2

2007-08 Indoor Track

Rutgers-Camden 4x800 places second
at ECAC Indoor Championships

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (March 8, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden men’s 4x800 team set a program record of 7:53.29 while finishing a close second here Saturday at the ECAC Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at Harvard University.

The Scarlet Raptors’ team of sophomores Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) and Frank Iwanicki (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township), senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) and junior anchor Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) broke the old program mark of 7:57.68, set by the same quartet at last season’s ECAC Indoor Championships, March 3, 2007.

Rutgers-Camden’s time was less than a second behind the winning time of Muhlenberg, which posted a 7:52.47 clocking. The Scarlet Raptors’ 4x800 team collected eight points to help the Raptors finish in a tie for 29th place at the meet. Rutgers-Camden had 10 points over the two-day event to tie with Farmingdale State, Salem State and City College of New York. The men’s championship was won by St. Lawrence with 69 points. A total of 58 teams scored points.

In the only other action on the day for Rutgers-Camden, freshman Ken Wise (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) finished ninth in the high jump with a leap of 6-4.25 (1.94 meters).

Fri. 7-      ECAC Div. III Indoor Track and Field Championships                                               
Sat. 8      (Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.)
Men: 1. St. Lawrence, 69; 2. Moravian, 59; 3. Nazareth, 38; 4. Tufts, 35; 5. Southern Maine, 28; 6. (tie) Springfield and Oneonta, 27; 8. MIT, 25; 9. Cortland State, 23; 10. Bowdoin, 22; 11. Keene State, 21; 12. (tie) UMass-Dartmouth, Williams and Rochester, 20; 15. Ithaca, 19; 16. (tie) Amherst and Brockport State, 18; 18. Buffalo State, 17.50; 19. (tie) Gettysburg and Muhlenberg, 17; 21. (tie) WPI and Coast Guard, 16; 23. Wheaton (Mass.), 15; 24. The College of New Jersey, 14; 25. (tie) RIT and Trinity, 13; 27. New Jersey City, 11.50; 28. Plattsburgh State, 11; 29. (tie) Farmingdale State, Salem State, CCNY and Rutgers-Camden, 10; 33. (tie) RPI and Bates, 8; 35. (tie) Worcester, Johns Hopkins and Stevens Institute, 7; 38. Oswego State, 6.50; 39. (tie) Lehman, Ramapo, Rowan, Bethany (WV), Westfield State and Frostburg State, 6; 45. (tie) Rutgers-Newark, Misericordia and Widener, 5; 48. (tie) Richard Stockton, DeSales, Wesleyan, Conn College and Fredonia State, 4; 53. (tie) Alfred, Bridgewater State and Franklin & Marshall, 3; 56. Eastern Connecticut State, 2.50; 57. Kean, 2; 58. Colby, 1.

Rutgers-Camden School Records:
* 4x800, 7:53.29 by Akeem Lloyd, Frank Iwanicki, Mike Fox, Jonathan Salamon (Old: 7:57.68 by Fox, Iwanicki, Lloyd, Salamon, March 3, 2007 at the ECAC Indoor Track and Field Championships)

Rutgers-Camden distance medley
seventh at ECAC Championships

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (March 7, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden men’s distance medley team finished seventh here Friday on the first day of competition at the ECAC Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, held at Harvard University.

The Scarlet Raptors ran a time of 10:28.38 with a team comprised of junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen), senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional), freshman Jason Kendall (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) and junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional).

The Raptors return to ECAC action Saturday, where freshman Ken Wise (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) will compete in the high jump and the 4x800 team will run.

Rutgers-Camden’s Fox wins honor
as NJAC Indoor Track Athlete of Week

CAMDEN (March 3, 2008) –Rutgers University-Camden senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Men’s Indoor Track & Field Track Athlete of the Week on Monday following an outstanding performance at New York University’s FastTrack Invitational Friday, Feb. 29.

Fox ran a NCAA Provisional qualifying time at 800 meters while breaking his own program record in the event. He ran a 1:53.01 clocking to finish third out of 87 competitors. His old program mark of 1:53.23 was set Feb. 9, 2008 at the Valentine Invitational at Boston University.
Fox became the fourth different Rutgers-Camden male to win NJAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honors this season. Sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) won the honor Jan. 21, sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) earned the award Feb. 4 and junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) captured the weekly honor Feb. 26. In addition, the Lady Raptors’ freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) was named NJAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Week on Jan. 21.

A Biology major at Rutgers-Camden, Mike is the son of Bruce and Mary Ann Fox of Hainesport.

Rutgers-Camden sets three marks
at NYU’s FastTrack Invitational

NEW YORK (Feb. 29, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden indoor track team set three school records, posted a pair of ECAC qualifying times and added a NCAA Provisional qualifying time at New York University’s FastTrack Invitational, held Friday at the Armory in New York City.

Scarlet Raptor senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional), junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) and freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) each broke their own indoor program records, Fox ran a NCAA Provisional qualifying time at 800 meters and both Stewart and junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) ran ECAC qualifying times.

Fox posted a 1:53.01 clocking at 800 meters to finish third out of 87 competitors, less than one second behind the winner, Matt Tower of Army (1:52.19). Fox broke his own program mark of 1:53.23, set Feb. 9, 2008 at the Valentine Invitational at Boston University.

Stewart posted a clocking of 15:09.57 at 5,000 meters to finish 14th out of 31 runners, post an ECAC qualifying time and break his own mark of 15:11.53 in the event. That record also had been set Feb. 9 at the Valentine Invitational.

Maldonado, meanwhile, ran a 1:03.21 in the 400-meter dash. She broke her program mark of 1:04.94 set Jan. 18, 2008 at the Collegeville Classic. She finished 59th out of a field of 66 runners.

Salamon’s ECAC-qualifying time of 1:55.78 came at 800 meters and placed him 13th out of the 87-man field.

The Scarlet Raptors also received a strong performance by sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) in the mile. He finished 35th of 60 runners in a time of 4:28.27.

Freshman Jason Kendall (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) finished with a 9:10.83 clocking at 3,000 meters to place 40th of 52 runners, while Raptor sophomore Justin Edmonds (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) had a triple jump of 12.01 meters. He finished 16th of 19 competitors.

In addition to Maldonado, the Lady Raptors’ other competitor was freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township). England posted a time of 11:07.60 in the 3,000-meter run, finishing 33rd of 42 competitors.

The Raptors return to action Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they will compete in the ECAC Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Rutgers-Camden’s England captures
USTFCCCA All-Academic honors

CAMDEN (Feb. 27, 2008) –Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) has had a phenomenal freshman year at Rutgers University-Camden as a member of the Lady Raptors’ cross country and indoor track teams, but England’s latest accomplishment dwarfs her impressive athletic honors.

England, a dual Accounting and Economics major who is an Honors College student, has been named to the 2007 NCAA Division III Women’s All-Academic Cross Country Team by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. She is one of only 203 Division III female student-athletes to receive the 2007 USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, representing 106 institutions across the nation.

To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must carry a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and also finish in the top 25 percent of the field at their respective NCAA regional meet. England, a 4.0 student, finished 57th out of 255 runners at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships Nov. 10 at New York’s Van Cortlandt Park.

Rutgers-Camden’s Salamon earns
NJAC Men’s Track Athlete of the Week

CAMDEN (Feb. 26, 2008) –Rutgers University-Camden junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) was been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week today after an outstanding performance in the conference championships Monday in Toms River.

Salamon anchored both the Scarlet Raptors’ 4x800 and distance medley teams, which captured NJAC titles in ECAC-qualifying times. The 4x800 team posted an 8:05.32 time, while the distance medley ran a 10:34.24. The two first-place finishes helped Rutgers-Camden finish fifth in the men’s competition with 41 points, its highest finish at the NJAC meet since starting the three-year-old indoor program.

Joining Salamon on the 4x800 team were senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional), sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross), and sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City). The men’s distance medley team included junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional), sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and Lloyd.

The NJAC Championships were a continuation of another brilliant indoor season for Salamon, who has competed at 800 meters in addition to running on the 4x400, 4x800 and distance medley teams this winter. He ran the third leg on the distance medley team which set a school record of 10:08.24 at the Valentine Invitational at Boston University Feb. 8. The next day at the Valentine Invitational, Salamon anchored the program’s record-setting 4x400 team (3:26.95).

Last winter Salamon anchored the Raptors’ 4x800 team that set a program record of 7:57.68 at the ECAC Championships (March 3, 2007).

Salamon is the fourth Rutgers-Camden athlete to earn weekly NJAC track honors this winter. Sophomores Lloyd and Iwanicki captured the Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week on Jan. 21 and Feb. 4, respectively. Freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) was the NJAC Women’s Indoor Track Rookie of the Week on Jan. 21.

Rutgers-Camden wins three titles
at NJAC Indoor Track Championships

TOMS RIVER (Feb. 25, 2008) –Rutgers University-Camden freshman Kenneth Wise (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) became the New Jersey Athletic Conference high jump champion with a school-record jump of 6-7 (2.00 meters) to lead the Scarlet Raptors to three titles at the 2008 NJAC Indoor Track and Field Championships held Monday at the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex in Toms River.

