Mids bring home the hardware
Guillaume, Chapman lead sweep of league meet
Sophomore Jacques Guillaume and senior Molly Chapman led the way as the Navy men’s and women’s track and field teams swept the Patriot League Indoor Championships over the weekend at Wesley Brown Fieldhouse.
Guillaume placed in two individual events and one relay to spark the Navy men, who piled up 256 points. That was the third-most points ever scored at the Patriot League indoor championships and was 119 more than runner-up Boston University.
It was the third consecutive Patriot League championship for the Navy men’s program and 13th overall.
Chapman captured two gold medals to pace the Navy women, whose 214.5 total points were the second-most in meet history and 68.5 more than runner-up Boston. It was the fourth consecutive Patriot League indoor championship and seventh overall for the Navy women.
“It was a great meet from both teams. A lot of people contributed in a lot of different ways and I’m really proud of our team and coaching staff,” Navy director of track and field Jamie Cook said. “It’s rewarding to see the kids set high marks for themselves, put in the work to attain those goals then see it happen. You have to take a second and applaud them for that. Effort and attitude are two big things we can control in our sport and I’m proud of all the work they’ve put in this season.”
Cook was named Patriot League indoor track and field Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
Guillaume scored 28 points in three events and was named Male Athlete of the Meet. He secured the conference championship in the 200-meter dash in 21.37 seconds and was runner-up in the 400 (46.95).
Guillaume ran a leg of Navy’s 4x400 relay that took first with a meet record time of 3:10.96. Jonathan Simmons, Nathan Kent and Mike Quispe rounded out the team.
Also shattering a meet record for the indoor championships was Navy’s distance medley relay. Alex Rizzo, Ian Bartlett, Carson Sloat and Matt Newell won in 9:53.18, breaking a mark that stood since 1994.
Junior Brahmir Vick set both a school and meet record in winning the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.77 seconds. Senior Baynes Autry secured the heptathlon championship for the second straight season with the fourth-best point total in Navy history. Navy’s team captain took first place in the 60, 60 hurdles and long jump in amassing 5,495 points.
Junior Sam Keeny contributed 18 points by winning the 5,000 and placing second in the 3,000. The South River High product overtook Army’s Garrett Gough on the final straightaway in securing the Patriot League title in the 5,000 with a time of 14:10, the third-fastest in program history.
Jack Haller and Walker Rudisaille finished one-two in the pole vault to earn 18 points for the Midshipmen. Both vaulters cleared 16 feet, 2 inches with Haller earning first place based on fewer number of misses.
It was a similar scenario in the shot put as Navy’s Joshua Boamah and Collin Green garnered the gold and silver medals. Boamah won with a toss of 56-11 ½, while Green was runner-up. Boamah also placed second in the weight throw with a distance of 67 feet, the second-best mark in program history.
Freshman sprinter Nathan Kent scored 14 points by placing second in the 200 and third in the 400. Kent, who is a wide receiver on the Navy football team, ran the eighth-fastest 400 time in program history. Sebasteon Allen was runner-up in the triple jump, while Preston Wilson took second in the high jump.
For the women, Chapman captured the first Patriot League championship of her career by winning the long jump, posting the sixth-best jump in Navy history at 19-3 ¼.Chapman
also got the gold medal in the triple jump at 40-4 the third-best performance in program history. She finished fifth in the high jump in earning Women’s Field Athlete of the Meet honors.
Freshman hurdler Jia Anderson was named Patriot League Rookie of the Meet after capturing the championship in the 60 hurdles. Anderson set a meet record of 8.49 seconds in the semifinals and was not far off that time (8.58) in the final. She also scored two points with a seventh-place result in the 60-meter dash.
Senior Autumn Nicholas got the Navy women off to a great start by winning the weight throw, setting a personal best with a throw of 61-5.
Junior Annie Taylor claimed the pentathlon championship with 3,666 points, sixthbest total in Navy history. Taylor trailed teammate Isabella Romasko by 11 points going into the final event. Romasko led the 800-meter run going into the final lap, but was overtaken by Taylor. Romasko was a close second in the overall event with 3,632 points.
Navy garnered the gold medal in the 4x800 with Alex Wercinski, McKenna Brophy, Mia-Claire Kezal and Ellie Abraham teaming to post a time of 8:59.7. It marked the first time since 2011 the Mids won that event at the indoor championships.
Abraham also ran the anchor leg of the distance medley relay team that broke the Patriot League record with a time of 11:38.06. Alanna Julius, Kayla McGuire and Emily Ettrich completed that foursome.
Junior distance runner Emily Boutin came away with silver medals in the 5,000 and 3,000. Her 3,000 time of 9:29.35 set a Navy record, while her 5,000 time of 16:48.04 is the fourth-fastest in program history.
Team captain Molly Mangan contributed a pair of third-place finishes in the 60 and 200 dashes. She set a school record in the 200 with a time of 24.25 seconds.