MAHWAH, N.J. – The Manhattanville University track & field teams made their outdoor debuts for the 2026 season, competing at the two-day Ramapo College Season Opener on Friday and Saturday. The Valiants competed in 13 total events over the two days, with multiple performances ranking amongst the programs' bests in the season opener.

On Day One, the Valiants had four new times entered into the program top ten in the 5K races. Zach Garrant (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill High School) and Joey DeMilio (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) posted the third and fifth fastest times in the event, with the former placing 22^nd overall with a 16:33.18 finish and the latter crossing in 16:41.42, good for 25^th. While he didn't join his teammates in the record book, Darlig Delgado (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore Senior) set a new personal best in the event with a time of 18:38.82.

The women also shined in the 5K, with Sam Delgado's (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) 22:18.18 good for sixth all-time (23^rd) and Jennifer Oliveros (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) improving upon her eighth-place time in the Valiant history books, knocking more than a minute off her previous top time with a showing of 22:34.66 (27^th).

The remainder of Day One belonged to the field athletes. Lilly Savnik's (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) 18.99 meter throw in the javelin toss placed 21^st in the event and was the seventh-best distance in program history, while Jayda Birch (Queens, N.Y./Excelsior Preparatory) etched her name in third overall in the shot put for the Valiant record book with her throw of 10.38 meters, placing sixth overall.

Back in action on Saturday, both Khalil Williams (Menands, N.Y./Shaker) and Luca Perez (Somers, N.Y./Somers) cracked the all-time list in the long jump. Williams recorded a leap of 5.79 meters, 18^th in the field and sixth in program history, while Perez' 5.38 meters ranked ninth in the program record book, placing 24^th.

Gabrielle Billetz (Clarksburg, Mass./Hoosac Valley) flirted with her program record in the discus, taking third overall in the event with a 37.81-meter throw. The junior did have the second-best hammer throw in Valiant history with her 31.26-meter showing to place 16^th.

Aka Udeagha's (Rye, N.Y./Rye) 11.74 time in the 100-meter dash was good for ninth all-time in program history, taking 32^nd in the prelims. Williams placed 43^rd in the race with a time of 11.97 seconds.

Uzoma Nweze (Valley stream, Long Island/Valley Stream North High school) got her name in the record book in the 400-meter, ranking tenth all-time with an 1:11.89 split to place 26^th. Samiyah Samuels () also ran in the sprint, clocking in at 1:17.60 for 36^th place.

Birch was final competitor to break out the erasers for the books, with her 2:53.50 time in the 800-meter ranking tenth all-time and placing 26^th in the event. Alicia Bibi (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) set a new personal best as well in the event with a 3:05.72 to take 34^th.

Courtney Brown (Clarendon, Jamaica/Mount Vernon) ran the men's 800 in 2:16.44, placing 31^st overall. The Valiants ended the weekend competition with a pair of tandems in the 4x100 relays, with the men's foursome of Perez, Brown, Udeagha and Williams finishing in 46.11 seconds for eighth place, while the women's tandem of Nweze, Samuels, Bibi and Adelina Rodriguez (Westbury, N.Y./Westbury) taking seventh with a 57.52 time.

Up Next
The Valiants head to the University of Hartford on Friday to compete at the Rage in the Cage.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants