MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Manhattanville University track and field teams kicked off the indoor season on Saturday by competing in the Wesleyan College Indoor Invitational. Four Valiants from the men's team ran in three total events, while the women's team also had four in action in a pair of races and a throwing event.

Uzoma Nweze (Valley stream, Long Island/Valley Stream North High school) and Samiyah Samuels () ran a pair of dashes in the 60- and 200-meter to represent the Valiants on the women's front. Nweze ran an 8.81 in the preliminaries, taking seventh to earn a spot in the finals heat, while Samuels posted a 9.21 in her prelim dash to place ninth. In the finals, Nweze duplicated her seventh-place finish, improving upon her time with an 8.78 second split.

The duo also ran the 200, with Nweze taking 10^th with a time of 29.46 seconds and Samuels crossing in 31.87 for 13^th.

In the throwing event, Gabrielle Billetz (Clarksburg, Mass./Hoosac Valley) picked up where she left off at the end of her sophomore season by opening her junior campaign flirting with the program's indoor shot put record. Billetz finished second overall with a throw of 11.49 meters, just one centimeter off her own program-top mark set as a freshman in 2023. Lilly Savnik (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) also competed in the event, placing 10^th with a top throw of 6.82 meters.

Shai Graham (Bronx, N.Y./Bronx Theatre High School) and Alexander Carney ran the 200 while Khalil Williams (Menands, N.Y./Shaker) and Aka Udeagha (Rye, N.Y./Rye) took to the track for the 600 before all teaming up to take on the 4x400. Graham finished in 6^th in his dash with a time of 23.58, while Carney took 18^th with a time of 25.31 in his collegiate debut. Williams ran a 1:35.79 600, good for 5^th, while Udeagha took 7^th with a 1:36.17 time.

The foursome ran in the 4x400 to close out the day, finishing the race in 3:47.58 to place fifth in a solid opening to the season.

Up Next
The Valiants close out the calendar year next weekend at the two-day Art Kadish Elm City Challenge, hosted by Southern Connecticut State. Action gets underway on Friday.

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