Boston - After just one short week following the NCAA Championships, the outdoor track and field season has officially kicked off and four #AETF teams have already hit the ground running.  Bryant went down to Charleston, SC to compete at the Buccaneer invite, UAlbany and UMBC both found success at UCF’s Black & Gold invite, while Vermont made its mark in Virgina at the Fred Hardy Invitational.

NCAA Women’s Top - 25
#8 - 100MH - Toni Galloway, UAlbany | 13:38
#22 - Discus - Lalenii Grant, UAlbany | 52.37m (171’10”)

NCAA Men’s Top - 25
#8 - 800M - Hassan Abidi, UAlbany | 1:49.33
#22 - Long Jump - Simone Menchini, UAlbany | 7.40m ( 24’3.5”)
#18 - 4x400m - UMBC | 3:10.10

2024 #AETF Weekly Award Winners –  March 25 

Female Field Athlete and Rookie of the Week
Lalenii Grant, UAlbany – Fr., Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago

• Grant broke the UAlbany freshman record by winning the discus at the UCF Black & Gold Invite with a mark of 52.37.
• The first-year athlete’s mark ranks first in the conference, seventh in the East Region, and 23rd nationally.

Female Track Athlete of the Week
Toni Galloway, UAlbany – Jr., Jamaica, N.Y.

• Galloway won the 100m hurdles at the UCF Black & Gold Invite in a UAlbany school-record time of 13.38.
• The junior’s time ranks second in the East Region and eighth nationally.

Male Field Athlete of the Week
Simone Menchini, UAlbany – So., Cossato, Italy

• Menchini started off the outdoor season where he left off, jumping a distance of 7.40m in the long jump to finish as the runner-up at the UCF Black & Gold Invite.
• The sophomore’s mark ranks first in the conference, 10th in the East Region, and 22nd nationally.

Male Track Athlete of the Week
Jed Elmbarki, UAlbany – R-So., Gafsa, Tunisia

•  Elmbarki ran his first outdoor race in a Great Dane uniform, finishing second in the 2,000-meter steeplechase (5:44.93) at the UCF Black & Gold Invite.

Male Rookie of the Week
Tooni Ogunyeye, UAlbany – Fr., Brampton, Ontario, Canada

• Ogunyeye ran a northeast-best time of 10.49 in the 100m in his collegiate debut to finish fourth at the UCF Black & Gold Invite.

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