Alexis Marini, left, finished third in the women's weight throw
Marini, Ojutalayo lead Scarlet Raptors at NJAC Indoor Championships
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Feb. 19, 2024) – Senior
Alexis Marini produced 10 points for the Rutgers University-Camden women's team, including a third-place finish in the weight throw, and freshman
Oluwamayowakun Ojutalayo had a hand in 11 points for the men's team as the Scarlet Raptors competed here Monday in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The meet, held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, saw both Rutgers-Camden teams finish seventh in a field of nine programs. The men scored 13 points and the women notched 11.
Rowan University won the men's championship with 297 points, while The College of New Jersey captured the women's crown with 198 points.
Marini produced six points by finishing third out of 17 athletes in the women's weight throw (15.18 M), while freshman
Kaitlyn Novak placed 14th with a PR of 9.77 meters. Marini added four points in the 19-athlete field of the shot put, finishing fifth (11.26 M), while Novak was 11th (9.02 M) and junior
Francis Hill finished 16th (8.20 M).
Marini added her third-place finish in the weight throw to the third-place finish she earned at last year's NJAC Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw.
For the men, Ojutalayo had a terrific meet, producing six individual points and helping the 4x200 relay team collect five points with a fourth-place finish. Ojutalayo notched three points by finishing sixth of eight runners in the finals of the 60-meter dash (a PR of 7.02), after qualifying by finishing seventh of 22 in the preliminaries (7.08). Sophomore
Nadir Paige finished 10th in the prelims (7.16) and freshman
Robert Bayard was 12th (7.27).
Ojutalayo also earned three points with a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter dash, posting a PR of 22.39 while competing in a field of 23 runners. Paige also set a PR, running a 200-meter dash in 22.87 to finish 11th. Ojutalayo joined Paige, Bayard and freshman
Hector Diaz to help the men's 4x200 team finish fourth of eight teams (1:31.80), picking up five points.
The men also picked up two points when sophomore
Maurice Obanor placed seventh of 14 in the high jump with a PR of 1.78 meters.
Diaz led the Raptor men in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing ninth out of 17 with a PR of 8.71 and barely missing the program record of 8.69. Sophomore
Brandon Butts set a PR of 5.88 meters while finishing 16th of 21 in the long jump and competed in the triple jump for the first time, setting a PR (11.30 M) while placing 12th of 13.
Freshman
Dyheim Watson finished 11th of 23 in the weight throw with a PR of 12.92 M and placed 19th of 23 in the shot put (11.00 M). Freshman
Aaron Le was 20th in the shot put (9.18 M).
Freshmen
Lauren Carter and
Sydnie Marshall finished 16th and 17th, respectively, in the 21-athlete field of the women's 200-meter dash. Carter posted a 28.11 clocking, while Marshall set a PR of 28.44.
Marshall joined junior
Evelyn Macias Pilco, senior
Carly Malia and freshman
Leilani Taylor to pick up one point with an eighth-place finish in the 4x200 (2:00.73).
New Jersey Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
(at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, Staten Island, NY)
MEN: 1. Rowan, 297; 2. The College of New Jersey, 113; 3. Stockton, 78; 4. Montclair State, 66; 5. Farmington State, 40; 6. Ramapo, 32; 7. Rutgers-Camden, 13; 8. Rutgers-Newark, 12; 9. New Jersey City, 9.
WOMEN: 1. The College of New Jersey, 198; 2. Rowan, 138; 3. Stockton, 105; 4. Rutgers-Newark, 69; 5. Ramapo, 62; 6. Montclair State, 41; 7. Rutgers-Camden, 11; 8. New Jersey City, 9; 9. Farmington State, 6.
