NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Manhattanville University track and field teams made some noise in their final outing of 2025 as six different Valiants earned a spot in the program record book following Saturday's Art Kadish Elm City Challenge, hosted by Southern Connecticut State University. Competing against Division II and III foes, the Valiants ended the year with performances amongst the program's bests and will carry momentum into 2026.
Shai Graham's (Bronx, N.Y./Bronx Theatre High School) performance in the 55-meter dash took center stage amongst the Valiants' leading efforts as the senior set a new indoor program record in the event of 6.63 seconds, good for 13
th in the field of 52 in the preliminary. Graham shattered Morrison Boateng's record of 6.73 seconds that had previously stood for 14 years and marks a personal improvement of more than half a second from his last time running the 55-meter all the way back in 2022 as a freshman when he posted a 7.18 time.
Alex Carney (Unknown/Unknown) also ran in the 55-meter alongside Graham, etching his name into the program's top ten. The freshman's 6.92 time ranks third all-time in the event and secured himself a 33
rd place finish on the day.
Khalil Williams (Menands, N.Y./Shaker) and
Zach Garrant (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill High School) joined their teammates in the record books with their performances in the 400-meter and mile, respectively. Freshman Williams crossed in 54.36 in his run, ranking ninth in Valiant history in the dash, and placing 12
th amongst the Art Kadish field. Garrant, meanwhile, took 7
th in the men's mile with a time of 4:58.86, the ninth-best time in program history.
On the women's end,
Sam Delgado (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) and
Adelina Rodriguez (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) joined the program elite with their mile times as the duo placed fifth and sixth, respectively, in the race. Delgado's 6:49.58 is now the Valiants' tenth-fastest time in the event, while Rodriguez' 6:55.39 cross ranks 11
th all-time.
Alicia Bibi (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) and
Jennifer Oliveros (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) also ran the mile alongside their teammates, placing 7
th (7:19.62) and 8
th (7:24.15). The foursome went on to compete in the 4x400, placing 7
th with a 5:10.30 time.
Uzoma Nweze (Valley stream, Long Island/Valley Stream North High school) and
Samiyah Samuels () repped the Valiants in the 200-meter, with Nweze placing 22
nd with a 29.26 time and Samuels taking 36
th with her finish of 32.40.
Gabrielle Billetz (Clarksburg, Mass./Hoosac Valley) and
Lilly Savnik (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) rounded out the efforts on the women's side in the shot put, with Billetz taking 12
th with a 10.19-meter throw and Savnik finishing 23
rd, throwing a distance of 6.70 meters.
Aka Udeagha (Rye, N.Y./Rye) also ran the 400-meter alongside Williams, placing 15
th with a finish of an even 55 seconds. Four other Valiants joined Garrant in the mile, led by
Joey DeMilio's (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) fifth-place time of 4:56.05.
Courtney Brown (Clarendon, Jamaica/Mount Vernon) took 10
th (5:17.34), finishing ahead of
Darlig Delgado (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore Senior) (12
th, 5:27.45) and Mario Alcala (14
th, 5:37.76).
The runners made up two of the Valiants' 4x400 tandems, with the team of Udeagha, Carney, Williams and Graham taking 7
th with a 3:45.62 split and the DeMilio-Garrant-
John Castaneda (Howell, N.J./Howell)-Brown contingent placing 8
th with a 3:46.98 finish.
Matt Boggi (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) led Manhattanville in the shot put with a mark of 11.98 meters to take 20
th, while
Jordan Hart () logged a throw of 9.47 meters in his collegiate debut, placing 33
rd.
Up Next
The Valiants head into winter break and will be back in action in the new year, opening up competition on Jan. 16 at the Ramapo College Season Opener.
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