Men's Track and Field | 1/11/2020 11:32:00 PM

FLUSHING, N.Y. (Jan. 12, 2020) - Following a strong showcase in Thursday's West Point Open, the Queens College track and field teams split up for meets on Friday (Jan. 10) and Saturday (Jan. 11). The QC women's team competed at the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational on Friday while the men faced stiff competition at the 2020 Great Dane Classic on Saturday, with both meets taking place at the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Complex on Staten Island.

The main story of the STAC meet for the Knights was the continued rise to prominence of jumper Nyakuome Thichiot. The Division I transfer from Nebraska-Omaha had a sixth-place showing in the women's triple jump with a leap of 11.02 meters.

Meanwhile, Jahmel Maynor-Mendez and Ooreofe Oluwadara were the strongest competitors for the men's side at the Great Dane Classic. Oluwadara took home a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a final distance of 6.76 meters; teammate Pavan Bhat had a twelfth-place jump of 6.48 meters in the same meet. Maynor-Mendez posted a strong effort in the 400-meter dash, crossing the line in third place (49.24s) but finishing the race first among current collegiate athletes. In competition among NCAA student-athletes, Maynor-Mendez finished a full second faster than Savian Hayes of Division I Norfolk State. The men's team was also buoyed by a strong weight throw performance from Andrew Saulpaugh, who registered an eighth-place finish (15.15 meters).

The Knights return to action on Saturday (Jan. 18) at Ocean Breeze Complex for the New York City Gotham Cup.