Rutgers-Camden Athletics

Rutgers-Camden athletes hammer home two titles at NJAC Championships

5/9/2022 8:50:00 AM

EWING, NJ (May 8, 2022) – The 2022 New Jersey Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships were postponed one day due to the rainy weekend weather, but when the action started on Sunday, the Rutgers University-Camden Scarlet Raptors were ready.
 
Rutgers-Camden collected NJAC championships in both the men's and women's hammer throws and added a program record in the long jump on the first day of the NJAC Championships here Sunday at The College of New Jersey.
 
Seniors Jude Misko and Emily Hilt earned NJAC titles in the hammer throw and freshman Tobias Prall broke his own program record in the long jump to highlight the Raptors' first-day performances.
 
Misko's throw of 61.92 meters placed him first in a field of 24 athletes, earning him the third NJAC hammer championship of his career. He also won the title in 2019 and in 2021, when he went on to win the NCAA Division III title. The NJAC Championships weren't held in 2020 due to the pandemic.
 
Hilt finished first in a field of 20 athletes with a hammer throw of 51.02 meters. The NJAC hammer championship improved on her third-place finish (NJAC Honorable Mention) from the 2021 season.
 
Prall, meanwhile, finished fifth of 19 athletes with a long jump of 6.81 meters. He broke his own program record of 6.64 meters, set April 23 at the Widener Invitational. Prall also finished ninth of 20 in the javelin with a throw of 50.35 meters.
 
The Scarlet Raptors turned in several other strong performances on the opening day of the NJAC Championships. On the women's side, freshman Alyson Petro competed in the first four events of the heptathlon in a four-woman field. In only the second heptathlon of her career, she finished fourth in the shot put (5.90 meters), and set a PR in her other three events, finishing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (18.05), second in the high jump (1.46 meters) and third in the 200-meter dash (27.88). She will complete the heptathlon Monday with the long jump, javelin and 800-meter events.
 
Sophomore Alexis Marini continued her stellar season in throwing events, placing fourth of 20 in the hammer with a PR of 42.20 meters.
 
Freshman Evelyn Macias was busy in three events, placing 17th of 23 in the 100-meter dash (a PR of 13.48), 21st of 26 in the 200-meter dash (27.82) and 12th of 16 in the long jump (4.39 meters).
 
Freshmen Francis Hill and Bree Smith both competed in the 15-athlete field of the women's javelin, with Hill finishing ninth (a PR 24.44 meters) and Smith finishing 10th (a PR 20.97 meters).
 
In the long jump, sophomore Lizette Abah finished 10th of 16 with a PR of 4.62 meters. She also placed 23rd of 23 in the 100-meter dash with a PR of 14.24.
 
Freshman Devin Bennett had a busy day for the Scarlet Raptor men, placing 25th of 34 in the 100-meter dash (a PR of 11.79), 25th of 31 in the 200-meter dash (24.17) and 17th of 19 in the long jump (5.29 meters).
 
Junior Jason Hyland finished seventh of 11 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a PR of 10:16.34.
 
Rutgers-Camden will complete its competition in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Monday at The College of New Jersey.