ALBANY N.Y. – The Great Danes enter the 2025-26 indoor track and field season as the reigning back-to-back America East Champions.
2024-25 IN REVIEW
Over the course of the 2024-25 season, the men's and women's teams combined for five school records, three meet records, and 120 personal records.
Starting off with a bang, UAlbany broke three meet records at the Crowell Open on December 7.
Antwone Messado broke the men's 60mH record,
Jasir Parker broke the men's triple jump record, and
Toni Galloway broke women's 60mH record.
Simone Menchini broke the first program record of the season in the men's long jump with a 7.66m-jump on February 1.
Qualiar Newton added a second indoor program record at the America East Championship having thrown 20.67 meters in the weight throw. The additional three school records were freshmen records –
Tooni Ogunyeye (6.77 60m, first ever collegiate race, Dec. 7), Chris Jernigan (4:16.69 Mile, first ever collegiate mile, Jan. 17), and
Nattaly Lindo (17.44m WT, Feb. 1 & 17.69m WT, Feb. 8).
Rebeca Valerie Barrientos Alpha capped off the indoor season for both teams with the triple jump title at the ECAC Championships.
Throughout the course of the season UAlbany's track and field athletes combined for 14 America East weekly awards. The men totaled nine with three from Ogunyeye, two from Menchini, two from
Hassan Abidi, and one from Newton. The women combined for six awards with two from
Stephanie Green and one from four additional student-athletes - Barrientos Alpha, Lindo,
Toni Galloway, and
Miyanah Robinson.
2025 AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
At the America East Indoor Championships last season, the men's and women's teams combined for nine individual champions and 31 medalists overall. Each team swept a podium - on the women's side, it was the sprinters in the 60m and on the men's side, it was the long jumpers. During the championship meet alone, the Great Danes combined for 41 personal records.
Together, the teams earned three America East meet awards. The men's coaching staff was named Most Outstanding Coaching Staff of the Year and
Tooni Ogunyeye rounded off a standout freshman season with the Most Outstanding Rookie award. On the women's side, Rebeca Valerie Barrientos Alpha was named Most Outstanding Field Performer. Both teams won their second consecutive championship which brings the men to their 18
th overall indoor title, and the women to their 13
th.
RETURNING 2025 AMERICA EAST INDOOR MEDALISTS
- Women
- First Place
- Second Place
- Third Place
- Men
- First Place
- Second Place
- Third Place
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
Millrose Games:
The Great Danes will make their fifth appearance at the Millrose Games during the last weekend of January. The Millrose Games host some of the best competition across every level (youth, high school, college, professional and master's athletes) in the nation. Historically, UAlbany has performed especially well in throws at the Games. Last season, the Great Danes'
Stephanie Green placed first out of the collegiate competitors in the women's weight throw and second overall. On the men's side,
Qualiar Newton finished fourth overall in the men's weight throw, and second out of the collegiate athletes.
Boston, Massachusetts:
UAlbany will spend the bulk of their indoor season competing at Boston University's Track and Tennis Center. These Boston trips include the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships and America East Conference Championships.
Full 2025-26 Schedule
- Dec. 5 – Armory Distance Carnival
- Dec. 5-6 – Crowell Invitational
- Jan. 16 – Ramapo Season Opener
- Jan. 24 – Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational
- Jan. 29-Feb.1 – Millrose Games
- Jan. 31 – Cornell Invite
- Feb. 7-8 – ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships
- Feb. 20-21 – America East Conference Championships
- Mar. 1 – Last Chance NCAA Indoor Qualifier
- Mar. 13-14 – NCAA I Championships
DECEMBER ACTION
The UAlbany track & field programs added two meets to get an early start to their schedule.
Armory Collegiate Distance Carnival
- UAlbany sent a group of runners and jumpers to the New York City Armory on December 5.
- Jed Elmbarki and Adaliz Hunt highlighted the meet. Elmbarki ran a personal best in the 3000m, which was good enough for sixth-best in program history. Hunt set a personal record in the 60m, which elevated her to fourth overall in program history.
- Nine Great Danes competed in their first ever collegiate meet – Karen Augustin, Ivanna De La Cruz Flores, Amelia Sade DeJoie, Grace Murray, Aiva Pinches, Nya Thomas, Amari Alcindor, Leonard Durau, and Alister Njenga.
