Women's Track & Field Claims Five Events at West Point Open

Friday, January 6

West Point, NY

Army West Point

West Point Open

Women's Track & Field Claims Five Events at West Point Open

January 07, 2023 | Women's Track and Field

WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point women's track & field returned to action for the first time in 2023, hosting the West Point Open. The Black Knights were led by Kayley Ragazzini, who took home first-place in both the shot put and weight throw.

Army welcomed competitors from Brown, Sacred Heart, Le Moyne, Queensbrorough CC and the US Merchant Marine Academy through the day's competition.

After winning Patriot League Field Athlete of the Week to begin in the indoor season, Kayley Ragazzini picked up where she left off with a dominating performance in the throwing events. Ragazzini logged a 14.0m throw in the shot put to win the event, while Aysia Salas claimed second place with a 13.76m, which was .46m ahead of the third-place finish. Ragazzini's 17.58m in the weight throw saw her claim her second win of the day, besting the rest of the field by over .5 meters.

Jazmine Alderman was not challenged in the 60-meter dash, winning both the prelims (7.80s) and finals (7.67s) by comfortable margins including .22 seconds in the final. Army claimed positions two through four in the 200-meter, with Lara Westwood-Marsh (2nd, 26.59s), Shayla Bonzelet (3rd, 26.76s) and Chadon Foreman (4th, 26.94s) leading the way for the Black Knights. Westwood-Marsh and Bonzelet would go on to help Army take first-place in the 4x400m relay, combining with Hannah Andrews and Holli Chapman for a 4:00.55 finish. Chapman and Andrews also had strong showings in the 400-meter dash, each landing in the top-five with times of 59.25 (2nd) and 1:01.19 (5th), respecitvely.

Saydee Aganus stood out in the top-two in the 60m hurdles, with Brown's Lauren Yeboah-Kodie edging out Aganus' time of 8.73 by the just one-hundredth of a second to claim first place. The Black Knights had a one-two-three finish in the pole vault, with Samantha Sheppard-Moore winning the event with a 3.51m mark while Patricia Albornoz and Isabel Crandall each posted 3.36m to tie for second place. A pair of Black Knights tabbed top-four placements in the triple jump, led by Kalliauna Powers (3rd, 10.94m) and Modupeoluwa Owoyele (4th, 10.86m)

For a full list of results, click HERE.

Army Event Winners
60m dash: Jazmine Alderman (7.67)
4x400 Relay: Hannah Andrews, Shayla Bonzelet, Lara Westwood-Marsh, Holli Chapman (4:00.55)
Pole Vault: Samantha Sheppard-Moore (3.51m)
Shot Put: Kayley Ragazzini (14.00m)
Weight Throw: Kayley Ragazzini (17.58m)

Coach's Corner
"Most of our team returned to post yesterday so the meet today was a quick turnaround for our team and we were selective on who we entered. Coming back from the break there are a lot more questions than answers about fitness levels so this meet gave us a chance to see where we are. Both Brown and Sacred Heart brought large teams so there were quite a few competitive events. Our throwers led the way for us. Some of our highest-level performers are in that group and they did not disappoint today. Kayley Ragazzini won both the shot and weight and while she was a little inconsistent, she did a nice job of working her technique and ended up on top both times. We got to see Aysia Salas for the first time this year in the shot put and she did a nice job of competing. I expect her to continue to get better as she knocks off more of the rust. On the track, Jazmine Alderman picked up right where she left off in December. She had a nice start in the 60m final and then won going away. Her mechanics have gotten a lot better over the last few months and I think she is poised for a breakthrough performance this winter. Saydee Aganus had a nice series in the hurdles. We are going to rely on her to compete at the top of the conference and judging by what I saw from her today, she will be where she should be by the time we get to the championship meets. Holli Chapman anchored our relay today and she showed great instincts in carrying us to the win. This was a good opener for us and we got a good look at our team. I am glad we are back to work." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith.