The University of Rhode Island men’s and women’s track and field teams both found success over the weekend as the host school for the Coaches Tribute Meet, where the men placed first and the women took second.
The Men’s track and field remained unbeaten as they won the Coaches tribute meet over the weekend defeating over twelve teams.
The Rams scored 93 points, followed by New Hampshire (83.5), Central Connecticut State (68), Stonehill (57.5), Brown (53), Providence (50), Merrimack (32), UMass Dartmouth (30), American International (28), Rhode Island College (24), Bryant (16), Eastern Connecticut (7) and UMass Boston (2). This is the Rams’ fourth Coaches Tribute title in five years.
The Rams got the win with help from a huge performance by Junior Nigel Hill who won both the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dashes, posting times of 6.92 seconds and 22.03 seconds, respectively. Coach John Copeland praised his performance
“He had a very good meet,” Copeland said. “He had been having time issues lately and he had a good start in both dashes he won.”
The success was not limited to Hill, as the team won 17 of 19 events in a balanced, well-rounded effort. It was a blend of both upper and underclassmen gelling together in unison. Freshman Eric Wicks won the high jump with a height of 1.99 meters, while senior pole vaulter Ondrej Honka won the pole vault, adding his name to the list of Rams collecting weekly awards this season as he was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Performer of the Week.
The Women’s team also enjoyed a strong team performance on Saturday at the Coaches Tribute. They placed second with a total of 118.75 points, finishing closely behind UMass Amherst, (125.5). The next finisher, Holy Cross finished well behind for third place with 81 points.
It was the underclassmen for the women that stepped up as well, with freshman Juleen Lewis placing first in the long jump, (18′ 10″) and second in the 60 meter dash. The victorious 4 x 400 meter relay team was also rife with youth, as freshmen Kristina MacLure and Gabrielle Curtis, sophomore Mikaila Amerantes contributing to the win, with senior Dyshelle pemberton providing the veteran leadership. The team in general, impressed the coaches, who feel URI is primed for a memorable showing at the upcoming A-10 CHampionships.
“I think the preparation is going well,” Assistant Coach John Melnick said. “We have been pleased with our performances pretty much all season. It is always hard to break down the A-10 meet on the women’s side as there are five or six teams that will really be in contention. I think as we get through this final weekend that is where we can really sit down who is potentially going where for what team, and how that impacts us.”
Both teams will head to Boston, Massachussetts for the David Hemery Invitational Saturday and then travel to George Mason the following weekend for the much-anticipated A-10 Championships.