WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Cedar Crest College track & field team began its 2025 season on Saturday at the Monarch Invitational hosted by King's College (Pa.) at the Betzler Outdoor Track.

"With only half of our team competing this weekend, we achieved exactly what we set out to do," said Head Track & Field Coach Jaryd Flank. "Our returners were able to knock off some of the rust and our newcomers got some much needed experience. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do, but I think we set a really solid floor for the season."
 
First-year Alyssa Maldonado (Delmar, Md./Parkland) competed in the 100-meter dash and placed fourth with a time of 14.65 seconds. Classmate Mel Val (Tracy City, Tenn./St. Andrew's Sewanee) placed sixth with a time of 14.94.
 
Maldonado placed ninth the 200-meter dash with a time of 31.11 seconds. Senior Zakiyyah Sabir (Philadelphia, Pa./Philadelphia E&T) placed tenth with a time of 32.05. Sophomore Krishana Brooks (Long Branch, N.J./Long Branch) followed Sabir placing 11^th with a time of 32.26.
 
In the 800-meter dash, first-year Erica Cook (Deming, Wash./Mount Baker) placed third with a time of 2:46.64. First-year Katherine Garcia () placed fourth with a time of 2:49.03. First-year Giada Smith (Springtown, Pa./Palisades) placed sixth with a time of 3:01.63.
 
First-year Arianna Gonzalez (Fallsburg, N.Y./Fallsburg Junior Senior) placed seventh as the lone Falcon to compete in the 1500 meters with a time of 7:25.44.
 
Junior Bella Bozen (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) placed fifth in the discus with a distance of 30.63 meters. Junior Alana Connor (Manassas, Va./Charles J. Colgan) followed in 10^th with a distance of 24.04 meters. First-year Symarah Drey (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) placed 12^th with a throw of 17.14 meters.
 
Bozen placed seventh in the hammer throw with a distance of 29.65 meters. First-year Jemma Cazabon (Charleston, S.C./Philip Simmons) followed in eighth with a throw of 28.26 meters. Connor took ninth with a distance of 25.66 meters.

Junior Olivia Horninger (Friedens, Pa./Northern Lehigh) took fourth in the high jump placing with a jump of 1.31 meters.
 
Bozen took third in the javelin throw with a distance of 29.15 meters. Drey took fifth with a throw of 16.94 meters.
 
Horninger placed third in the long jump with a jump of 4.23 meters. Sophomore Tianlly Davilla placed fifth with a 3.08 meter jump.
 
In the shot put, Connor placed sixth with a throw of 9.33 meters. Cazabon followed in seventh with a distance of 6.86 meters.
 
Cedar Crest will next compete at the Danny Curran Invitational hosted by Widener University in Chester, Pa. on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29.

(Recap Written By Emily Demarest)