St. John's University Athletics
Photo by: Vincent Dusovic
Former St. John’s Standouts Shine on National and International Stages
8/13/2019 11:07:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
Red Storm track & field alumni compete across three continents and six countries to garner several accolades
QUEENS, N.Y. (August 13, 2019) – Former St. John's standouts George Mathews, Priscilla Frederick, Pariis Garcia, Getulio Echeandia Jr., Claire Mooney, and Maya Stephens continued to represent the Red Storm's track & field program well in national and international competition.
The group of six competed across three continents and six countries, winning national awards, setting world records and capturing spots on the podium. All six professionals finished fifth place or better in their respective competitions.
Mathews, a 1966 graduate of St. John's CBA, garnered the illustrious USA Track & Field (USATF) Thomas Gage Male Thrower of the Year Award, named after the former 1972 Olympic hammer thrower. The former Uniondale, N.Y., native competed at the USATF National Masters Track & Field Championships in July, winning gold in the 75-79 age group weight and super weight throws with distances of 17.21 meters and 9.11 meters, respectively.
"To be an athlete, and continue to be, my grounding at St. John's helped me continue to have many lasting experiences that I have taken with me over the years," Mathews said. "This honor for all Masters age groups from 30 to over 100 and all throwing events (hammer, weight, discus, shot put and javelin) represents the culmination of a lifetime of hard work in the sport of track & field. Tom Gage, who passed in 2010, was a close friend. We were born in the same hospital in Ithaca, N.Y., three months apart and competed together throughout most of our lives."
The 76-year-old Mathews captured the award named after his long-time friend by also competing internationally in 2018-19, participating in events in Toruń, Poland and Malaga, Spain. Toruń played host to the 2019 World Masters Athletics (WMA) Indoor World Championships, where the USATF Masters Hall of Famer scored a pair of third-place finishes in the weight throw and hammer throw.
At the Malaga WMA Outdoor Championships last September, Mathews also earned his sixth career World Championship gold medal in the weight throw and a bronze medal in the hammer throw. Mathews, who has been married for 54 years, currently resides in Edmonds, Washington.
Frederick picked up her second-straight silver medal at 2019 Pan American Games for Antigua & Barbuda in the high jump. Four years after setting her personal best mark (1.91m), the former Johnnie matched gold medalist Levern Spencer of St. Lucia with a 1.87-meter height, taking the two-spot because of the "countback rule." Frederick cleared the 1.87 mark on her second attempt while Spencer cleared the bar on her first, giving the 2012 St. John's graduate a silver medal result.
Pariis Garcia also competed in Lima alongside Frederick, racing for her home country of Puerto Rico. The 2015 graduate jumped off the block first for the national team's 4x400 meter relay squad, finishing the race in fifth at 3:32.03.
Echeandia Jr., set a new world record in the 400-meter hurdles for the 55-59 age group at 57.73, and was a part of the gold medal winning 4x400-meter relay team in early July at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championship. He broke the previous world record set by Guido Müeller in 1995 at 58.92.
Mooney raced to a fourth-place finish at her third Irish National Championships in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.58.
Stephens raced in her second Canadian National Championship, crossing the finish line in the 400-meter dash at 52.84, good for fifth place.
The group of six competed across three continents and six countries, winning national awards, setting world records and capturing spots on the podium. All six professionals finished fifth place or better in their respective competitions.
Mathews, a 1966 graduate of St. John's CBA, garnered the illustrious USA Track & Field (USATF) Thomas Gage Male Thrower of the Year Award, named after the former 1972 Olympic hammer thrower. The former Uniondale, N.Y., native competed at the USATF National Masters Track & Field Championships in July, winning gold in the 75-79 age group weight and super weight throws with distances of 17.21 meters and 9.11 meters, respectively.
"To be an athlete, and continue to be, my grounding at St. John's helped me continue to have many lasting experiences that I have taken with me over the years," Mathews said. "This honor for all Masters age groups from 30 to over 100 and all throwing events (hammer, weight, discus, shot put and javelin) represents the culmination of a lifetime of hard work in the sport of track & field. Tom Gage, who passed in 2010, was a close friend. We were born in the same hospital in Ithaca, N.Y., three months apart and competed together throughout most of our lives."
The 76-year-old Mathews captured the award named after his long-time friend by also competing internationally in 2018-19, participating in events in Toruń, Poland and Malaga, Spain. Toruń played host to the 2019 World Masters Athletics (WMA) Indoor World Championships, where the USATF Masters Hall of Famer scored a pair of third-place finishes in the weight throw and hammer throw.
At the Malaga WMA Outdoor Championships last September, Mathews also earned his sixth career World Championship gold medal in the weight throw and a bronze medal in the hammer throw. Mathews, who has been married for 54 years, currently resides in Edmonds, Washington.
Frederick picked up her second-straight silver medal at 2019 Pan American Games for Antigua & Barbuda in the high jump. Four years after setting her personal best mark (1.91m), the former Johnnie matched gold medalist Levern Spencer of St. Lucia with a 1.87-meter height, taking the two-spot because of the "countback rule." Frederick cleared the 1.87 mark on her second attempt while Spencer cleared the bar on her first, giving the 2012 St. John's graduate a silver medal result.
Pariis Garcia also competed in Lima alongside Frederick, racing for her home country of Puerto Rico. The 2015 graduate jumped off the block first for the national team's 4x400 meter relay squad, finishing the race in fifth at 3:32.03.
Echeandia Jr., set a new world record in the 400-meter hurdles for the 55-59 age group at 57.73, and was a part of the gold medal winning 4x400-meter relay team in early July at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championship. He broke the previous world record set by Guido Müeller in 1995 at 58.92.
Mooney raced to a fourth-place finish at her third Irish National Championships in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.58.
Stephens raced in her second Canadian National Championship, crossing the finish line in the 400-meter dash at 52.84, good for fifth place.
Players Mentioned
Sprints
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