Njoku Sets New Record As Track & Field Shines At Big Apple Invitational

Saturday, February 11

New York, N.Y.

3:00 PM

University of Delaware

Big Apple Invitational

Photo by: NIC TERRY PRODUCTIONS

Njoku Sets New Record As Track & Field Shines At Big Apple Invitational

2/12/2023 12:30:00 PM | Track & Field

NEW YORK – The University of Delaware track & field team competed in their last regular-season indoor meet Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Big Apple Invitational inside Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N.Y. The Blue Hens continued to trend upward by setting 23 new personal best records with the shining moment coming once again from Chioma Njoku leading the way.

This time on her fourth attempt, Njoku saw her weight fly through the air for a new school- and personal-best record of 20.15m (66' 1.5") to win the event. Njoku once again beat her own school record of 19.20m (63'), a mark she just set last week at the Scarlet Knight Open (Feb. 3-4).

Seven athletes joined Njoku in rewriting the Blue Hen record book on Saturday. On the track side, Aja Davis led the way where she opened the afternoon in the 60m dash winning the preliminaries with a time of 7.50 and won the finals with a time of 7.49. Later on that evening in the 200m, Davis crossed the finish line first with a personal best time of 24.37, which now ranks fourth in the record books.

The rookie Taylor Johnson was right behind Davis in setting personal-best records in both the 60m dash and 200m. Johnson ran a PR time of 7.73 (third place) in the 60m prelims before finishing in fourth in the finals with a time of 7.76. In the 200m, Johnson finished in third place with a PR time of 25.03, which now ranks ninth all time in the UD record books.

The distance event group also showed out with Nina Sgambelluri and Sarah Daniels represented the Blue Hens well in the mile and 3000m events, respectively. Sgambelluri and Daniels both captured second place after posting a personal-best time of 4:56.10 and 9:53.38, respectively. Both times sits eighth all-time in the record books.

The leaping Jahnia Hodge set a personal-best mark of 11.57m (37' 11.5") in the triple jump to finish in third place. Hodge's mark remains fifth all-time in the record books. Meredith Krieger tied for seventh place in the pole vault with a mark of 3.51m (11' 6.25"), which sits in 10th place in the record books. Kosie Nkwonta posted a mark of 13.70m (44' 11.5") in the shot put to finish in second place and sit fifth all-time in the history books.

NOTABLE BLUE HEN PERFORMANCES
Biola Adeleye: Triple Jump: PR 35'10" (10.92m) (third place)
Grace Chesley: 3000m - PR 10:53.62 (20th place)
Amber Cray: 200m - PR 26.76 (30th place)
Marissa Dailey: Mile - PR 5:05.12 (ninth place); 800m - PR 2:21.06 (13th place)
Emily Eckard: Weight Throw: PR 51'06" (15.69m) (eighth place)
Danielle Eshelman: Mile - PR 5:12.94 (13th place)
Katie Hally: 3000m - PR 10:13.66 (seventh place)
Hannah Lindgren: Mile - PR 5:08.92 (10th place)
Jayde McDermid: 60m hurdles - PR 9.64 (15th place)
Autumn Sands: Mile - PR 4:58.50 (fourth place)
Jenna Scandale: 200m - PR 27.20 (39th place); 400m - PR 1:00.74 (24th place)
Carly Schmidt: 400m - PR 58.44 (eighth place)
Hannah Smalley: 1000m - PR 3:02.15 (fifth place)
Lindsey Volkman: 800m - PR 2:20.68 (11th place)

WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hens will return to action on Feb. 22-23 to compete in the first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships inside the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.

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