Rutgers-Camden also captured NJAC championships with its men’s 4x800 and distance medley relay teams as the Scarlet Raptors finished fifth out of nine teams in the men’s competition with 41 points. The fifth-place finish was the Scarlet Raptors’ highest finish at the NJAC meet in the three-year history of the indoor program.

The College of New Jersey captured both the men’s and women’s titles for the 11th consecutive year.

Wise broke his old program mark in the high jump of 6-05.5 (1.97 meters), which was set at the season-opening Winter Invitational Dec. 8. His new mark also was an ECAC qualifier.

Members of the NJAC championship men’s 4x800 team were senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional), sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross), sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) and junior anchor Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen). The Raptors won the event with an ECAC-qualifying time of 8:05.32.
The men’s distance medley also posted an ECAC-qualifying time with a 10:34.24 in winning its NJAC title. Members of that team included junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional), sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove), Lloyd and anchor Salamon.

Fox also finished third in the mile run to earn NJAC Honorable Mention, posting a time of 4:26.07.

On the women’s side, Rutgers-Camden finished ninth with seven points, but the Lady Raptors turned in a third-place performance to capture NJAC Honorable Mention in the distance medley with a time of 14:44.49, setting a school record in an event they ran for the first time. Members of that team were junior Brandee Neiderhofer (Absecon, NJ/Holy Spirit), freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), junior Steph Scarpa (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) and freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township).

The Lady Raptors also set program records in the mile run and the shot put. England ran a 5:30.57 to finish sixth in the mile, breaking the old mark of 6:10.66 set by Neiderhofer at the NJAC Indoor Championships on Feb. 19, 2006.

Junior Becca Taylor (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights) shattered her own program record in the shot put with a put of 9.55 meters (31-4), breaking her old mark of 9.42 meters (30-11) set at the Lebanon Valley College Invitational Jan. 27, 2007. Taylor finished 12th in the shot put competition.

The Scarlet Raptors also turned in several other strong performances. Junior G. Brandon Gordon (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) finished fourth at 5,000 meters (16:11.32), while freshman Scott McCarthy (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) was 10th in the same event (17:39.45).

Junior Michael McClain (Sewell, NJ/Bishop Eustace) competed in three events, finishing 12th in the triple jump (11.18 meters), 21st in the 55-meter dash (7.95) and 22nd in the long jump (5.06 meters).

Another three-event man was freshman Osi Eigbe (Galloway, NJ/Absegami). He finished 18th at 400 meters (57.26) and 24th at 200 meters (25.66). He also ran the third leg on the Raptors’ 4x400 relay, which finished seventh in a time of 3:50.96. Joining him on that team was freshman Jason Kendall (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township), junior Eric Sczepanski (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee) and Coleman.

Sophomore Justin Edmonds (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) finished sixth in the triple jump (12.70 meters) and 19th in the long jump (5.78 meters).

The Raptors return to action Friday when they compete in New York University’s FastTrack Invitational.

Fri. 25     New Jersey Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships                                             
                (at John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex, Toms River, NJ)

Men: 1. The College of New Jersey, 157; 2. Ramapo, 126; 3. New Jersey City, 80; 4. Montclair State, 77; 5. Rutgers-Camden, 41; 6. Rowan, 28; 7. Kean, 17; 8. (tie) Richard Stockton and Rutgers-Newark, 16.

Women: 1. The College of New Jersey, 184; 2. Richard Stockton, 108; 3. New Jersey City, 90; 4. Ramapo, 61; 5. Montclair State, 59; 6. Kean, 15; 7. Rutgers-Newark, 14; 8. Rowan, 9; 9. Rutgers-Camden, 7.

* Ken Wise, High Jump, 2.00 M, 6-7
* Men’s Distance Medley, 10:34.24 (Travis Stewart, Stefon Coleman, Akeem Lloyd, Jonathan Salamon)
* Men’s 4x800 Relay, 8:05.32 (Mike Fox, Frank Iwanicki, Akeem Lloyd, Jonathan Salamon)

Rutgers-Camden sets more records
at BU’s Valentine Invitational

BOSTON, Mass.  (Feb. 9, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden men’s indoor track team set five program records here Saturday at the Valentine Invitational, giving the Scarlet Raptors seven school records in the two-day event held at Boston University.

Sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) broke the school record at 500 meters with a time of 1:06.61 to finish 29th out of 66 competitors. Lloyd broke the mark of current teammate Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen), who ran a 1:07.36 at the ECAC Championships March 3, 2007.

