MAHWAH, N.J. (May 10, 2024) – Graduate students Rachel Rouse and Kristen Williams each posted event victories to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology men's and women's track and field teams Friday evening at the Last Chance Twilight meet, hosted by Ramapo College on its Athletic Center Turf.

Rouse won the 5,000-meter run in a personal-best 18:48.99 to finish first out of the 10-runner field. The Greensboro, North Carolina native took the lead roughly midway through the race and finished 12 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. 

Williams, meanwhile, set a new personal best in winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.67 seconds. Her time moved the Reston, Virginia to 38th in the country. Since her initial 100 hurdles race in Mar. 2021, Williams has trimmed nearly three seconds off her time. 

Williams and Rouse were the only representatives of the women's track and field program in the field. Graduate student Kajetan Leitner and first-year Ryan Paradine represented the men's program. Leitner finished sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:01.33, while Paradine took fourth in the 1500 with a time of 4:08.22. Paradine's time was the Pearl River, New York native's second-fastest of the season. 

For the Opponents

• For Ramapo, Rebecca Kneppel (100 and 200-meter dash) and Suzanne Zaugg (1500) joined Barbara Exilus (400 hurdles), Brandon Balcacer (100) and Matthew Suero (400 hurdles) each posted event victories. The Roadrunners also swept the relays for both genders to round out the host school's winning performances. 

Around the Middle Atlantic Conference

• FDU-Florham and Hood each competed at the 48th annual ECAC Championship, hosted by Stevenson University. On the men's side, Hood finished second with 111 points, while FDU placed sixth with 55. On the women's side, Hood also finished second, totaling 108 points, while the Devils also placed sixth with 46. 
• Chris Sappe won the 800 and 1500 to pace Hood's men's squad, while Aylene Noy won the 5,000 and Taileen Zechman won the hammer to lead the Blazers' women's contingent. 
• Brianna Fasoli (100 hurdles) and Sarah Dougherty (400 hurdles) joined Oluwatomiwa Adegboye and D'Maari Brown (triple jump) in posting winning performances for FDU-Florham.
• No other conference schools were in competition this weekend.

Up Next

• Men's and Women's Track and Field will compete at the Widener Last Chance Qualifying Meet on May 13 in the final event before the All-Atlantic Region Outdoor Championships. Links for live stats and video will be posted to StevensDucks.com once available.

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