Firebirds Finish Third Overall at Cardinal Track & Field Classic

LANDOVER, Md. – The University of the District of Columbia women's indoor track & field team turned in a strong team performance at the Cardinal Track & Field Classic, placing third overall out of 13 teams behind multiple podium finishes, finals appearances, and point-scoring efforts across the meet.

In the 60-meter dash, Kyndra Hines and Janel Baxter both advanced out of the preliminaries after clocking qualifying times of 7.90 seconds. Hines went on to finish second overall in the finals with a time of 7.82s, earning eight points, while Baxter placed fourth in 7.84s, recording a personal record and adding five points.

Hines continued her standout day in the 200 meters, finishing second overall in 26.28s, while Tukey Francis followed closely behind in third place with a time of 26.41s.

Samantha Morrison, placed third with a time of 2:19.80, and Yalix Lina, finished eighth clocking in at 2:34.36.

Distance runners were paced by Aksa Jepkogei, who placed seventh in the 3,000 meters and followed with a 10th-place finish in the 5,000 meters.

The Firebirds posted multiple podium finishes in the field events, led by Zoe Shaw, who finished second in the high jump after clearing 1.57 meters, added a third-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 5.15 meters, and placed second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.04 meters. Gianna Wiggins contributed across multiple jump events, including a seventh-place finish in the high jump.

In the weight throw, Emmanuela Katou Kouami recorded a third-place finish with a throw of 16.62 meters.

UDC closed the meet with a strong performance in the 4×400-meter relay, as Kyndra Hines, Samantha Morrison, Yalix Lina, and Tukey Francis combined for a second-place finish in 4:09.50, adding eight more points to the team total.

The Firebirds will continue the indoor season as they prepare for their next competition at the VMI invitational.