STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Wagner's women are heading to Ocean Breeze looking to win a second consecutive NEC Indoor Championship to round out the 2025-2026 season on a high note.
Head coach Marvin Azor has led the team to a successful 2025-2026 indoor season and looks to complete a back-to-back NEC Championship in his first season at the team's helm.
Sophomore Mia Petersen is back for the Seahawks after earning Most Outstanding Field Performer last season, winning gold in triple jump with an 11.69-meter performance. She had her best outing of the season at last week's FastTrack National Invite, putting up a 5.36m long jump that is currently sixth-best in the NEC. Her 11.44m triple jump is good for fifth in conference this season.
Junior Victoria Gontowicz, sophomore Madison Maxwell and graduate Jovana Miloradovic have competed week in and week out in long jump and triple jump alongside Petersen, bringing steady performances for the Seahawks on the field side. Gontowicz and Miloradovic sit seventh and eighth in the NEC's triple jump performance list this season.
Junior June Fernandez and sophomore Christine Manneh are major performers in the sprint events, with both performing well at the championships in past seasons. A 24.87-second 200m at the John Thomas Terrier has Manneh sitting at the top of the NEC's performances this season. Fernandez clocked in at 25.83 for her best 200m this season, good for eighth-fastest. She also holds the fourth best 400m time (58.80) and second best 500m (1:18.01).
Manneh's 7.68-second 60m time from the Wagner College Invitational is the second-fastest time in the NEC this season. Petersen logged an 8.02-second time that puts her 13th, a finish that could see her competing in both track and field events.
Sophomore Rylee Ferretti has been a big contributor for the Seahawks in distance events, running the 3,000m last season to finish sixth and coming off a massive fall where she took an individual win in the NEC Cross Country Championship. Ferretti is currently fourth-fastest in the NEC in the 3,000m (10:03.08) and second in the 5,000m (17:13.32).
Senior Angela Cavalieri and sophomore Kate Connolly are Seahawks who could contribute alongside Ferretti in the distance events. Freshmen Jaslene Merizalde and Rehanna Syed have worked through their rookie seasons to do the same. Cavalieri and Merizalde join Ferretti in the NEC's top-20 5,000m times.
Junior Magui Calvo-Jorge has been building this season on a solid sophomore campaign, winning the 800m at the Dr. Sander Scorcher in January after finishing fourth in the mile at last season's NEC Indoor Championship. She has the second-fastest 800m (2:15.73) and 12th-fastest mile (5:10.58) in the NEC for this indoor season. Senior Angelina Olah won the 800m last season, with Calvo-Jorge finishing fourth. Olah has the fifth-fastest 500m time in the conference this season, sitting at 1:18.88.
Graduate Ana Blanco Duran has been a reliable middle-distance runner for Wagner. Junior Victoria An Dziubela is another who can be counted on to put up points for the team. Junior Angel Okafor is yet another runner who Azor can count on to add to the team's point total. Okafor's 1:20.16 500m time is 13th best in the NEC this season. Blanco Duran, Dziubela, Calvo-Jorge, Ferretti and Connolly all rank in the top 20 in the NEC for their mile times.
Senior Elisa Parazzi is a high jump veteran for the Seahawks, but freshman Rikayla Bingham has also been a steady competitor in her rookie season. Sophomore Ariel Kovach could add team points in high jump or the 60m hurdles, both events she has competed in during her second season on Grymes Hill. Bingham's 1.57m high jump at the Youree Spence Garcia Invitational is sixth best in the conference. Parazzi sits ninth at 1.53m and Kovach is 17th at 1.43m.
Junior Dayana Rodroguez has been putting up strong performances in weight throw as she began competing in the back half of the season, hitting her stride heading into the season's final meet. Her 13.38m throw from the Mets Indoor Championship is the tenth-best distance in the NEC.
In pole vault, senior Saranda Capani and sophomore Nicolina Siracusa have been another pair competing regularly for the Seahawks, a duo who perform consistently well, which will be a key for the team to take and maintain a lead. Capani's 3.20m clearance is tied for sixth-best in the NEC this season and Siracusa's 2.75m sits 13th.
The Seahawks will open the NEC Indoor Championship on Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning with the 60m hurdles preliminary at 9:20 a.m. EST. A full schedule for the meet can be found here. The championship will end on Monday, Feb. 16, with closing ceremonies expected to begin at 2 p.m. EST.
