Farmingdale, N.Y. - The men's and women's outdoor track team opened the 2012 season with a strong showing at the Queens College Invitational. Junior Edward Brown IV (Bay Shore, N.Y.) took first place in the hammer throw breaking his own school-record with a toss of 53.68m. Junior Mike Jang (Lynbrook, N.Y.) took second place in the hammer throw and third place in the shot put. Freshman Ieshawn Johnson (Queens, N.Y.) won the discus event, while two freshmen (Frederic Harris - long jump and William Frederic - 800m) each finished second in their respective events.
For the women, junior Kathleen Clermont (Uniondale, N.Y.) won both the 100m and 200m events and junior Victoria Mandat (West Babylon, N.Y.) captured the 100m hurdles and placed second in the 200m.
At the Ramapo College Invitational, Brown once again took first place in the hammer throw, while Johnson won the discus for the second straight meet. Junior Joanna Pavone (West Islip, N.Y.) broke the school-record in the pole vault with a vault of 9' 2 1/4".
At the College of New Jersey Invitational, Pavone improved her school-record in the pole vault as she cleared 9' 8". Mandat posted three ECAC qualifying times as she tied her own school-record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.13. Farmingdale State's men took the top three spots in both the discus and the hammer as Johnson, Jang and Brown all placed in the top three in both events.
At the CTC Championships held at DeSales University, the Rams won three events and placed second in four others. Pavone placed first in the pole vault tying her school-record. Jang won the hammer throw and Johnson captured the discus event. Freshman Andrew Bylicki (Deer Park, N.Y.) took second place in the discus, Clermont finished second in the 200m and junior Faustine Chukwuezi (Central Islip, N.Y.) placed second in the triple jump. The women's 4x100m relay team of Chukwuezi, Mandat, Clermont and sophomore Katherine Hoskins (Valley Stream, N.Y.) also finished second.
Johnson was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year this season. Brown and Jang earned First and Second Team All-Conference honors, respectively in the hammer throw. Senior Sean Tiernan (3000m steeplechase), sophomore Alix Lamarre (long jump) and freshman Jonathan Gortman (100m hurdles) each were named Honorable Mention in their respective events.
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