COLONIA, NJ – The Roberts Wesleyan men’s track and field team has been picked first in the 2024-25 ECC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches and announced on Monday afternoon. Additionally, Felician senior Devin Jones (Neptune, NJ) and St. Thomas Aquinas graduate student Emmanuel Mena Jimenez (West Haverstraw, NY) were tabbed the men’s Preseason Co-Athletes of the Year.
Coming off of back-to-back ECC outdoor titles, the Redhawks took the top spot in the preseason poll with 72 points and four first-place votes.
Defending ECC indoor champion Holy Family sits just one spot behind RWU with 71 points and three first-place votes.
Georgian Court, who shared the ECC indoor title in 2022-23 and won it outright in 2021-22, sits third with 60 points and one first-place vote while Felician (52 points, 1 first-place vote) and Molloy (46 points) round out the top five.
St. Thomas Aquinas (38 points), Daemen (27 points), Queens (22 points), and Staten Island (17 points) complete the preseason poll.
Jones placed third in the long jump (6.94m/22' 9 1/4”) and fourth in the 60m (7.02) at last year’s ECC indoor meet before going on to capture gold in both the long jump (7.27m/23' 10 1/4”) and 4x100m relay (41.93) at the CACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Mena Jimenez is coming off of a junior campaign in which he won the weight throw (20.22m/66' 4 1/4”) and placed third in the shot put (14.75m/48' 4 3/4”) at last year’s ECC indoor meet and went on to sweep gold in the shot put (15.18m/49' 9 3/4”), discus (53.92m/176' 11”), and hammer throw (53.60m/175' 10”) at the ECC outdoor meet.
Felician kicks off competition for the 2024-25 campaign this Wednesday, December 4 at the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Midweek Clash in Teaneck, NJ.
Seven more ECC teams open their seasons on Friday, December 6 as Daemen competes at the Houghton December Classic (Houghton, NY), Georgian Court, Holy Family, Queens, and St. Thomas Aquinas take on the FastTrack Season Opener (Staten Island, NY), and Roberts Wesleyan splits time at the Grand Valley State Holiday Open (Allendale, MI) and Akron Haynes Lancaster Open (Akron, OH).
The two remaining ECC teams to open their 2024-25 campaigns will do so on Saturday, December 8, Molloy battles it out at the TCNJ Indoor Opener (New York, NY) and Staten Island is slated for the Youree Spence Garcia Invitational (Staten Island, NY).
2024-25 ECC Men's Indoor Track and Field Preseason Poll
1. Roberts Wesleyan - 72 points (4 first-place votes)
2. Holy Family - 71 points (3 first-place votes)
3. Georgian Court - 60 points (1 first-place vote)
4. Felician - 52 points (1 first-place vote)
5. Molloy - 46 points
6. St. Thomas Aquinas - 38 points
7. Daemen - 27 points
8. Queens - 22 points
9. Staten Island - 17 points
ECC Preseason Co-Athletes of the Year: Devin Jones, Felician and Emmannuel Mena Jimenez, St. Thomas Aquinas