QU Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Posts Program Record 23 Points, Ties for 13th at ECAC Championships
5/15/2016 10:37:00 PM | Women's Outdoor Track & Field
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Shameal Samuels Wins the 400m ECAC Championship, Becoming the First Bobcat to Win an Event at the ECAC Championships in Program History
By: QU Sports Information
PRINCETON, New Jersey – In an all-around historic afternoon for the Quinnipiac women's outdoor track and field team, the Bobcats wrapped up the ECAC Championships with a program-best 23 total points. The program record point total was good enough to place Bobcats in a tie for 13th out of 55 teams which stands as the best finish for the team at the ECAC Championships in program history. Cornell took the ECAC Championship with a total of 57.5 points.
Assistant Coach Steve Belanger (middle) Pictured With 4x100m Relay Team
"It was a great day and I'm so proud of the entire team for their effort in what is easily one of our most successful meets in program history," said Quinnipiac assistant coach Steve Belanger. "We had four compete in the first four events of the day which was very cool to see. Coaches were starting to take notice throughout the day and coming up to me asking questions about the program. The efforts of these women not only showcased the hard work they've put in but it also helped elevate our program as a whole."
Of all the great performances throughout the weekend, none were more impressive than the ECAC Championship winning 400m dash put forth by Shameal Samuels (Hartford, Connecticut). The senior sprinter continued to pad her resume as one of the best ever in program history, becoming the first Bobcat to take home an ECAC Championship. Racing against the best competition from across the east coast, Samuels clocked in with a program record time of 53.35 seconds, besting the runner-up by 0.92 seconds. Jessica Lee Places Second in 100m Hurdles
After Samuels' big 10-point performance in the 400m, Jessica Lee (Montgomery, New Jersey) backed her up with the most impressive race of her young career as she crossed the line in a program record 13.93 seconds to earn a runner-up finish in the 100m hurdles. Coming into the finals with the finals with the sixth-fastest time in the semifinal round, Lee flashed her full array of skill as she placed for the first time at the ECAC Championships just months after capturing the New England indoor 60m hurdle title.
The third and final All-ECAC performance of the day came in the 4x100m relay as the team of Samuels, Alea Simons (Piscataway, New Jersey), Francine Jacque (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) and Bonnie Pisciotta (Lindenhurst, New York) combined for a second straight program record, posting a time of 46.81 seconds on Sunday. A year after Quinnipiac saw the 4x800m relay become the first relay team in program history to place at the ECAC Championships, this 4x100m relay group earned the highest finish for a Bobcat relay team at an ECAC Championship event.
L to R: Shameal Samuels, Alea Simons, Francine Jacque and Bonnie Pisciotta combine to place sixth in 4x100m relay
The lone remaining competitor on the day nearly came through with an All-ECAC performance as Kaleigh Roberts (Higganum, Connecticut) clocked in at 4:30.75 to place ninth in the 1500m, finishing just one spot outside of placing in the event.
Quinnipiac's historical 2015-16 track and field season still has some life left as the 400m ECAC Champion Samuels is attempting to make the field for the NCAA Regionals down in Jacksonville, Florida slated for May 26-29. Samuels will be attempting to compete in her signature 400m event with her season high 53.35 seconds from today's 400m final. If she makes the cut, Samuels would become the first Bobcat in program history to advance to the NCAA Regionals twice in their career.