Another one of Salamon’s records fell at 800 meters, as senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) posted a time of 1:53.23 to finish 13th out of 189 runners. He broke the record of 1:57.46 by Salamon at the ECAC Championships on March 4, 2006, running an NCAA provisional qualifier in the process. Salamon, a junior, also passed his old mark, running a 1:56.71 to finish 55th.

In the mile run, sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) broke the old record held by Fox, running a 4:20.95 to finish 66th out of 174 runners. Fox had set the old standard of 4:25.38 at the NYU FastTrack Invitational on Feb. 23, 2007.

In the 5,000-meter run, junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) broke his own mark by running a 15:11.53 to finish 67th of 127 runners. He shaved 15 seconds off his former mark of 15:26.23, also set at last season’s NYU FastTrack Invitational.

The other program record to fall came in the 4x400 relay, where a clocking of 3:26.95 earned the Raptors 37th place out of 53 teams. Members of the team were Fox, Iwanicki, Lloyd and Salamon. They broke the mark of 3:27.30 set by Fox, Lloyd, Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and Salamon at last year’s NYU FastTrack Invitational.

All of the above teams and individuals recorded ECAC qualifying times.

The Raptor records combined with a pair set Friday by the men’s distance medley team (10:08.24) and the lone Lady Raptor to make the trip, freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township), who broke her old mark at 3,000 meters with a time of 10:51.83. The distance medley team included Iwanicki, Lloyd, Salamon and Fox.

In addition to the records, the Raptors received strong performances from a pair of freshmen out of Haddon Township High School. Jason Kendall finished 109th out of 157 runners at 3,000 meters with a 9:08.88 clocking, while Ken Wise tied for 16th in the high jump with a leap of 6-02.00 (1.88 meters).

The Raptors return to action Feb. 25 for the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships in Toms River.

Fri. 9       Valentine Invitational                                                                        
                (at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts)

Rutgers-Camden sets two marks
at Valentine Invitational

BOSTON, Mass. (Feb. 8, 2008)  – The Rutgers University-Camden indoor track team watched program records fall in a pair of events here Friday as it competed at the first day of Boston University’s Valentine Invitational.

Freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) broke her own record at 3,000 meters, while the Scarlet Raptors also set a program record for the men in the distance medley with the team of sophomores Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) and Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen) and senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional).

England ran her race in 10:51.83 to set the 3,000-meter mark for the third time this season. Her last mark of 11:05.80 stood for less than one week as she set it Feb. 2 at the Frank Colden Invitational. Competing against runners from Division I and II schools, in addition to Division III, England finished 50th out of 86 runners in her event while running the program’s first sub 11-minute time at 3,000 meters.

The distance medley team, meanwhile, shattered the former program mark of 10:32.93 by running a 10:08.24 time. The Raptors finished ninth out of 18 teams, edging out Division I Boston College along the way. The old program mark was set by Iwanicki, Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove), Salamon and Fox on March 2, 2007 at the ECAC Championships.

The Scarlet Raptors conclude their trip to Boston University Saturday when the men compete in several events at the Valentine Invitational.

NJAIAW Woman of the Year program
honors Rutgers-Camden’s Taylor

Currently competing in her second season on the indoor track team, Taylor has competed in the shot put at all three of the Lady Raptors’ invitationals. Her top put of 29-11.00 came Feb. 2 at the Frank Colden Invitational.

The lone female on the Rutgers-Camden indoor track team last winter (2006-07), Taylor competed in three indoor meets in the shot put, with a top put of 30-11 to set a program record and finish second overall at the Lebanon Valley College Invitational (Jan. 27).

Taylor ran her second season of cross country last fall, competing in all six invitationals for the Raptors. She posted her top 6K time of 37:55.8 in the final meet of the season, the NCAA Atlantic Regionals Nov. 10, 2007. She also had a 5K time of 31:51.19 at the Cabrini Invitational Oct. 13.

During the fall of 2006, Taylor ran cross country for the first time, competing in six invitationals and posting her best 5K time of 33:38.34 at the Goldey Beacom College Cross Country Fall Classic (Oct. 7). She ran her top 6K time of 38:35 at the ECAC Championships (Nov. 4).

Taylor also has earned two outdoor track letters for the Raptors. During the 2007 spring season she competed in the shot put, discus and javelin for the women’s track team, turning in an outstanding performance at the New Jersey Athletic Conference meet (May 5) in which she finished fifth in the discus (96-5.50), 10th in the shot put (29-9.75) and 13th in the javelin (59-11).  The discus and shot put throws were her longest of the season. She had her top throw in the javelin (63-0) at the Lions Invitational April 28, finishing 25th.

Taylor made her Scarlet Raptors athletic debut on the outdoor track and field team during the 2006 spring season. She competed in five invitationals for the Raptors, throwing the shot put and the discus. She finished sixth at the NJAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships (May 6, 2006) with a discus throw of 28.55 meters and was seventh in the NJAC shot put (8.40 meters). Her top shot put of 29-8.25 came at the New Jersey Invitational (April 15). Her top discus throw of 101-0 earned a fifth-place finish at Lebanon Valley (April 12).

Taylor earned a total of eight varsity letters at Haddon Heights High School. She was a four-year letterwinner in track and field under coaches Butch Gale and Don Hinger. She also earned three field hockey letters for Coach Celeste Lomax and an indoor track and field letter under Coach Matt Martin.

Taylor was the South Jersey Group II Discus Champion in 2004 and won various track relay medals during her scholastic career. An outstanding goalie in field hockey, she was named as a Courier-Post Top Goalie and was among the Courier-Post’s South Jersey goalie shutout leaders for both the 2003 and 2004 seasons. She also was named Athlete of the Week for field hockey and was a Field Hockey 2004 Scholarship winner.

Academically, Taylor was a member of the National Honor Society, earned Principal’s List and Honor Roll Recognition, won a Teacher’s Choice Award and ranked 25th in her class of 167. She received the Haddon Heights VFW Post 1958 Scholarship Award for students pursuing a science major.

Becca is the daughter of Theodore and Regina Taylor of Haddon Heights.

Rutgers-Camden’s Iwanicki captures
NJAC Indoor Track Athlete of Week

CAMDEN (Feb. 4, 2008) – Rutgers University-Camden sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Men’s Indoor Track and Field Track Athlete of the Week after an outstanding performance in helping the Scarlet Raptors to a second-place finish at the Frank Colden Invitational Saturday.

Iwanicki finished first in both of his events in the meet held at Ursinus College. He ran an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:35.75 in winning the 1,000-meter race, beating a field of 20 runners. His time barely missed his own program mark of 2:35.07, set Feb. 23, 2007 in the New York University FastTrack Invitational.

Iwanicki also ran the third leg of the Raptors’ winning 4x800 relay team at the Frank Colden Invitational. That squad posted a time of 8:11.09 to finish first out of 11 teams.

Overall, the Scarlet Raptors scored 81 points to finish second only to Johns Hopkins University (108 points) in the men’s competition, which included 18 teams.

A Mathematics and Education major at Rutgers-Camden who plans to teach, Iwanicki is in his second year with the Scarlet Raptors’ indoor track program. He also has been a two-year letterman for the Rutgers-Camden cross country team.

In addition to holding the Rutgers-Camden indoor record at 1,000 meters, Iwanicki was a member of the program’s record-setting teams in the distance medley (10:32.93) and the 4x800 (7:57.68). Both of those marks were set at the ECAC Championships March 2-3, 2007.

Rutgers-Camden men finish second
at Frank Colden Invitational

COLLEGEVILLE, Penn. (Feb. 2, 2008)  – The Rutgers University-Camden indoor track is getting quite familiar with the facilities at Ursinus College.

For the third time this season, the Scarlet Raptors ran at Ursinus when they competed in the Frank Colden Invitational here Saturday. The third time was another charm as the Rutgers-Camden men finished second in an 18-team field, won four events and combined with the women to break three program records.

Rutgers-Camden, which has established 10 new indoor program marks in its first three meets of the season – all held at Ursinus – saw its men’s team finish with 81 points to place second only to Johns Hopkins (108). The Lady Raptors had five points to finish 15th of 16 teams in the event, which also was won by Johns Hopkins (115).

The men received first-place finishes from sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) at 1,000 meters (an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:35.75) and senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) at 3,000 meters in a program-record 8:50.21. Fox broke the old mark of 8:57.05 set by teammate Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) at the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championships Feb. 19, 2007.

The men also received first-place finishes from a pair of relay teams, the 4x400 (3:31.72) and the 4x800 (8:11.09). The 4x400 included Fox, sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City), sophomore Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) and junior anchor Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen). The 4x800 team included freshman Nick Papaioannou (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township), Lloyd, Iwanicki and anchor Salamon.

In addition to Fox’s record at 3,000 meters, the women also saw their standard at 3,000 meters improved, as freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) broke her own mark with a clocking of 11:05.80 in a sixth-place finish. Her old mark of 11:27.30 was set in the season-opening Winter Invitational Dec. 8, 2007.

