JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Kent State student-athletes punched tickets to the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships during action at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.

Alexandre Malanda advanced in the men’s triple jump on Friday and Svenia De Coninck advanced in the women’s high jump on Saturday. The pair will join Shelby Grover, who previously qualified in the women’s heptathlon, at the national meet in Eugene, Oregon.

Malanda finished second in the triple jump but needed an outdoor personal-best on his final attempt to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. The Paris native soared 52′-9.25″ on his last jump of the meet to beat his previous outdoor PR by 0.5″ and remains at the No. 4 spot on the Golden Flashes’ all-time performance list in the event.

De Coninck cleared a personal-best height of 5′-10.50″ on her second attempt at the bar to finish 12th and secure the final qualifying spot for the national meet. Her PR puts her in a tie for the third highest mark in school history.

Jaheim Jones and Aliesha Shaw recorded top-30 finishes in both events in which they competed. Jones placed 25th in the men’s 200-meter dash in 21.04 seconds and 28th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.42 seconds. Shaw had a top mark of 158′-9″ for 27th in the women’s discus throw and placed 30th in the shot put with a top throw of 50′-2.5″.

Kristen Jay finished her freshman campaign with a top throw of 149′-0″ for 29th in the women’s javelin.

In men’s long jump action, Amare Hall soared 23′-6″ to finish 32nd and Ayden Bath placed 39th with a mark of 23′-3.25″. Bath also ran the 110-meter hurdles and finished 33rd with a time of 14.17 seconds.

In their NCAA prelims debuts, Keeli Dunaway placed 42nd in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 39′-10.75″ and Charles Pawlosky took 43rd in the men’s shot put with a throw of 54′-2″.

Donovan Crawford (men’s discus throw) and Malanda (men’s long jump) also competed but had fouls on all three attempts. Amryne Chilton was a qualifier in the women’s 200m dash but scratched prior to the start of the meet.

De Coninck, Grover and Malanda will represent the Golden Flashes at the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which will be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

FOLLOW KENT STATE TRACK AND FIELD

For complete coverage of Kent State Track and Field, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates.

Accept Cookies

Only Essential Cookies

COLLEGE STATION, Tex. — An incredible era of Saint Mary’s Outdoor Women’s Track came to an end on this Saturday evening, as Jaden DeSouza and Rayna Stanziano ran their final races as Gaels. DeSouza ran in the quarter finals of the 400m hurdles after qualifying for this race on Thursday evening, while Stanziano ran in her fourth west regional race, and her second career 5000m semi final. 

Running in the most inside lane for the second consecutive race, DeSouza again threw down a brilliant time, the second fastest of her career at 58.41, with only her run two nights ago being faster. Again, it was DeSouza’s kick in the final straightaway that helped her capture the brilliant time. Overall, she finished with the 20th fastest time in the 400m hurdles National Quarterfinals, the final running of this event in the West Region meet in College Station. 

Stanziano settled into the back half of her heat of 24 runners in the 5000m, but began making moves on the outside, moving into the middle of the pack at the two minute mark, and nearer the top-10 at the seven minute mark. The pack really began to spread out eight and a half minutes in, as Stanziano continued to battle to stay in the mix. She eventually finished at 16:43.83, her sixth fastest career 5000m, and a big improvement from her 2022 5000m run at the NCAA Regionals, when she ran 18:22.29. 

Jaden and Rayna made an incredible impact on the track and field program at Saint Mary’s. Jaden will leave as the program record holder in the 400m, 600m, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, high jump, javelin, and heptathlon, while running legs in the program record 4x400m, 4x800m sprint medley and distance medley relay teams. Stanziano holds the program 800m, 1500m, mile, 3000m and 5000m records, while running legs in the program record 4x400m, 4x800m and distance medley relay teams. 

#GaelsRise

Due to high levels of bacteria in these bodies of water, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has closed them for the time being.

In total, four beaches are closed, three of which are located in Boston and one in Concord, according to the DPH.

