West Babylon, N.Y. - On Monday, the East Coast Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll for Men's and Women's Track & Field. The St. Thomas Aquinas College men's program has been selected to finish fourth, while the women's squad has been slotted to finish eighth, in a poll conducted among the conference's coaches. In addition, STAC's Emmanuel Mena Jimenez was tabbed as the ECC Men's Indoor Track & Field Preseason Athlete of the Year for a second consecutive winter season.
A 2023 All-American in the discus, Mena Jimenez took home the ECC gold medals in the indoor weight throw, outdoor discus, and outdoor hammer throw and silver medals in the indoor and outdoor shot put last year. The junior from West Haverstraw, N.Y. was named last spring’s ECC Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and went on to finish 11th in the discus at last spring’s NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships en route to All-American Second Team recognition.
In 2022-2023, the Spartan men finished fourth, while the women took eighth at the ECC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
On the men's side; Shawn Benard, Jayden Bennermon, Sebastian Cherry, John Ciuffo, Aiden De La Rosa, Miles Fisher, Ryan Folmer, Kieran Keenan, Kyle Koenig, Kyle Marsha, David Martin, Leelan Maxwell, Emmanuel Mena Jimenez, Charlie Moore, Joseph Murphy, James Polisena, Alexander Quillan, Alexander Riobe, Tyler Robinson, Christan Watson and Ethan Zweigbaum all return from last year's team.
17 new faces join a mostly veteran core, as Prince Alvarado, Darrian Black, John Branca, Christopher Cajamarca, Jaynique Charles, Ian Forsyth, Jordan Gamble, Gavin Kopf, Adam Lenn, Reece Manara, Tanaireo Nelson, Victor Oduwegwu, Ruchel Paul, Nicholas Seitz, Sergio Torres, Jayden Vargas and Oliver Zorrilla all make their STAC Track & Field debuts this winter.
Meanwhile, the women's squad features nine returners, including Ciara Doyle, Ciara Durcan, Guerlourde Estabine, Isabella Farino-Esposito, Samantha Frisbee, Nicole Gysin, Alexis Krause, Megan Murphy and Emma Neil.
Freshmen Aalianne Gilbert, Kristen Kennedy, Zoe Merryman, Alana Rider, Jazmin Rogers, Veronica Valentik, along with juniors Jacqueline Kelly, Ariana Russell and Emily Strunk round out an experienced roster, ready to battle conference and regional foes.
Head Coach Ray Kondracki returns for his fifth season at the helm of the Spartans. Assistant coaches Julie Gangemi and Kevin Bigelow also return for the 2023-24 season. Jason Burdick and former Spartan Track & Field stars Vinny Vazquez and Dante Brown join the coaching staff for the upcoming campaign, as they will help mentor and teach the distance runners, jumpers and throwers.
St. Thomas Aquinas College will open the new season at the College of New Jersey Winter Opener on Saturday, December 2 (5:00 p.m.) at the 168th Street Armory in New York City.
2023-24 ECC Men's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll
1. Georgian Court - 97 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Holy Family - 92 points (3 first-place votes)
3. Roberts Wesleyan - 68 points
4. St. Thomas Aquinas - 60 points
5. Molloy - 58 points
6. Daemen - 48 points
7. Felician - 46 points
8. Queens - 32 points
9. Post - 27 points
10. Staten Island - 22 points
ECC Preseason Co-Athletes of the Year: Emmannuel Mena-Jimenez, St. Thomas Aquinas and Nishorn Pierre, Holy Family
2023-24 ECC Women's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll
1. Holy Family - 140 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Georgian Court - 123 points (1 first-place vote)
3. District of Columbia - 116 points (2 first-place votes)
4. Roberts Wesleyan - 100 points
5. Daemen - 81 points
6. Felician - 80 points (1 first-place vote)
7. Molloy - 75 points
8. St. Thomas Aquinas - 66 points
9. D'Youville - 44 points
10. Queens - 42 points
11. Post - 36 points
12. Staten Island - 33 points
ECC Preseason Athlete of the Year: Raechel Zielinski, D'Youville