SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The UMass Dartmouth women's and men's track and field teams concluded action at the 2024 Division III New England Championships, hosted by Mount Holyoke College. The Corsairs men posted ninth overall of 34 teams, while the women had a number of solid finishes, but did not record any points in the standings.
Saturday's track action opened with the men's 4x100-meter relay as the foursome of rookie Justin Andrade, junior Xavier Manuel, sophomore Jalen Castillo and rookie Yan De La Rosa finished 14th overall with a time of 42.84. Next up was senior Cameron Rodgers, who finished second overall in the 110-meter hurdles with a mark of 14.51.
Next up in the 400-meter dash, junior Nico LaCortiglia placed 18th with a time of 50.18. In the 400-meter hurdles, Rodgers returned and claimed victory in his signature event, posting a time of 52.27 – a mark that ranks currently as the fifth-fastest time in Division III this season, but also a season-best mark.
Graduate student
Emma Steedman was next up in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing 15th overall with a time of 12:13.61.
In the men's 4x800-meter relay, the foursome of rookies Zach Shute and Cameron Thompson along with graduate students Vinny Gardner and John Ziegler posted a time of 8:04.13 - good for 11th overall. The men's 4x400-meter relay saw rookies RJ Stone and De La Rosa, along with sophomore James Christie and LaCortiglia finished 15th overall with a season-best time of 3:28.78.
The final track event of the day saw the women's 4x400-meter relay of junior
Julia Latura and sophomores
Isabella Taccogna and
Tori Schweitzer and
Grace Russell place 16th overall with a season-best time of 4:24.73.
The field events saw senior
Kate Hockenbury post 15th overall in the women's shot put, recording a throw of 11.22 meters (36-09.75), while the men's high jump saw Vincenzo Videtta place 16th overall with a mark of 1.84 meters (6-00.50).
In the men's discus, Joseph Uwanogho placed 20th with a throw of 40.05 meters (131-04), while in the triple jump, rookie Zyeem Charles notched a distance of 13.12 meters (43-00.50) – placing 11th overall.
Qualified members of both teams return to action next Friday and Saturday at the NEICAAA Open New England Championships. This year's meet will be hosted at Hart Turf Field and Track by the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
