WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – With just two meets remaining before the Skyline Conference Championship, the Manhattanville University track and field teams continued a strong spring season on Friday at the second annual Rage in the Cage Invitational, hosted by Hartford University. The Valiants continued to rewrite the top times and scores in the program record book, competing in 13 different events over the course of the day.

The women's team led the way, competing in seven total events and posting five outings that ranked in the program top-ten record book. Two of those performances belonged to Jayda Birch (Queens, N.Y./Excelsior Preparatory), as the senior shown in both track and field events. Birch posted a throw of 11.49 meters in the shot put, the third-best distance in program history and placing third overall in the event. Birch also ran the 400-meter and earned another third-place finish with a time of 1:08.10, ranking seventh in Valiant history. Samiyah Samuels () also ran the 400, with her 1:13.43 time setting a new personal best and placing sixth.

Two of the other Valiant top times came in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, with Saage Palmer's (Brooklyn, N.Y./Medgar Evers College Preparatory School) time of 14.02 seconds ranking seventh in school history, placing 11^th in the competition. Uzoma Nweze (Valley stream, Long Island/Valley Stream North High school) then ran the ninth-fastest time ever for the Valiants in the 200, taking 15^th with a time of 29.73 seconds.

Lilly Savnik (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) rounded out the top performances on the women's side, recording a 22.80 meter distance in the javelin throw. Her score was good for 15^th in the event and the seventh-best throw in program history.

Sam Delgado (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) competed in the 1500, taking sixth place in the race with a time of 6:12.07. Birch, Palmer, Samuels and Nweze teamed up for the 4x400 relay, finishing in 4:48.59 for fifth place.

The men's effort was highlighted by Shai Graham's (Bronx, N.Y./Bronx Theatre High School) performance in the 200-meter, with his time of 22.89 the second-fastest time in program history. The senior took eighth overall in the race, finishing ahead of teammates Khalil Williams (Menands, N.Y./Shaker) (23.85, 17^th) and Luca Perez (Somers, N.Y./Somers) (24.98, 22^nd).

Aka Udeagha (Rye, N.Y./Rye) and Zach Garrant (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill High School) joined Graham in the record book, with the former posting the Valiants' sixth-fastest time in the 400-meter with his time of 52.98, placing 11^th. The latter ran the 1500 in 4:29.53, the tenth-fastest time in the program's history to place seventh. Danny Noia (Honolulu, Hawaii/McKinley) also ran the 1500, finishing in 4:36.64 to place 12^th.

Joey DeMilio (White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) took sixth in the 800-meter with a time of 2:01.57. Perez represented Manhattanville in the long jump, scoring 4.09 meters for 13^th place. The men also competed in the 4x400, with Udeagha, DeMilio, Graham and Williams taking fifth, finishing in 3:36.92.

Up Next
The Valiants' final tuneup ahead of the Skyline Championships comes on Friday at Southern Connecticut State's Will Wright Invitational.

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