The Raptors’ other program mark came in the men’s 4x200, which finished 10th in a clocking of 1:39.19. Members of that team were Coleman, sophomore Justin Edmonds (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), senior Nate Buchter (Blackwood, NJ/Highland Regional) and anchor Fox. The old 4x200 mark of 1:42.7 was set at the Lebanon Valley College Invitational Jan. 27, 2007 by the team of Coleman, Lloyd, Patrick Eigbe (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) and Salamon.

In addition to the first-place finishes and the records, the Scarlet Raptors saw Lloyd finish second at 400 meters (52.69), Salamon place second at 800 meters (1:59.03), Stewart finish second at 3,000 meters (8:53.19) and freshman Jason Kendall (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) finish third in the mile (4:28.87).

Freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) was the busiest Raptor woman, finishing seventh at 400 meters (1:05.13), 12th in the long jump (4.22 meters) and 14th at 200 meters (29.38).

Junior Becca Taylor (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights), who set a program record last winter in the shot put (30-11), had her top performance in the shot this season with a put of 29-11 to finish 11th. Taylor will be honored on Sunday, Feb. 3, at Seton Hall University as the Rutgers-Camden representative in the NJAIAW Woman of the Year program.

The Scarlet Raptors return action Saturday, Feb. 9, when they compete in the Valentine’s Day Invitational at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Frank Colden Invitational                                                                 
(at Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania)
Men: 1. Johns Hopkins, 108; 2. Rutgers-Camden, 81; 3. Ursinus, 73; 4. Gettysburg, 72; 5. Dickinson, 64; 6. Rowan, 40; 7. Wesley, 30; 8. Cumberland CC, 27; 9. Kean, 26; 10. Frostburg State, 23; 11. Keystone, 18; 12. Middlesex CC, 17; 13. (tie) Catholic and Albright, 11; 15. Montgomery College, 8; 16. Holy Family, 6; 17. Hood, 2; 18. Globe Institute, 1.
Women: 1. Johns Hopkins, 115; 2. Gettysburg, 95; 3. Frostburg State, 92; 4. Dickinson, 61; 5. Cabrini, 54; 6. Ursinus, 34; 7. Kean, 30; 8. (tie) Catholic and Keystone, 25; 10. Albright, 16; 11. Rowan, 13; 12. Delaware Valley, 12; 13. Holy Family, 11; 14. Globe Institute, 6; 15. Rutgers-Camden, 5; 16. Cumberland CC, 3.

Rutgers-Camden School Records:
* Men’s 3,000 M, Mike Fox, 8:50.21 (Old: 8:57.05 by Travis Stewart, Feb. 19, 2007 at the NJAC Championships)
* Women’s 3,000 M, Robin England, 11:05.80 (Old: 11:27.30 by England, Dec. 8, 2007 at the Winter Invitational)
* Men’s 4x200, 1:39.19 by Stefon Coleman, Justin Edmonds, Nate Buchter, Mike Fox (Old: 1:42.7 by Coleman, Akeem Lloyd, Patrick Eigbe, Jonathan Salamon, Jan. 27, 2007 at the Lebanon Valley College Invitational)

NJAC honors three
Rutgers-Camden athletes

CAMDEN (Jan. 21, 2008) – Three Rutgers University-Camden student-athletes were honored today by the New Jersey Athletic Conference for their performances in their respective sports during the week of Jan. 14-20.

Two members of the Rutgers-Camden indoor track team earned honors after fine showings at the Collegeville Classic at Ursinus College Friday. Sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) was named the NJAC Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) captured honors as the NJAC Women’s Indoor Track Rookie of the Week.

In women’s basketball, freshman forward/center Karima Blackwell (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) also earned honors as the NJAC Rookie of the Week following an outstanding performance in four games over five days for the Lady Raptors.

Lloyd and Maldonado each set Rutgers-Camden program records at the Collegeville Classic. Lloyd finished 7th of 30 individuals in the 400-meter dash, breaking his own indoor program record with a 52.34 clocking. He also ran the third leg on the Scarlet Raptors’ winning 4x800 relay team, which posted an ECAC-qualifying time of 8:09.51, and he was the leadoff leg for Rutgers-Camden’s 4x400 relay team, which finished 8th of 13 teams with a 3:37.94 clocking. His performance helped the Raptors finish fourth out of 14 teams.

Maldonado set the Lady Raptor indoor program record in the 400-meter dash, posting a time of 1:04.94 to finish seventh of 24 runners. She also finished ninth out of 17 competitors with a long jump of 15-07.50.

The Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week honor was the second of the season for Blackwell, who averaged a double-double of 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in games last week against Eastern University (Jan. 15), Richard Stockton College (Jan. 16), Valley Forge Christian College (Jan. 17) and Rowan University (Jan. 19). She also earned the honor Dec. 10.
In her game against Eastern, Blackwell notched her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. The next night against Stockton, she had a team-high 17 points, barely missed another double-double with nine rebounds and added a game-high four steals to set her career high.  In the Valley Forge game, she had a team-high nine rebounds and her game-high 21 points tied her career high. Nine of her points came during a 23-point run by the Lady Raptors, which snapped a 2-2 tie and put Rutgers-Camden ahead to stay.

She ended her week with 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds in a loss to Rowan as Rutgers-Camden went 2-2 in the four-game span.

For the week, Blackwell shot 21-for-47 from the floor (44.7 percent) and 24-for-31 (77.4 percent) from the foul line.

Blackwell, who also was named Rutgers-Camden’s Raptor of the Week on Monday, has had an outstanding freshman campaign for the Lady Raptors. She leads the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and is second in scoring (11.7 ppg).

Rutgers-Camden begins new year
with more indoor track success

COLLEGEVILLE, Penn.  (Jan. 18, 2008) – The Rutgers University-Camden indoor track team made sure the new year was a continuation of its old success as it competed in the Collegeville Classic here Friday afternoon at Ursinus College.

The Scarlet Raptors collected three first-place finishes and established six program records in their first outing since the season opener December 8. The Rutgers-Camden men finished with 55 points to place fourth out of 14 teams, while the women had four points for a 13th-place finish.

The Rutgers-Camden men’s team received first-place finishes from freshman Kenneth Wise (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) in the high jump (6-04.0), junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) in the mile (4:28.75) and the 4x800 relay team (8:09.51). Members of the 4x800 team were junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen), sophomores Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross)  and Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) and senior anchor Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional).

Leading the Raptors’ record-setting day was junior Patrick Eigbe (Galloway, NJ/Absegami), who set program records at 55 meters (6.83) and 200 meters (24.12). Eigbe broke his own mark of 6.94 in the 55-meter dash, while his 200 time edged the old mark of 24.23 set by teammate Stefon Coleman (Penns Grove, NJ/Penns Grove) in the Frank Colden Invitational on the same Ursinus College track last season (Feb. 3, 2007). Eigbe finished 13th at 200 meters and 14th at 55 meters.

Sophomore Justin Edmonds (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown) set the program mark in the triple jump, finishing eighth with a jump of 42-04.00. The old mark of 35-8.74 was set by teammate Michael McClain (Sewell, NJ/Bishop Eustace), also at last season’s Frank Colden Invitational.

In the 400-meter dash, Lloyd finished seventh with a program-record time of 52.34. He broke his own mark of 52.66, set Feb. 23, 2007 at the NYU FastTrack Invitational.

On the women’s side, the Lady Raptors established program marks while competing in a pair of events for the first time in school history. Freshman Robin England (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) set a mark at 5,000 meters, finishing seventh in a 19:45.94 clocking. That record gave England two program marks in two indoor meets. She set the record at 3,000 meters (11:27.30) at the Winter Invitational Dec. 8, which also was held at the Ursinus College indoor track.

The Lady Raptors’ other mark came at 400 meters (1:04.94) during a seventh-place finish by freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown).

In addition to the women’s records, Maldonado finished ninth in the long jump (15-07.50), while junior Becca Taylor (Haddon Heights, NJ/Haddon Heights) finished ninth in the shot put (29-00.00).

On the men’s side, Edmonds finished 11th in the long jump (19-05.25) and 26th in the 55-meter dash (7.19), in addition to his triple jump record. McClain competed in both the 55-meter dash (8.01 for 33rd place) and the long jump (16-05.75, 17th).

At 800 meters, Salamon finished third (1:59.89) and Fox finished ninth (2:03.70) at 800 meters, while Iwanicki was sixth in the mile (4:34.20). Freshman Jason Kendall (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) finished third at 5,000 meters (16:24.11). Junior G. Brandon Gordon (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) was right behind him in the event, finishing fourth (16:31.74).

The Raptors’ 4x400 team finished eighth (3:37.94), led by Lloyd, Kendall, Coleman and anchor Solomon.

The Scarlet Raptors return to Ursinus for their next meet on February 2 when they compete in the Frank Colden Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m.