Crowell Open
- Eight Great Danes traveled to West Point to compete in the Crowell Invitational (Dec. 5-6) hosted by Army.
- Sophomore Nattaly Lindo earned a first-place finish in the weight throw after setting a personal record that also was the sixth-best throw in program history.
- For freshmen Sierra Anderson, Quillar Baidy, Matthew DeCicco, and Arlan Wright this was their first collegiate meet.
- Baidy earned a first-place finish in his first ever collegiate race (60mH, 8.24).
- DeCicco and Wright both finished in the top five in their first collegiate event – the heptathlon.
Following a weekend of action, Hunt was named the conference's Track Performer of the Week.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL
Both UAlbany track and field teams were unanimously selected first in the 2025-26 America East Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll, which was announced Thursday, December 4. In the inaugural poll, the two-time defending champions for the AE indoor title and received eight first-place votes for 64 points overall. Binghamton earned the final first-place vote in both polls.
2025-26 Women's Indoor AETF Preseason Poll
1. UAlbany - 64 (8)
2. Binghamton - 52 (1)
3. Bryant - 49
4. UMBC - 40
5. New Hampshire - 32
6. UMass Lowell - 31
7. Maine - 30
8. NJIT - 16
9. Vermont - 10
2025-26 Men's Indoor AETF Preseason Poll
1. UAlbany - 64 (8)
2. UMass Lowell - 50
3. UMBC - 46
4. Binghamton - 41 (1)
5. Maine - 39
6. New Hampshire - 28
7. Bryant - 27
8. NJIT - 17
9. Vermont – 12
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE
Since UAlbany's first America East Championship in 2003 (men's indoor), the men and women's cross country and track and field programs have combined for 70 titles. Combined, the UAlbany track and field teams have totaled 31 indoor titles and 37 outdoor titles in the last 22 years. This equates to 68 of the available 88 indoor and outdoor titles that have been up for grabs. The women's outdoor team currently holds the longest active winning streak with 16 consecutive America East Championships. Overall, the Great Danes have won 249 indoor event titles (the men have won 140, the women 109) and 298 outdoor event titles (the men have totaled 165, and the women have 133). The program's six teams have collectively won 70 of UAlbany's 140 Division 1 championship titles after they swept both their indoor and outdoor conference championships last season. Since the Great Danes' first title in 2003, at least one program has won an America East Championship every year since then.
FRESH FACES
The Great Danes are adding 56 new faces to their rosters this indoor season. The men's team adds 16 freshmen and six transfers, while the women's team adds 30 freshmen and four transfers.
- Sprints
- Women: Julissa Abrahams, Mackenzie Brown, YvonneMae Campbell*, Victoria Daniel*, Amelia Dejoie, Ivanna De La Cruz Flores*, Fega Eruotor, Kimaris Hickman, Sienna Pimentel*, Tianna Rhoomes, Nikki Stark*, and Gabriella Sperling
- Men: Amari Alcindor, Austin Deler*, Pierce Graber, Nicholas Sealey*, Shayne Spiteri, and Gunnar Williams
- Distance/Mid-Distance
- Hurdles
- Jumps
- High Jump
- Pole Vault
- Throws
- Multis
*Competes in more than one discipline
Find out more about the Great Danes' 10 incoming transfers:
- Women
- Nikki Stark – sophomore hurdler from SUNY Adirondack – first collegiate athletic season
- Ryan Stark – sophomore pole vaulter from Cortland – TFRRS
- Jurnee Tuttle – sophomore distance runner from Georgian Court – TFRRS
- Jaymee Yelton – graduate mid-distance runner from Hutson-Tillotson – TFRRS
- Men
- Ben Jones – junior mid-distance runner from Middle Tenneesse State – TFRRS
- Taehyeong Kim – sophomore jumper from SUNY Delhi – TFRRS
- Showayne Lumsden Jr – junior thrower from Arizona State – first collegiate athletic season
- Brooks Robson – junior jumper from HVCC – TFRRS
- Jacob Smith – graduate mid-distance runner from Durham University (England) - first season of competition in the USA
- Gunnar Williams – sophomore sprinter from Mount St. Mary's – TFRRS
SOCIAL CENTRAL
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