Maryland Track & Field Honors Senior Class

Photo by: Greg Fiume

5/6/2021 4:43:00 PM | Track & Field

PHOTO GALLERY

By: Maryland Media Relations

College Park, Md -- The Maryland Track and Field program celebrated 18 seniors Monday, May 3 at Kehoe Track. The team was joined by support staff and Team Impact player, Angelo Serrano.

More information on the seniors below:

Leah Blackall,
Holbrook, N.Y.
Leah Blackall earned a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland before returning for a fifth year to start work on her Masters in Public Health practice and policy. Leah has emerged as an asset for championship performances in the triple jump. She was the Big Ten runner up in this event at the 2019 Big Ten Outdoor championships where she posted her career best mark. Blackall went on to compete at the NCAA first round in the triple jump. She has also posted points for the squad in this event during the indoor Big Ten Championships. Her marks rank her No. 4 all time on the indoor track record books and No. 3 all time in the outdoor rankings.

Nadia Hackett
Baltimore, Md.
Majoring in Public Health Science, Hackett plans to attend Medical School after graduating from the University of Maryland. In her time at Maryland, Nadia started the Pre-Health Terps program along with her cohort in the Gossett Fellows Program. As an athlete, her primary focus throughout her athletic career has been the hurdle events. She is ranked third all-time in the 100m hurdles, sixth all time in the 60m hurdles, and seventh all time in the 400 hurdles. Nadia has been a consistent and steady competitor while also balancing an intense academic load in pursuit of her post-graduation goals.

Cheyenne Jones
Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
Majoring in Business Management, Jones will graduate from the University of Maryland and attend graduate school next year at the University of Louisville majoring in Sports Administration. Jones has been a key contributor in the 400m. She earned Big Ten honors scoring in the indoor 400m as a sophomore. She was also a member of the 4x400m relay squad that placed fourth her freshman year at the Big Ten Indoor championships and part of the outdoor NCAA Regional group in 2019. She is ranked No. 9 all time in the 400m dash and shares the indoor and outdoor school record with several of her senior teammates in the 4x400m relay.

Bria Mack
Williamstown, N.J.
Bria Mack will graduate from the University of Maryland with degrees in Psychology and Family Science as well as a minor in Religious Studies. Mack came to Maryland as a transfer student during her sophomore year and has made an impact in the short sprint events. Most notably, Mack earned the school record in the 60m dash this 2021 indoor season. She recorded a time of 7.45 seconds en route to a scoring position at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. She has continued to climb the record books this outdoor season as well, most recently moving into the fourth position all time in the 100m dash. This is proving to be Bria's best season yet and we look forward to seeing all that she accomplishes in post-season championships.

Courtney Mann
Ellicott City, Md.
Courtney Mann is a four-year cross country and track athlete. In her time as a Terrapin she earned All-Big Ten Academic honors, was a member of the Mental Health and Wellness Committee for SAAC and a member of Psi Chi Honors Society. Courtney will graduate with a Bachelors in Psychology, with a minor in Neuroscience. Next year she will be an EMT and begin applying to PA school next spring.

Emily McAllister
Newark, Md.
Emily McAllister is a four-year cross country & track athlete. In her time as a Terrapin she earned All-Big Ten Academic honors, was a member of SAAC, worked as a research assistant with the school of Public Health, and served as an Alternative Breaks Service Participant teaching English to students in Ecuador. Emily will graduate with a Bachelors in Public Health Science. Next year she will pursue a Masters in Public Health Equity at the university of Maryland

Angel Nkwonta
Pullman, Wash.
Nkwonta is currently pursuing a master's in healthcare administration at Maryland after completing her undergrad at The University of Washington. Since joining the team this fall she has cracked the all time top ten list in four events while breaking the school record in two of those events. She was an All Big Ten performer in the shot put during the 2021 indoor championships finishing as the runner-up while also scoring in the weight throw. She qualified for the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and looks to repeat that effort at the NCAA Outdoor Championships later this month. She currently holds personal bests of 21.36m (70'1") in the weight throw, 17.27m (56'8") in the shot put and 61.02m (200'2") in the hammer throw.

Julia Reicin
Potomac, Md.
As a double Major of Psychology and Geographic Information Systems, Reicin plans to further her degree in graduate school next year. She has served as the SAAC President for the 2020-2021 school year. Among the many hats she wore as a representative of Maryland throughout her four years. Reicin also assisted as a team liaison with Team Impact and helped to coordinate events for track and field teammate, Angelo. She has participated in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track during her time at Maryland. While focusing on the distance events, her strongest performances have come in the 3000m steeplechase where she is currently ranked in the top ten at Maryland.

