Njoku, Davis Stands Out As Track & Field Competes At Scarlet Knights Open

Friday, February 3

New York, N.Y.

10:00 AM

University of Delaware

Scarlet Knights Open

Njoku, Davis Stands Out As Track & Field Competes At Scarlet Knights Open

2/4/2023 7:19:00 PM | Track & Field

NEW YORK – The University of Delaware track & field team headed to New York to compete at the two-day Scarlet Knights Open, hosted by Rutgers University Feb. 3-4 inside the Armory Track & Field Center. As a unit, the Blue Hens set 26 personal-best times/marks, improved on 10 season-best times/marks, but the shining moment came at the hands of Chioma Njoku's and Aja Davis' record-breaking performances in the weight throw and 60m dash, respectively.

On the fifth attempt, Njoku saw her weight fly through the air for a new school- and personal-best record of 19.20m (63'), which was good enough for a fourth-place finish. Njoku beat her own school record, 19.02m (62' 5"), that she set last season at the 2022 Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational (Feb. 11-12).

Headlining both the 60m dash and 200m for the Blue Hens was Aja Davis. Davis ran the 60m prelims in 7.58 to qualify for the finals and then something beautiful happened. Davis, just a week ago set a new school record, beats it again with a personal-best time of 7.48 to finish in second place. She also added her name in the record books in the 200m, where she crossed the finish line in a personal-best time of 24.61 (sixth place). Davis' 200m time now sits in fifth place in the record books.

Destiny DeBlock also added her name in the UD record books after putting together a great showing in the high jump. DeBlock leaped over the bar with a personal-best mark 1.65m (5-05.00), which placed her in third place in the event. DeBlock's mark now sits tied for seventh place in the history books. DeBlock also made an appearance in the 60m hurdles preliminaries, where she ran a season-best time of 9.49 to cross the finish line in 26th place.

In the 3000m race, Nina Sgambelluri finished in sixth place with a PB time of 9:50.90, which now sits fifth in the record books. Jenna Scandale was the lone Blue Hen running the 600m, where she posted a personal-best time of 1:42.44 (25th place) to land in the UD record books in ninth place.

Cierra Crane and Bridget Joyce both saw their names climb up the record books thanks to their performance in the pole vault. Crane's personal-best 3.68m (12' 0.75") mark gave her a ninth place finish and sits fourth in history while Joyce's personal-best 3.53m (11' 7") mark placed her 16th at the event and sits seventh in history.

The 4x200 relay team of Trinity Tapper, Kamylin Padgham, Shylehn Ebuenga-Smith and Taylor Johnson placed fourth with a time of 1:42.13 while the second squad consisting of Makiyah Cannon-Price, Amber Cray, Jayde McDermid and Ava Scheibe placed 11th with a time of 1:48.82.

The 4x400 relay team of Carly Schmidt, Scandale, Melady Brown and Stephanie Herrera ran a time of 4:07.47, good enough for 13th place. The second squad of Sgambelluri, Marissa Dailey, Hannah Smalley and Carolyn Coletti clocked a time of 4:15.24 (17th place).

NOTABLE BLUE HEN PERFORMANCES
Brown: 400m - SB 1:02.74 (50th place)
Grace Chesley: 5000m - PB 19:04.38 (16th place)
Cray: 60m dash unseeded - PB 8.37 (18th place); 200m - PB 26.99 (54th place)
Bethany Clement: Weight throw - SB 16.79m (55' 1") (second place)
Marissa Dailey: 1000m - PB 3:03.00 (19th place)
Sarah Daniels: 800m - PB 2:20.25 (33rd place); Mile - PB 4:59.63 (12th place)
Danielle Eshelman: Mile - PB 5:18.54 (35th place)
Katie Hally: Mile - PB 5:15.37 (28th place)
Stephanie Herrera: Mile - PB 5:20.15 (40th place)
Tiffany Herrera: 3000m - PB 10:18.65 (15th place)
Johnson: 200m - PB 25.21 (11th place)
Meredith Krieger: Pole Vault - SB 3.38m (11' 1") (20th place)
Molly Lashley: 3000m - PB 10:11.28 (13th place)
Alicia Lenoir: 3000m - SB 11:30.68 (44th place)
Mayson Light: 800m - SB 2:35.37 (57th place)
Hannah Lindgren: 3000m - PB 10:03.98 (ninth place)
Kosie Nkwonta: Shot Put - SB 13.27m (43' 6.5") (third place)
Padgham: 200m - SB 26.32 (39th place)
Kate Rathman: Mile - PB 5:21.88 (44th place)
Autumn Sands: 800m - PB 2:24.29 (42nd place); PB Mile 5:03.57 (15th place)
Scheibe: 60m dash unseeded - SB 8.63 (20th place)
Hannah Smalley: 800m - PB 2:20.59 (35th place)
Tapper: 60m dash prelims - SB 7.77 (14th place)
Lindsey Volkman: 1000m - PB 3:04.79 (21st place)

WHATS NEXT
The Blue Hens will return to action next Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Big Apple Invitational inside the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, N. Y.

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