The women’s indoor track and field team divided and conquered at their two meets in New York over the weekend. The No. 36 Profs made appearances at the Scarlet Knights Invitational and the Fasttrack Invitational, where they saw multiple personal records achieved and New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) records broken.

Freshman Denirah Jones had a standout performance, reaching 5.46 meters in the women’s long jump at the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Invitational, putting her in third in the event. 

She wasn’t done yet. Jones placed eighth in the 60-meter race after running a 7.89 time, which is also a No. 2 NJAC-best. 

“She’s got a lot of spunk energy,” head coach Shedrick Elliott III said. “She’s pretty much been PR, setting personal records, pretty much every meet, and that’s pretty difficult to do.”

Jones is a rookie on the team and is still getting used to the nerves that come with competing at the collegiate level. 

“I was really, really nervous, and plus there were a lot of D1 schools there,” Jones said. “So I was nervous … but during, I’m just like, ‘Okay, it’s, it’s no time to be nervous anymore.’”

Jones wasn’t the only one putting their name on the NJAC race records. Paige Franklin, the Williamstown sophomore, got a #4 NJAC time and a PR in the 400-meter race, after finishing 12th with a time of 59.88.

Other PRs include Gianna Norris in the 800-meter race (2:35.16) and Eirka Schinasi tying her pole vault personal record with a peak of 2.75 meters. 

The Profs are set to travel to Pennsylvania to compete in the Widener Indoor Classic this weekend, preparing for the NJAC Championships next weekend. 

“I’m expecting it to be something that comes down to the wire. I would still give TCNJ (The College of New Jersey) the nod because they’ve been the favorite for quite some time now,” Elliott III said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to, you know, give them a battle and then let the chips fall where they may.”