MAHWAH, N.J. — The New Jersey City University women's track & field team capped off competition at the 2021 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Outdoor Championships today, Saturday, May 8, with the full day of events being hosted by Ramapo College. The Gothic Knights earned a total of 18 team points — led by sophomore Polina Agutina (Evaptoria, Poland/Number 6), who finished as the runner-up in the long jump with a distance of 4.98m to earn eight of those points — and placed ninth overall as a team.

Sophomore Lamya Young (Audubon, N.J./Audubon) performed well in the 100m and placed eighth in the preliminary heats with a time of 13.42. She placed eighth overall in the finals at 13.79. The women's 4x100m relay team of sophomore Violeta Sanders (Jersey City, N.J./Hudson Catholic), freshman Zahria Thomas (Jersey City, N.J./Dickinson), Young and sophomore Shaneeka Benekin (Jersey City, N.J/Lincoln) placed fifth out of eight teams in a season-best time of 52.75. Over in the 4x400m relay, NJCU came in sixth with the team of Benekin, Sanders, sophomore Arame Diouf (Weehawken, N.J./Memorial) and freshman Jackeline Lopez (Elizabeth, N.J./Elizabeth) in a time of 4:50.98.

In the field events, sophomore Shantel Worrell (Jersey City, N.J./Snyder) came in 15th in the shot put (8.65m) out of 20 competitors and 12th in discus (29.14m) out of 21 throwers. Diouf also competed in javelin and notched a throw of 29.71m to place seventh out of 11. And, as discussed, Agutina placed second in the long jump, which is good enough for Second Team All-NJAC honors.

Overall, The College of New Jersey won the team event, following by Stockton University and Rowan University. The NJCU women return to the track this Thursday, May 13, for the TCNJ Last Chance Meet in Ewing, N.J. They then have one last regular-season meet on Thursday, May 20, in Glassboro, N.J. — the Rowan Last Chance Meet.