MANHATTAN, N.Y. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | The New Jersey City University men's track and field team ended their second season under head coach Patrick O'Neill in outstanding fashion, taking fifth place in a crowded field of well over 20 teams at the ECAC Championships at the New Balance Track & Field Center in Manhattan, N.Y. on March 6-7.
 
The fifth-place finish represents a near-ten-team jump from last season's 14th-place finish at ECACs.
 
The team jumped out to a top-five standing on the first day, on the strength of a pair of relays, with the 4x200 Meter Relay Team thriving in particular, taking second place with the best time for any 4x2 side in the NJAC this entire year 1:30.39.
 
"Our relays ran exceptionally well over the two days and really set the tone for us," O'Neill said. 
 
On Saturday, the team collected 28 more points to maintain their top-five status. 

Leading the way, as he has done since he joined the program with its relaunch last year, was Dave Etienne (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson). The sophomore sprinter took second in the 400 Meter Dash (49.83) and third in the 200 Meter Dash (22.56).
 
"Dave really exceeded expectations this weekend," O'Neill explained. "He hasn't been 100 percent healthy for a few weeks, and training had been inconsistent leading up to this. For him to run the way he did is beyond words. He showed true grit over the weekend."
 
On the flip side of the coin, freshman sprinter Jason Garcia (Jersey City, NJ/Dickinson). who only joined the team halfway through the season, also starred, collecting a fifth-place finish in the 60 Meter Dash, thanks to a time of 7.18. Garcia improved on both his time and his standing off his Friday preliminaries.
 
"Jason had an outstanding weekend," O'Neill noted. "The 4x2 ran an excellent race, and he was an integral part of that. He also stepped up big for us in the 60."
 
Next up, a pair of distance runners nabbed the Gothic Knights some unexpected points, as Jaime Tlatelpa (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter) and Jose Recinos (Union City, NJ/Union City) finished back-to-back in the One Mile Run, taking seventh and eighth, respectively, with times of 4:39.89 and 4:40.70.
 
"Jaime and Jose really showed up in the mile for us," O'Neill said. "They came in seeded ninth and 10th. They executed perfectly the first half, stayed patient, and made decisive moves on the second half. They ended up taking seventh and eighth place with a couple PRs!"
 
Finally, the Knights had two more strong relay finishes, taking fourth in the 4x800 Meter Relay (8:31.06) and fifth in the 4x400 Meter Relay (3:33.55). The relay teams were made up of: Muhammed Jawneh (South River, NJ/South River), Adnan Kpodo (Irvington, NJ/Irvington), Jaime Tlatelpa (Jersey City, NJ/University Academy Charter), and Samuel Colon III (Newark, NJ/Eagle Academy) in the 4x8, and: Jon DeJesus (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy), Xavier Freeman (Newark, NJ/St. Benedict's Prep), Donald Luxama (Woodbridge, NJ/Woodbridge), and Kalel Redd (Somerset, NJ/Franklin) in the 4x4. The 4x8 side set a school record with their time.
 
Finishing just outside the scoring for NJCU on Saturday was Tyneil Jackson (Jersey City, N.J./Ferris) in the Triple Jump (11.82 M).
 
That concludes the 2019-20 Indoor Track & FIeld season for NJCU, but almost all the athletes will be back in action for the outdoor season which kicks off in just a few weeks at the St. Joseph's College Annual Spring Opener.
 
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