Monroe Breaks Two Records as Dukes Finish Strong at Colonial Relays

Thursday, March 31

Williamsburg, Va.

All Day

James Madison University

Colonial Relays

Monroe Breaks Two Records as Dukes Finish Strong at Colonial Relays

4/2/2016 6:26:00 PM | Track & Field

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Graduate student Amber Monroe took first place in two events and broke two school records to lead the James Madison track & field team to a sixth-place finish at the 2016 Colonial Relays, hosted by William & Mary, at Zable Stadium on Saturday.

Competing in her first outdoor meet since joining the program, Monroe set the bar high with a throw of 15.21 meters (49'11") in the championship shot put to top the field of 15 throwers. The effort qualified her for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Outdoor Championships and broke Jessica Wade's school record of 14.93 meters, which was set in 2007.

Monroe followed that up with another record-breaking performance in the discus throw. She achieved a distance of 49.89 meters (163'8") to place first out of 14 athletes, to qualify for the ECAC and also break Jennifer Marinacci's previous program-high of 43.94 meters from 2008. Freshman Dominique Johnson also impressed in the discus, placing fourth with a throw of 41.58 meters (136'5"), moving her to fifth place on JMU's all-time list.

"I thought Amber did a great job today, especially with a couple weeks away from competition," Head Coach Cheree Hicks said. "She's off to a great start in outdoor season, but I know she's capable of more and we will work to improve each and every week."

Monroe put herself in good position to qualify for NCAA Regionals as both marks placed her in the top-20 in the East region, according to the Track & Field Results Reporting System.

Three Madison relay teams also stood out on Saturday to add to the list of ECAC qualifiers and record-book entries for the Dukes this weekend.

Kicking things off was the 4x100-meter relay team of sophomore Aereale Scott, and juniors Kennedy King, Annie Johnson and Abby Duncan. The quartet placed fourth out of 32 teams with a time of 47.61 to qualify for ECACs. Sophomore Madeleine McCarty, junior Carol Strock, sophomore Erica Gray and freshman Erica Jackson made their own statement in the 4x800-meter relay by running a 9:12.77 to finish seventh out of 27 teams and join their teammates at the ECAC Outdoor Championships.

Rounding out the trio of stellar relay performances was Scott, Johnson, freshman Meredith Willis and King in the 4x200-meter relay, where they crossed the finish line in 1:40.15 to place second out of 28 squads and make their way in the JMU track & field record books with the eighth-fastest time in program history.

Nikki Serratore grabbed third out of 22 athletes in the high jump with a height of 1.55 meters (5'1"), an effort which tied teammate Nicole Rossi for 10th in program history, while Laquell Harris took first out of 36 in the university shot put with a throw of 12.75 meters (41'10") to set a personal record and move into sixth place in program history.

"Our freshmen are really coming along and this weekend really showed that," Hicks said. "Our goal is to continue to get better and it's great to see our young athletes working hard day-in and day-out to achieve that."

With 56 total points, the Dukes placed sixth out of 44 scoring teams. Rutgers accumulated 92 points as a team to win the women's division of the Colonial Relays for the third time in the last four years.

James Madison returns to action on Saturday, April 9th when the team heads to Charlottesville, Va., for the Lou Onesty Invitational and to Fairfax, Va., for the Mason Spring Invitational in split-squad meets.

QUOTING COACH TA' FRIAS
"We had a solid showing this weekend and we are excited with many of the marks. Not only did we have multiple ECAC qualifiers, we also placed a few solidly in the regional rankings. Our goal is to continue with our competitive mindset as we prepare for the next few weeks and keep adding to the list of qualifiers."

PREVIOUS RECAPS
You can find Thursday evening's recap here and Friday's recap here.