The purpose of Concord’s Walden Pond closure is to accommodate facility repair work, according to the DPH, which noted that Red Cross Beach will remain open, weather permitting. Once the project is complete, the beach will reopen.

Constitution, Malibu, and Tenean beaches in Boston, however, are closed with the reasoning being “bacteria excess.”

Bacteria in the water can come from a variety of sources, including:

• Stormwater (rain) run-off
• Failing or malfunctioning septic systems
• Combined and sanitary sewer overflows
• Leaking sewer pipes
• Illegal sewer hookups
• Wildlife and pet waste
• Agricultural runoff

In order to ensure beaches are safe for swimming, the DPH tests the waters anywhere from daily to monthly, depending on how likely the beach is to have water quality issues and its popularity.

If a beach is used often or is prone to water quality issues, then it’s tested more often and vice versa, the DPH wrote.

Beaches remain closed until laboratory analysis shows bacteria levels are within the acceptable range for safe swimming.

“Laboratory analysis for all beach samples takes approximately 24 hours,” according to the department’s website. “So it is common for a beach closure to last a day or two following an exceedance.”

Swimming in beach water that has high levels of bacteria can be risky and can result in illnesses, including:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Respiratory symptoms- sore throat, cough, runny nose and sneezing
• Dermatological symptoms- skin rash and itching
• Eye and ear symptoms- irritation, earache, itching
• Flu-like symptoms- fever and chills

Therefore, it’s important to check for any warnings or beach closures indicating that the water could be unsafe. To do this, done check the weather, avoid swimming after heavy rain, watch for signs of water pollution like discolored, fast flowing and strong smelling water, do not swim near trash or litter floating in the water, avoid swallowing the water and swim in areas designated as “swim beaches.”

Although a beach could be posted, the public can still visit the location and take part in other activities that don’t involve contact with the water. This can include anything from playing sports like volleyball or frisbee to sunbathing or collecting seashells or sea glass, the DPH said.

The public can also do its part in helping to reduce contamination and pollution at the beach by:

• Cleaning up after pets
• Not feeding the birds as it encourages them to hang around the beaches, which increases fecal matter
• Using public restrooms
• Picking up and throwing away trash using public restrooms or properly disposing of it at home
• Not entering the water when sick or feeling unwell
• Changing diapers and putting plastic or rubber pants, known as swim diapers, on diapered children before they enter the water
• Not dumping anything down storm drains, as water moving through these drains does not get treated at a wastewater facility and flows directly into lakes and streams
• Avoiding the use of fertilizers and pesticides in yards since these chemicals can easily carry into the surface of waters during rain events and snowmelt
• Use walkways and avoid walking on dunes to prevent erosion and preserve vegetation that filters out pollutants from runoff before they reach the beach

More details from the DPH can be found here.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Eastern Washington Eagles concluded their track and field season on Saturday, May 31, at the NCAA West Regional.

“Definitely a tough meet, but we don’t want anything easy or handed to us,” saif Director of Track and Field / Cross Country Erin Tucker.

 

“We didn’t have the meet we needed, but we learned a lot. I told Maddy and Egypt to do what you did to get here, and you will be fine. What they did to get hear would have moved them on the Eugene.”

 

On the opening day, Maddy Shekhawat narrowly missed advancing in the 110-meter hurdles. He finished fourth in his heat with a time of 13.96 seconds—just outside the automatic qualifying spots—and placed 33rd overall.

“This is farewell for Egypt in the EWU Uniform, but she has more in the tank for sure. Her story is not over. Maddy will be back here next year and he will not be alone in the sprints.  That’s not a promise that is a spoiler!!!!”

 

Day two featured Egypt Caitlin Simmons in the long jump, where she recorded a mark of 6.19 meters (20 feet, 3.75 inches) to place 24th.

 

Simmons returned for the triple jump but came up short of the 13.42-meter mark needed to advance. Her best effort of 13.02 meters (42 feet, 8.75 inches) earned her a 26th-place finish.

