Williams and Campanian receive Track Athlete of Meet at Nationals
(Wendall Williams won an individual national championship in the 100-meter dash, running 10.57).
(Jack Minasi won an individual national championship in the triple jump, leaping 14.11m).
(The men's 4x100-meter relay won a national championship, posting a 42.35 collectively).
UTICA, NY – Totaling eight national championships between Thursday and Saturday at D’Alessandro Stadium in Utica, NY, the Herkimer Generals men’s and women’s track and field teams placed fifth (74 points) and sixth overall (49 points).
Leading the way again for the men was Wendall Williams (Syracuse, NY). Williams repeated as a nation champ in the 100-meter dash and long jump. He added two more this season in the 200-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay. His 10.57 in the 100 was .27 hundredths of a second better than last year and 7.66m was .03m shorter than a year ago. As for the 200-meter dash, his 21.33 beat Prince George’s Joel Thomas by .47 hundredths. Finally, in the 4x100, Mich Brutus (Irvington, NJ), Joseph Shinn (New Rochelle, NY) and Thomas Gibbs IV (Brooklyn, NY) joined Williams. The group ran a 42.35, edging out Howard Community College by .15 hundredths.
Shinn, just like Williams, repeated as a national champion but this time in the 110-meter hurdles. Shinn finished in third-place in the event one year ago. His 14.52 in 2014 gave him first-place, stumbling across the finish line to make it more dramatic, defeating Howard’s Ian Miles by .05 hundredths.
Capturing the final individual national championship for the men was Jack Minasi (Newport, NY). Minasi jumped his farthest distance this season, leaping 14.11-meters, better than Montgomery College’s Denzel Washington (13.77m) and SUNY Delhi’s Kenny Onyeukwu (13.75m). It was only the third time this season Minasi has competed in the event, getting first place at Ithaca College (13.30m) on April 22nd and seventh at RPI (13.00m) on April 26th.
For the women, Victoria Campanian (Glenfield, NY) captured two individual national championships in the 10,000-meter run and 3,000-meter steeplechase. The freshman posted an 11:22.94 in the steeplechase, her best time of the season by 21 seconds, placing first in the event the third time this season, most recently at the Region III Championship. In the 10,000 Campanian posted a 40:30.69. It was her second-best time of the season, running a 40:25.89 at regionals last week.
Furthermore, Herkimer had three athletes earn second-team All-American honors. Shinn got his in the pole vault (3.93m), Campanian got hers in the 5,000-meter run (20:19.23) and Natasha Woods (Syracuse, NY) got hers in the javelin (31.65m). First team All-American honors went to all first place finishers in their respective event.
Men 5th Overall (74 points)
100-meter Dash (1st 10.57) Williams
200-meter Dash (1st 21.33) Williams
110-meter Hurdles (1st 14.52) Shinn
4x100-meter Relay (1st 42.35) Brutus, Shinn, Gibbs IV and Williams
Pole Vault (2nd 3.93m) Shinn
Long Jump (1st 7.66m, 3rd 7.04m) Williams and Minasi
Triple Jump (1st 14.11m) Minasi
Women 6th Overall (49 points)
400-meter Dash (8th 1:10.50) Nowak
5000-meter Run (2nd 20:19.23) Campanian
10000-meter Run (1st 40:30.69, 7th 44:35.13) Campanian and Murakami
3000-meter Steeplechase (1st 11:22.7) Campanian
Pole Vault (4th 1.86m) West
Discus Throw (4th 31.41m) Richardson
Javelin (2nd 31.65m) Woods
-Giorgio Varlaro; Athletic Website Manager