Record Breaking Season for Crusader Track and Field
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer Sekyah Chestnut
On February 18, 2024, the Crusader track and field team finished up their 2024 indoor track and field season. This final meet of the season featured many exciting performances. These performances came together to make the men place third overall and the women place fifth; the highest overall placement in respective program histories.
The highly anticipated two-day meet kicked off with the distance medley relay, resulting in a podium finish for the crusader men ending in third place. This started the momentum for the team, with many other athletes posting exciting performances. Newcomers Sekani Coleman, Orlando Descartes, and Dayzhuan Gooding-Williams each made the podium in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump. Also, team veterans Kelly Hay, Thomas Thierfelder, and Jesse Coleman lead the team to the podium, with Coleman taking first place in the men’s 400m, Hay placing third in the men’s pole out, and Thierfelder placing second in the 800m, winning his 5th medal in the event. The men’s team ended the meet placing second in the 4x400m relay.
Not to be forgotten, the women’s team made exciting performances as well. Isabelle Flores and Karolina Colon placed first and third in the 60m hurdles for the 2nd year in a row, resulting in a new school record and personal best for Flores. The women’s 4x400m relay team ended the championship with a podium visit, placing third in the event.
Led by Coaches Dan Finanger, Amy Cerdeiras, and Tomas Cerdeiras. When speaking with Coach T. Cerdeiras, he stated that he was, “very excited to see what we do this outdoor season. We have a lot of great returners hungry to win and many newcomers excited to show what they can do as well, so I know we’ll do great things this year.” You can see the team bring this momentum into their outdoor season beginning on March 1st and 2nd at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington or support digitally by following the team throughout the season on their Instagram at @abbeycctrack.
This article was originally posted in the Spring 2024, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