Xahria Santiago
Ajax, Ontario
Xahria Santiago will receive her degree in Public Health Sciences. She is an NCAA All-American in the 400m Hurdles and garners many accolades within the Maryland record books. She is No. 2 all time in the 400 Hurdles and 6 th all time in the outdoor 400m. Indoor she is No. 2 all time in the 300m and #4 in the 400m. Santiago also shares the indoor and outdoor 4x400m school records with her teammates. She is a two-time runner up in the 400 hurdles at the Outdoor Big Ten championships and has competed internationally at the World Junior Championships in this event for Team Canada.

Destiny Ward
Chesapeake, Va.
Majoring in Philosophy with a Minor in Black Women's Studies and Certificate in African American Studies, Destiny Ward came to Maryland as a transfer her sophomore year and became impactful in events from the 200m to 400m as well as relays. She is currently ranked No. 2 all-time in the indoor 200m dash. She shares the 4x400m school record with several of her senior teammates achieved in 2019 when this group also went to the NCAA first round.

Brian Evans
Atlanta, Ga.
Brian is pursuing his Masters of Professional studies in Technology Entrepreneurship. As a transfer student to Maryland this year, he has competed for the Terps in the 400m. Since arriving he has posted top marks in his 400m specialty. He currently ranks #6 all time in the indoor record books in this event. As we enter championship season, he is preparing to represent the squad in both his open event and on the relay.

Rylan Flint
Williamsburg, Va.
Rylan Flint served as a two-year track athlete at the University of Maryland. In his time as a Terrapin he earned All-Big Ten Academic honors, was a member of the club club cross country team where he held the role as Treasury Chair prior to his transition to the team. Flint will graduate with a Bachelors in Engineering, with a minor in Neuroscience.

Will Jones
Hagerstown, Md.
Receiving his degree in Operations Management and Business Analytics, Will Jones plans to attend graduate school next year studying Marketing Analytics. Jones has focused his training on the middle distance events primarily in the 1500m. His best performance came during championship season when he posted a mark of 3:53.51 at the Big Ten Championships. He has continued to build close bonds with his teammates and training partners over the past four years that will help move the group forward.

Shane McGuire
Huntington, New York
McGuire will graduate with a degree in History with plans to attend Graduate school in the fall to receive his Masters Degree in Social Studies. Shane came to Maryland as a middle distance runner as a junior. While he has had to overcome some obstacles with injuries, his focus has been primarily on the 800m event. Shane brings a positive outlook to practice with him each day.

Aaron Robinson
Brandywine, Md.
Graduating with a degree in Information Systems and Supply Chain Management. Robinson has accepted a job with Pepsi as a supply chain associate. He has been a steady force in the 400m for the men's squad over the past four years. Robinson helped the team place third in the Big Ten 4x400m for a podium finish. He also holds the school record in the 4x400 relay along with his teammates, achieved at the 2019 Penn Relays. The squad moved on to compete in the NCAA first round in this event. His individual 400m time ranks No. 10 all time at Maryland and he is ranked No. 6 in the 600m. Robinson is a great leader and ambassador for the men's program.

Chris Spiess
Germantown, Md.
Chris Spiess will be graduating from the A. James Clark School of Engineering from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering. A pole vault specialist Chris is a two-time Maryland Invitational event winner and holds a personal best of 4.80m (15'9") which he set at the Navy Select Invitational.

Brady Snelson
Milwaukee, Wis.
Brady Snelson will graduate from the University of Maryland with his degree in Computer Science. Next year, Snelson will begin his career at Capital One in Chicago following graduation as a software engineer. His focus throughout his collegiate career has been the 800m event. Coming back for a fifth season, this year has proved to be his best yet with personal best marks achieved consistently through the indoor and outdoor season. Snelson also surpassed his personal best in the 1500m this year. His academic achievements have earned him honors throughout his time at Maryland posting the highest GPA within the team and athletics as a whole.

Travis Valmon
Rockville, Md.
Valmon will graduate from the university of Maryland with a Bachelors in Finance & Information Systems. He is currently pursuing Masters of Professional studies in Technology Entrepreneurship. Valmon will start a career at Goldman Sachs in New York upon graduation. Travis competed on the basketball team during his undergraduate studies and has been full force with the track program now for the past season. During his indoor debut, he cracked the top ten list in the 600m event. Heading into the outdoor season, his primary focus has been on the 400m event which he will continue to tackle in the coming weeks. Valmon has demonstrated the ability to transition from the court to the track.

Angelo Serrano
Angelo joined the Terrapin squad via Team Impact in 2018. Since joining the program, Angelo has been an integral part of our team activities. His racing debut came at the 2019 Kehoe Twilight Meet where Serrano competed in his Terp jersey for the first time in the 100m dash. Angelo's speed carried him to victory in his first ever race. On September 6th, 2019 Angelo rang the bell at Children's hospital signifying the end of his cancer treatments. We are so proud of our teammate Angelo and want to thank his family for being special members of our Terrapin family.