ALBANY, N.Y. - The Great Danes enter the 2026 outdoor track and field season as the reigning America East Champions with a history of dominance in the league.
2024-25 IN REVIEW
The Great Danes opened last season at the UCF Black & Gold Invitational, which was highlighted by a first place finish and a program record in the 100m hurdles by
Toni Galloway. Other strong performers were freshmen
Lalenii Grant, who finished first in the discus throw,
Beatriz Mora Herencia, who placed second in the javelin throw. Both Grant and Mora Herencia set the freshman record, and landed second in program history in their respective events.
Tooni Ogunyeye made his mark on the program on April 4 where he broke the freshman record and placed first overall in the 100m dash (10.39). On April 5,
Hassan Abidi broke an 18-year old program record in the 800m (1:47.60) while at the Pepsi Florida Relays.
The Great Danes hosted the Bobbi Palma UAlbany Spring Classic, where they took home a combined 16 event wins and ten top-10 performances. Individually, Mora Herencia highlighted the meet by breaking the program record in the javelin on her very first throw.
At the Penn Relays, both the men's and women's 4x100m relays made history by qualifying for the Championship of America finals where they placed eighth and seventh, respectively.
Over the course of the 2025 season the men's and women's teams combined for 14 America East weekly awards. The men earned six with
Tooni Ogunyeye receiving three while
Simone Menchini,
Jed Elmbarki, and
Hassan Abidi each received one each. The women's team totaled eight from
Toni Galloway (three),
Lalenii Grant (two),
Miyanah Robinson (two), and
Leann Nicholas (one).
2025 AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIPS AND BEYOND
America East Championship
At the America East Outdoor Championships last season, the men's and women's teams combined for 15 individual champions and 31 medalists overall. On the women's side, the sprinters swept the 100m podium while the hurdlers swept the 100m hurdle podium. During the championship meet alone, the Great Danes combined for nine top ten performances and 25 personal records.
Of UAlbany's 31 medalists, 14 are set to return for the 2026 season. All three members of the trio that swept the 100m dash podium (
Shantae Pryce,
Adaliz Hunt, and
Shenequa Vassell) will be back to compete in 2026. Freshman standouts,
Beatriz Mora Herencia and
Lalenii Grant will also be on the hunt to defend their titles. On the men's side,
Tooni Ogunyeye will return to defend his 100m gold and go for more after a successful indoor season where he won both the 60m dash and the 200m dash.
Together, the teams earned two America East meet awards. The men's coaching staff was named Most Outstanding Coaching Staff of the Year. On the women's side,
Shantae Pryce earned the Coaches' Award. Last year's championship sweep brought the men's team their 19th overall outdoor conference title, while the women's team earned their 16th consecutive championship and their 18th title overall.
NCAA Regionals & Nationals
UAlbany had ten student-athletes (six women, four men) compete in NCAA regionals in 2025 -
Amelia Benjamin (HJ),
Toni Galloway (100mH),
Lalenii Grant (DT),
Stephanie Green (HT),
Beatriz Mora Herencia (JT),
Miyanah Robinson (HJ),
Hassan Abidi (800m),
Louis Gordon (LJ),
Simone Menchini (LJ), and
Tooni Ogunyeye (100m). Of the ten who competed, four of them were freshman (Grant, Mora Herencia, Robinson, and Ogunyeye). Additionally, it was Galloway, Abidi, and Menchini's first time at regionals. Gordon placed first in the long jump to advance to NCAA nationals, while Mora Herencia finished second in her flight and 12th overall to also advance.
At the NCAA Championships, Gordon closed out his collegiate career with an All-American Honorable Mention and as UAlbany's first NCAA East Regional Champion. Mora Herencia became the second female UAlbany freshman to become an All-American, and was one of just three freshmen in the competition.
2026 INDOOR AE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Both the men's and women's track and field teams placed second at this year's America East Indoor Track & Field Championships. Both teams combined for 24 medalists, eight event wins and 60 points scorers.
On the women's side, the meet was highlighted by the DMR and 4x800m taking home gold. Both relays consisted of
Skyler Smith,
Arianna Verardi,
Jaymee Yelton, and
Aiva Pinches.
