MIDDLETOWN, CT—The NJIT men's indoor track and field team claimed the 2014 CTC Indoor Track and Field Championship title while the NJIT women placed fourth Saturday to highlight an outstanding day for both teams at Bacon Field House on the campus of Wesleyan University.
 
The NJIT men captured the championship combining for 170 points while the women placed fourth out of 14 teams totaling 104.50 points.  Saturday marked the first Indoor Team Championship for the Highlander men. There were 19 all-Conference performers (top 3 finish in each event) and a total of nine school-records were broken.
 
Junior John Porteous put together a strong performance Saturday, capturing the men's 400 meter dash with a time of 49.12 along with the men's 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8:34.  The junior recorded a second-place finish in the men's long jump with a distance of 20-11.75 (6.39m) and placed third in the men's 60 meter dash with a time of 7.05. Porteous times in the 60HH and 60 meter dash is a new school record.
 
Senior Daniel Rondon recorded two first-place finishes – the men's mile run with a time of 4:29.98 and the men's 3000 meter run clocking in at 8:50.13.  NJIT finished 3-4-5 in the mile event – Scott Rizzo (9:16.08), Zakaria Fouad (9:19.42) and Brian Mendez (9:21.39).  Mendez notched fourth place in the men's 1000 meter run with a 2:44.33 mark.
 
Senior Adam Morgan claimed the men's 500 meter run crossing the finish line at 1:07.76 while teammate Timothy Daudelin earned a sixth-place finish.
 
Sophomore Kevin Ratigan picked up a first-place finish in the men's 5000 meter run at 16:02.79 followed by teammate Blake Brancato with a time of 16:05.27, good for second place.
 
In the men's triple jump, Jason Poppe earned a second-place finish with a distance of 45-04.25 (13.82m)  setting a new school-record and a fourth-place finish in the men's high jump at the height of 6-0 (1.83m).
 
Sophomore Norman Hamilton picked up a third-place finish in the men's 800 meter run with a time of 2:03.12 while Moheb Thomas placed 10^th.
 
Senior Kelsey Jackson finished second in the women's high jump with a height of 4-11 (1.50m), earned a top 4 finish in the women's 200 meter dash at 27.32, good for six points for the NJIT women.
 
Freshman Cristina De Cristofaro earned second place in the women's triple jump with a distance of 34-05 (10.49m), fourth in the women's long jump at 15-04 (4.67m), fourth place in the women's 400 meter dash clocking in with a time of 1:02.57 and another fourth-place finish in the women's high jump with a height of 4-11 (1.50m) for the Highlanders.  De Cristofaro's distance in the women's triple jump is a new school record previously held by Victoria Steele.
 
Senior Highlander Aya Elsekhely took third in the women's 800 meter run with a time of 2:34.80 to give the Highlanders six points while classmate Catherine Cohen earned a fourth-place finish in the women's 1000 meter run with a time of 3:19.58. 
 
Breanne Hollenbach placed in the top 4 of the women's mile run crossing the finish line with a time of 5:36.48, earned fifth in the 3000 meter run at 11:11.87 and added a six-place finish in the 1000 meter run with a time of 3:24.80.
 
Ybrahina Cohen, competing in the women's 5000 meter run finished fourth while teammate Maryam Haque earned an eighth-place finish for the Highlanders.
 
In the women's weight throw, Breanna Gunnarson broke the school record previously held by teammate Gabi Whalen with a distance of 36.07 (11.15m).

NJIT's Alison Schroeder and Chelsea Chamra went 1-2 in the women's indoor pentathlon combining for 2383 points and 2172 points respectively.  Schroeder set a new school reocrd previously held by teammate Esther Alfaro.
 
NJIT will return to action on Sunday, February 23 when the Highlanders compete at the Princeton Invitational.