NEW YORK – The Georgetown University track & field teams closed the 2019 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships presented by Jeep on Saturday with 14 top-three performances across both the men's and women's teams over the two-day event held at Icahn Stadium in Randall's Island, New York. The women claimed three titles while the men took home a pair of wins. Overall, both teams finished in fifth place with the women recording 76 points and the men finishing with 92 points.
 
On the track, the GU men won a title on Saturday behind the efforts of Kenny Rowe (Cockeysville, Md. / Loyola-Blakefield) in the 800-meter run. In the final meters, Rowe was able to hold off a charging Villanova runner to finish in first place by 1/1,000th of a second in a time of 1:50.54. With Christian Liddell (Rogers, Ark. / Rogers) winning the steeplechase on Friday, the men finished with two individual titles on the weekend. The Hoyas also posted several top-three finishes, including a duo of third-place performances in the 800-meter run and the 5,000-meter run.
 
The Blue & Gray also ran solid relays with the men's 4x800-meter squad consisting of Maazin Ahmed (Schenectady, N.Y. / Schenectady), Brennan Munley (Clarkson, Mich. / Waterford Mott), Jack Salisbury (Rumford, R.I. / La Salle Academy) and Spencer Brown (Wilton, Conn. / Wilton) finishing in second place while the 4x400-meter crew placed second as well. Rowe was able to secure his second medal of the day in the relay with Ian Delgado (Cary, N.C. / Green Hope), Lawrence Leake (Huntington, N.Y. / Huntington) and Ruach Padhal (London, Ontario / John Paul II Catholic) all pitching in with strong legs.

"We had some highs and some lows this weekend with gutsy efforts from everyone who took the line for Georgetown," Director of Track & Field Julie Culley said. "Although everyone gave us their all, quite a few minor setbacks prevented us from running every event at full strength. Christian's win in the steeplechase in an 8:46 solo effort was impressive and moves him up quite a bit in the NCAA rankings. Kenny really stepped up to win the 800m going down to the wire and fighting every last inch to claw his way to the finish. We were proud of the efforts we put together in the relays, but we were missing a few key legs that would have put us in contention to win.  We were hoping for more today, but we've grown so much as a program and are so excited to continue to garner more wins and top three finishes as a team."
 
For the women, it was a combination of distance running and jumping as the Hoyas were able to record a trio of titles. Josette Norris (Tenafly, N.J. / Tenafly) ran an impressive 4:34.54 to capture the victory in the 1,500-meter run. In the final 200 meters, Norris propelled herself to the front with a big kick and crossed the line first more than a second ahead of the next runner. Freshman Cathilyn McIntosh (Loomis, Calif. / Del Oro) followed suit as she won her first title of her collegiate career in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:06.95.
 
The last title of the day for the Hoyas came in the women's 4x800-meter relay. Norris started the first leg and was able to put some distance between her and second-place Villanova. Katie Dammer (Clarks Summit, Pa. / Abington Heights) kept the distance in the second leg while Katherine Modrall (Carmel, Ind. / Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory) fell to third in the next leg, but stuck with the lead group entering the final baton hand off. Anchoring for Georgetown was Sami Corman (Bellevue, Wash. / Issaquah) and she closed the relay out with a split of 2:11.35 to give the Hoyas the victory with a total time of 8:49.43. Georgetown also put together a solid 4x400-meter relay performance to finish in third. In the field, Eni Akinniyi (Denton, Texas / John H. Guyer) placed second in the women's triple jump with a personal-best mark of 12.32 meters. Her performance ranks third all-time in program history.
 
"The women's squad stepped up huge this weekend with event wins in the 1500m by Josette and a big upset by Cathilyn in the 800m," Culley continued. "Both women executed their races beautifully, waiting until the final 150m to break open the field. Both fields had national class competitors and it was exciting to see the Hoyas take the win. Eni was brilliant in the triple jump finishing second with a lifetime best in her first outdoor championship. The women's 4x800m win was redemption after a tough outing at Penn Relays. Today we competed with a lot of pride and I'm so excited about the direction the team is heading."
 
Hoyas with qualifying times will head to Jacksonville, Florida for the NCAA EAST Preliminary Championships on Thursday, May 23rd.  

2019 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships: Final Standings
Men: 1. Villanova (198); 2. Marquette (191); 3. DePaul (168); 4. Butler (127); 5. Georgetown (92); 6. Providence (28); 7. Xavier (21)

Women: 1. Villanova (217); 2. DePaul (159); 3. St. John's (141); 4. Marquette (114); 5. Georgetown (76); 6. Butler (69); 7. Providence (38); 8. Xavier (37)
 
2019 BIG EAST Outdoor Track & Field Championships: Final Results
Women's Triple Jump (points)
2. Eni Akinniyi, 12.32 meters (8)
 
Women's 1,500-Meter Run (points)
1. Josette Norris, 4:34.54 (10)
9. Rachel Sessa, 4:40.98
 
Men's 1,500-Meter Run (points)
4. Spencer Brown, 4:00.01 (5)
5. Jack Salisbury, 4:00.91 (4)
9. Maazin Ahmed, 4:02.28
 
Men's 400-Meter Dash (points)
8. Ruach Padhal, 49.68 (1)
 
Women's 100-Meter Dash (points)
5. Tamiya Roberts, 12.41 (4)
 
Men's 100-Meter Dash (points)
6. Josiah Laney, 11.09 (3)
8. D'Andre Barriffe, 12.16 (1)
 
Women's 800-Meter Run (points)
1. Cathilyn McIntosh, 2:06.95 (10)
3. Sami Corman, 2:07.62 (6)
6. Lexi Del Gizzo, 2:13.93 (3)
 
Men's 800-Meter Run (points)
1. Kenny Rowe, 1:50.54 (10)
3. Brennan Munley, 1:50.92 (6)
4. Ian Delgado, 1:51.21 (5)
 
Women's 400-Meter Hurdles (points)
5. BryAnn Sandy, 1:01.84 (4)
 
Men's 400-Meter Hurdles (points)
5. Lawrence Leake, 54.40 (4)
 
Men's Triple Jump (points)
5. Josiah Laney, 13.63 meters (4)
 
Men's 5,000-Meter Run (points)
3. Rusty Kujdych, 14:24.68 (6)
 
Women's 4x800-Meter Relay (points)
1. Josette Norris / Katie Dammer / Katherine Modrall / Sami Corman, 8:49.43 (10)
 
Men's 4x800-Meter Relay (points)
2. Maazin Ahmed / Brennan Munley / Jack Salisbury / Spencer Brown, 7:30.19 (8)
 
Women's 4x400-Meter Relay (points)
3. Olivia Arizin / Lexi Del Gizzo / BryAnn Sandy / Cathilyn McIntosh, 3:49.51 (6)
 
Men's 4x400-Meter Relay (points)
2. Ian Delgado / Lawrence Leake / Ruach Padhal / Kenny Rowe, 3:12.21 (8)