Women's Indoor Track and Field | 3/28/2017 6:16:00 PM

Columbia, S.C. – The Monroe College Women's Track and Field team opened its outdoor season over the weekend at the Weems Baskin Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina. The Mustangs set several school records and had some national qualifications.
 
One of the greatest successes of the weekend came from the 4 x 800m relay team of Dawnel Collymore, Susan Ejore, Nokuthula Dlamini, and Tashay Roberts. On Friday, the team placed second overall in the Elite Division with a time of 9:13.82. That time broke the old school record by nearly 11 seconds. The mark not only qualified the team for nationals, but it was also the fastest in that event, to date.
 
Individually, Ejore continued her dominance by winning the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:29.64. This mark was also the fastest time in the nation in this event.
 
Another member of the relay team, Dlamini, placed third overall in the 3000-meter run with a podium time of 10:19.82. Collymore also had a top-10 finish, coming in eighth among the NJCAA runners in the 1500-meter run with a season-best and national qualifying time of 4:59.69. Another surprise was graduate student Jemima Backman, who is finally coming off persistent injuries. The distance runner placed fourth in the NJCAA in the 1500-meter run at 4:43.64, and tenth in the 800 meters with a time 2:19.58. She qualified for nationals in both distances.
 
Zakiya Denoon placed first overall in the 100-meter dash and set a new school record with a winning time of 11.48. Tristan Evelyn came in third overall in the same distance, crossing the line with a mark of 11.68. Both women also qualified for nationals with impressive times in the 200-meter dash.
 
Full results of the event can be found here. The Mustangs will return to action at the Samuel Howell Invitational, hosted by Princeton University, on Friday, April 7^th, and the Delaware Open on Saturday, April 8th.