Adaliz Hunt (60m) and
Nattaly Lindo (WT) also took home gold in their respective events. On the men's side, the 4x800m relay that consisted of
Jacob Smith,
Isaac Graber,
Steve Hines, and
Mikolaj Gancarz not only won gold, but set the meet record in the event. Smith also took gold in the mile after setting the program record earlier on in the season.
Tooni Ogunyeye had a stand-out performance - after securing back-to-back gold in the 60m dash and earning his first gold medal in the 200m dash, he was named the Outstanding Track Performer and earned the Coaches' Award for scoring the most points for his team.
RETURNING AMERICA EAST MEDALISTS
2025 Outdoor
2026 Indoor
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
Early Action
Freshman
Ivanna De La Cruz Flores made her outdoor collegiate debut early. She competed in the 20th Carolina Spring Break Classic in Turabo, Puerto Rico on March 13-14 while home for spring break. De La Cruz Flores ran personal bests in both the 200m and the 400m, and placed fourth overall in the 400m.
Southward Bound - Florida:
The Great Danes will kick off their outdoor season with two meets down in the sunshine state. Up first on March 20-21 is the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa. Two weeks later, part of the team will head back down to Gainesville for the Pepsi Florida Relays (April 3-4).
Home Sweet Home - The Capital Region:
UAlbany is set to participate in three meets right here in the Capital Region this spring, two of which will be hosted by RPI, while the Great Danes' own Bobbi Palma UAlbany Spring Classic is the third. Up first is RPI's Under the Lights on April 10-11. UAlbany's sole home meet will follow on April 17. Then, it's back to RPI on April 24 for the Capital District Classic.
Global Competition - Penn Relays
From April 23-25, the Great Danes will send select athletes to the Penn Relays Carnival, a meet that features some of the top competition across the country, both collegiately and professionally. This year Roberto Vives, UAlbany's head coach, will be named an honorary official. The Penn Relays' Honorary Officials are four coaches (two high school and two college) selected based on their success and impact in previous years at the Penn Relays Carnival. It recognizes their commitment to the sport and their contributions to the history of the event and is considered a prestigious honor among the track and field community.
Full 2026 Schedule
- Mar. 20-21 - USF Alumni Invitational
- Mar. 20-21 - USF Alumni Invitational
- Apr. 3-4 - Pepsi Florida Relays
- Apr. 4 - UConn Dog Fight Meet
- Apr. 10-11 - RPI Under the Lights
- Apr. 17 - Bobbi Palma UAlbany Spring Classic
- Apr. 23-25 - Penn Relays Carnival
- Apr. 24 - Capital District Classic
- May 9-10 - America East Championship
- May 27-30 - NCAA I Preliminary Championship
- Jun. 10-13 - NCAA I Championship
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 `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 added 58 new faces to the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season. The men's team added 18 freshmen and seven transfers while the women's team added 29 freshmen and four transfers.
- Sprints
- Women: Julissa Abrahams, Mackenzie Brown, YvonneMae Campbell*, Victoria Daniel*, Amelia Sade 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, Nick Sealey*, Shayne Spiteri, and Gunnar Williams
- Distance/Mid-Distance
- Hurdles
- Horizontal Jumps
- Vertical Jumps
- Throws
- Multis
*Competes in more than one discipline
Find out more about the Great Danes' 11 incoming transfers:
- Women
- Men
- Ben Jones - junior mid-distance runner from Middle Tennessee State - TFRRS
- Taehyeong Kim - sophomore jumper from SUNY Delhi - TFRRS
- Maxim Kruk - graduate thrower from Maine - TFFRS
- Showayne Lumsden Jr - junior walk on from UAlbany - first collegiate outdoor season
- Brooks Robson - junior jumper from HVCC - TFRRS
- Jacob Smith - graduate mid-distance runner from Durham University (England) - first outdoor season in the USA
- Gunnar Williams - sophomore sprinter from Mount St. Mary's - TFRRS
SOCIAL CENTRAL
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