St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
BIG EAST Championships
Blessing Egwu and Kaydian Reid Each Capture BIG EAST Titles
5/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 7, 2006
STORRS, CONN. - Two St. John's track and field athletes took home a gold medal on Sunday at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex on the University of Connecticut campus. Blessing Egwu (Queens, N.Y.) won the hammer throw while Kaydian Reid (Windsor, Conn.) was victorious in the 400 meter dash.
Egwu threw the hammer 58.53 meters (192'0") to take the BIG EAST crown for the second consecutive year in the event.
Reid broke the St. John's all-time record in the 400 meter dash on her way to winning the race. She cruised to a 52.68 second performance, defeating the second place finisher by almost a full second. Her time beats the school record of 52.85, which was set by former Red Storm runner and Olympian Kim Thomas back in 1978. Reid's performance is the 14th fastest this year in the nation. She also medaled in the 200 meter dash, clocking in at 23.89 seconds for third place.
Thalene King (Manchestar, Jamaica), meanwhile, crossed the line in fifth place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.97 seconds.
In the relays, the 4x400 meter relay team won the bronze medal, finishing with a time of 3:40.51. Members of the relay team included Tarashon Broomes (Fair Lawn, N.J), King, Nerissa Pelle (St. John's, Antigua) and Reid. The squad's mark qualified them for the NCAA Regionals.
The 4x100 and the 4x800 meter relay teams each finished with their best performances of the season. The 4x100 meter relay team took seventh place, second in its heat, clocking in at 47.47 while the 4x800 relay squad crossed the line in fifth place, recording a time of 9:07.32.
In the high jump, Venisa Clarke (Montego Bay, Jamaica) cleared 1.65 meters (5'5") for ninth place.
St. John's finished in eighth place overall with 56 points. Pittsburgh won the BIG EAST title for the second straight year with 117 points. Notre Dame recorded 106.50 points for second while Syracuse rounded out the top three with 87.
St. John's returns to action Tuesday, May 9 at DaSilva Memorial Field when it hosts the Final Exam Classic. The meet is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. The Red Storm's senior class will also be honored during the meet. Next weekend, St. John's will compete for the ECAC Championship in Princeton, N.J.
Red Storm Performances:
Red Storm Performances:
200 Meter Dash - Finals
Kaydian Reid - 3rd - 23.74
400 Meter Dash - Finals
Kaydian Reid - 1st - 52.68
Thalene King - 5th - 54.97
4x100 Meter Relay
7th (2nd in heat) - 47.47
Thalene King, Phobay Kutu-Akoi, Jennifer Lewis, Paula Rennalls
4x400 Meter Relay
3rd place - 3:40.51
Tarashon Broomes, Thalene King, Nerissa Pelle, Kaydian Reid
4x800 Meter Relay
5th place - 9:07.32
Thamara Cherisme, Jasmine Barreto, Jodey Johnson, Rakibat Abiola
Hammer Throw
Blessing Egwu - 1st - 58.53 meters (192'0")
Kesheila Reid - 19th - 44.76 meters (146'10")
Dominique Eason - 24th - 43.07 meters (141'4")
High Jump
Venisa Clarke - 9th - 1.65 meters (5'5")
Triple Jump
Kellie Brown - FOUL
-Red Storm-
Players Mentioned
