter Relay which placed ahead of the Lehman College constituency. The Scarlet and Gold also participated in the 4x400-Meter Relay (4th, 4:47.67), the Sprint Medley Relay (2nd, 4:56.77), and the Distance Medley Relay (2nd, 13:50.23).
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In addition to his second place finish in the 800-Meter Run, Martines was also part of a second place finish (3:31.82) in the 4x400-Meter Relay. Floyd-Bennett who was also part of that medley team, was the lead runner in the Griffins’ first place (10:41.97) effort in the Distance Medley Relay. He also paced the Griffins’ constituency in the 200-Meter Dash with his 11th (24.17) place finish. Behind him was Purnell (15th, 24.59) and sophomore Ediegeo Vanterpool II (Clementon, N.J.) (18th, 24.80).
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The Chestnut Hill College track and field team compete next on Friday, April 1, when they visit Widener University for the Danny Curran Invitational.