Collegeville Classic
(at Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania)

Men: 1. Kutztown, 87; 2. Farmingdale State, 80; 3. Cheyney, 77; 4. Rutgers-Camden, 55; 5. St. Joseph’s (PA), 42; 6. West Chester, 40.5; 7. Messiah, 36; 8. (tie) Rowan and Millersville, 35; 10. Ursinus, 29; 11. Muhlenberg, 27; 12. Lebanon Valley, 12.5; 13. Holy Family, 8; 14. Albright, 5.
Women: 1. Kutztown, 132; 2. St. Joseph’s (PA), 100; 3. West Chester, 69; 4. Millersville, 54; 5. Cheyney, 37; 6. Muhlenberg, 31; 7. Messiah, 26; 8. Lebanon Valley, 21; 9. Farmingdale State, 20; 10.(tie) Rowan and Albright, 18; 12. Ursinus, 8; 13. Rutgers-Camden. 4; 14. Cabrini, 2.

Rutgers-Camden indoor track team
notches strong season-opening performance

COLLEGEVILLE, Penn. (Dec. 8, 2007)  – The Rutgers University-Camden track team won two events, tied one school record and established a pair of program marks in previously-uncontested events as the Scarlet Raptors opened their third indoor season with a bang here Saturday at the Winter Invitational.
The Rutgers-Camden men finished fifth in a 15-team field with 50 points, while the Lady Raptors did not score.

Leading the scoring parade were senior Mike Fox (Hainesport, NJ/Rancocas Valley) and junior Jonathan Salamon (Bridgewater, NJ/St. Joseph-Metuchen), who finished first in the mile run and the 800-meter run, respectively. Fox logged a time of 4:33.35 to lead a strong Rutgers-Camden contingent in the mile, while Salamon posted a 2:02.25 clocking at 800 meters, another strong event for the Scarlet Raptors.

In addition to Fox, Rutgers-Camden also finished second and fifth in the mile as sophomore Frank Iwanicki (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross) was the runner-up in a time of 4:33.98 and junior Travis Stewart (Runnemede, NJ/Triton Regional) posted a 4:36.98 time to finish fifth.
In addition to Salamon in the 800, sophomore Akeem Lloyd (Atlantic City, NJ/Atlantic City) finished fifth at 2:04.6, while freshman Nick Papaioannou (Haddon Township, NJ/Haddon Township) was 17th (2:09.38).
The Raptors’ top 4x400 relay team of Fox, Salamon, Lloyd and Iwanicki finished third with a 3:31.71 clocking.

Junior Patrick Eigbe Jr. (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) matched his own program record by running a 6.94 time to finish 13th in the 55-meter dash. His old mark was set Feb. 19, 2007 at the NJAC Championships. He also finished 18th (25.11) in the 200-meter dash, while his brother, freshman Osi Eigbe (Galloway, NJ/Absegami) finished 21st at 400 meters (57.59) and 33rd at 200 meters (25.89).

The Raptors competed in a pair of events for the first time in their program history, with a pair of freshmen from Haddon Township High School establishing new program marks. Ken Wise finished second in the high jump to establish a program standard of 6-05.5 (1.97 meters), while on the women’s side, Robin England finished 12th at 3,000 meters to set a program record at 11:27.30.

The lone Lady Raptor to compete in a pair of events was freshman Ayla Maldonado (Williamstown, NJ/Williamstown), who finished 22nd in the long jump (14-05.75, or 4.41 meters) and 31st in the 200-meter dash (30.19).

The Scarlet Raptors return to Ursinus for their next meet on January 18 when they compete in the Collegeville Indoor Classic.

Men: 1. Shippensburg, 143.9; 2. Johns Hopkins, 91.2; 3. Cheyney, 88; 4. Millersville, 54.2; 5. Rutgers-Camden, 50; 6. Ursinus, 30; 7. Rutgers-Newark, 21; 8. Cabrini, 20; 9. Misericordia, 17; 10. Keystone, 15.7; 11. Kean, 12; 12. Lebanon Valley, 11; 13. Richard Stockton, 8; 14. Albright, 6; 15. Delaware Valley, 4.

Women: 1. Towson, 137; 2. Coppin State, 86.5; 3. Shippensburg, 86; 4. District of Columbia, 47; 5. Johns Hopkins, 46; 6. Cabrini, 39; 7. Richard Stockton, 31.5; 8. Cheyney, 23.5; 9. Rutgers-Newark, 17; 10. (tie) Kean and Ursinus, 13; 12. Albright, 9; 13. (tie) Medgar Evers and Millersville, 8; 15. Lebanon Valley, 7.5; 16. Misericordia, 5; 17. Keystone, 2. Did not score: Rutgers-Camden.