“Great Year and it is time to get ready for next year! Go Eags!”

Join the Eagle Athletic Fund for as low as $50 per year! Support Eagle student-athletes on and off the field while enjoying exclusive EAF perks such as season ticket and tailgating priority, invitations to special events, exclusive access and more. Visit goeags.com/eaf for more information.

ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.

FOLLOW THE EAGLES

SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

 

 

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A history-making relay wrapped up the Montana State track and field team’s week at the NCAA West First Rounds on Saturday in College Station, Texas. 

In dramatic fashion, the Bobcat women’s 4×400 meter relay team grabbed the very last ticket to Eugene out of the final heat of the night, becoming the first-ever relay in school history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. 

Before the joy, however, there were nerves. 

Initially, the Cats thought their time of 3:34.31, the second-fastest race in school history, had put them 13th—one spot out of punching one of the 12 tickets to Eugene. 

Yet, a team directly ahead of MSU was disqualified and a protest was filed—so the quartet of Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, and Caroline Hawkes were stuck in limbo while the big board inside E.B. Cushing Stadium continuously ran the results of the race on a loop. 

Finally, after the entire facility had emptied out and what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the results were made official. The Bobcats were headed to Eugene. 

It was an incredible effort for a Montana State squad that had been unable to field a relay at the Big Sky Championships due to injury. 

Helping save the day on Saturday was Hawkes, a junior from San Clemente, California, who took the baton in seventh place out of eight teams before tearing off an incredible 51.98 second split as the anchor—roaring back to pass three teams and place Montana State fourth in a stacked heat and one spot out of an automatic qualifier but in position to snag the last time qualifier. 

The Cats finished ahead of Texas, Oklahoma State, Stanford, BYU, and plenty of other high-pedigree teams to secure their bid and continue a special season. 

Lewis, a freshman from Corvallis, started things off before handing the baton to Garrison, a junior from New Castle, Colorado. From there it went to Gandolfi, a junior from Faenza, Italy, and then to Hawkes, the ten-time All-Big Sky honoree. 

Thanks to Billings junior Hailey Coey punching her ticket to nationals in the long jump on Thursday, the 4×400 meter relay team’s qualification means the Bobcats will have multiple entries on the women’s side at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for just the fourth time in school history (2015, 2012, 2006). 

Those five will join Harvey Cramb (1,500 meters) and Rob McManus (3,000 meter steeplechase) in Eugene from June 11-14, marking four total entries and seven student-athletes who will don the Blue and Gold on the biggest stage in the sport. 

Earlier in the day, two Bobcat distance standouts capped memorable tenures with another appearance at the NCAA Regional meet. 

In the 3,000 meter steeplechase, Bozeman native Grace Gilbreth closed out a memorable career finishing 31st with a time of 10:27.89. 

The school record-holder ends her time in the Blue and Gold with two All-Big Sky honors in cross country and a pair of bronze medals in the steeplechase at the Big Sky Championships. 

In the 5,000 meters, graduate student Kyla Christopher-Moody closed out her career placing 38th with a time of 16:41.73. 

Christopher-Moody, a native of Royal Oak, Michigan, set four school records this year in the indoor mile, indoor 3,000 meters, outdoor 1,500 meters, and outdoor 5,000 meters. 

UP NEXT 

Seven Montana State track and field athletes advance to compete at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held June 11-14 at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. 

Hailey Coey (long jump), Harvey Cramb (1,500 meters),Rob McManus (3,000 meter steeplechase), and the women’s 4×400 meter relay team (Olivia Lewis, Peyton Garrison, Giulia Gandolfi, and Caroline Hawkes) will all represent the Bobcats at the national championship meet, marking the fourth straight year Montana State has sent at least three qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

The four Bobcat entries at the national meet are tied for the third-most in program history, behind only the five in 2023 and 2022. The Cats also qualified four entries to the national meet in 2015. 

The 2025 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships will air on the ESPN family of networks. 

#GoCatsGo