Wesleyan track and field teams shine in home event

West Virginia Wesleyan College’s track and field teams turned in a dominant all-around performance at their home Jasmine Claggett Invitational, earning numerous victories, personal bests, and nationally ranked marks across both men’s and women’s events.

WVWC Sports Information
April 21, 2025

BUCKHANNON – West Virginia Wesleyan College’s track and field teams delivered a powerful performance in their home meet on April 18, recording multiple victories, personal bests, and NCAA DII nationally ranked marks during the annual Jasmine Claggett Invitational.

Distance Runners Dominate the Track
In the Women’s 10,000m, Madison Looker secured a first-place finish in 45:00.11.
Senior Christian Cimaglia placed second in the Men’s 10,000m with a time of 35:42.35.
The Women’s 3000m Steeplechase was a showcase of Wesleyan’s depth, led by senior Leigha Hall (1st, 11:29.15), followed by:
Lindsey Dillon (2nd, 11:44.51)
Aubrey Paes (3rd, 12:37.80)
Addie Elliot (4th, 13:34.18)
Jessica Williams (7th, 14:15.82)

Sprint & Middle-Distance Standouts
Lucas Anderson (10.57) and Taiwo Babawale-Thropp (10.58) finished 1-2 in the Men’s 100m, both hitting top-60 NCAA DII marks.
Babawale-Thropp returned to win the 200m in 21.39.
Joseph Liveo topped the Men’s 400m in 50.45.
Freshman Reyna Headley captured the Women’s 800m in a season’s best 2:25.66.
Jonathan Norton set a PR of 3:59.50 to place 2nd in the Men’s 1500m.
Cade Robinson (1:59.08) and Elijah Hannig (2:01.11) placed 2nd and 4th in the Men’s 800m.

Relay Teams Deliver Season-Best Performances
The Women’s 4x100m team (Akita, Capicola, Pancoast, Veltri) clocked a season-best 52.39.
In the Women’s 4x400m, the team of Akita, Golden, Woods, and Johnson took 1st at 4:18.00.
The Men’s 4x400m “A” squad (Anderson, Salmon, Liveo, Babawale-Thropp) ran 3:30.25 for the win and a season best.

Field Event Excellence Across the Board
Jumps
Royell Salmon (7.00m) and Marquis Trainer (6.86m) finished 1-2 in the Men’s Long Jump.
Freshman Trey Jones took 4th in the Men’s High Jump (1.78m).
Jessica Williams earned runner-up honors in the Women’s High Jump (1.45m).
Pole Vault
The Women’s Pole Vault was led by Clover Stamat (2nd, 3.05m) and Abby McDonough (3rd, 2.90m).
Nate Hulver, Peyton Slider, Cole Bracken, and Jeremiah Zelinski placed in the top eight on the men’s side.
Throws
Nathan Roemer won the Men’s Javelin with a top-100 NCAA DII mark of 54.97m.
In the Men’s Hammer, Brian Valiente (2nd, 51.03m) and Jack Ingram (3rd, 49.59m) led a contingent of five Bobcats in the top seven.
Mallory McGinnis earned 3rd place in both the Women’s Shot Put (12.31m) and Discus (38.24m).
Jacqualin Leaman (3rd, 46.01m) and Chloe Cox (9th, 35.05m) performed strongly in the Women’s Hammer Throw.
The Women’s Javelin saw Bailee Einspahr take 2nd at 31.19m, with three other Bobcats in the top six.

With multiple season- and personal-best performances across both squads, West Virginia Wesleyan continues to build momentum heading into championship season. The Bobcats demonstrated balanced strength in distance, sprints, relays, jumps, and throws, setting a competitive tone for what lies ahead.

Complete results: https://live.mountaintiming.com/meets/49575