TOWSON, Md. – 22 student-athletes from the Towson University indoor track & field team qualified for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship in Boston this weekend.

The events will be held at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center in Massachusetts and will go on from March 6-8.

Various Tigers qualified for the ECAC Championship with strong performances in certain events.

Looking to beat the school record in the 60-meter hurdles, senior Helnsarah Penda is excited for this upcoming meet.

"This weekend is important because this is my last collegiate indoor meet, so i fully intend to leave it all on the track" said Penda. "As a team this meet is important because we have a lot to prove."

Last season, only 17-student athletes qualified and the team finished in third place overall, but this year with a few more qualifying, Penda feels the Tigers have a great chance of going all the way.

"We have a lot of new talent competing this year so everyone's kind of excited to see what ECAC'S is all about," said Penda. "We could definitely win this meet so it would be cool for all our hard work to come to fruition".

With her great attitude and winning mentality, Penda says knowing her overall potential is what keeps her motivated.

"I know i have a lot to give so any chance to compete in my event, I'm excited."

Last Time Out
 The Tigers competed in the Fastrac Last Chance Meet on Friday, Feb. 28 in Staten Island, New York.

Towson saw 18 student-athletes with top five finishes in their respective events. Some noted ones was the 1-2 punch by Lauren Coleman (15.96m) and Michella Obijiaku (15.53m) finished first and second in the shot put, respectively. Penda came in first place in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.76 and Hayley Horvath won the pole vault (4.00m).

In the Record Books
The week of Jan. 14, freshman Adia Cavalier set a new school record in the triple jump. Her 12.03m jump broke Wilhelmina Austin's jump from 2017. Then she broke her own school record at the Towson Invitational on Jan. 19, with a 12.29m (40'4") mark.

Hayley Horvath set a new record at the Towson Invitational as well in the pole vault with a 4.02m (13' 2.25").

Mid-Atlantic Rankings
The Tigers started 2020 in the top 5 of the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region, announcement went out Monday, Jan. 27.

The next week, the Tigers moved up two ranks to the number third spot.

This week, the Tigers are currently sitting at the number three spot and have two people, Lauren Coleman (ranked 14th) and Michella Obijiaku (ranked 22nd) in the NCAA.

Scouting the Tigers
Towson returns 34 student-athletes from last year including seven seniors in Zellie Charles, Shelby Francis, Melissa Graham, Victoria Jones-Alleyne, Michella Obijiaku, Helnsarah Penda and L.Coleman.

This senior class has already made a name for themselves in the different Towson record books and will continue to contribute to making the 2019-20 season one to remember.

Towson also brings in 11 freshman that help round out the roster and will bring some depth to each event.

Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.

• For the 7th consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.
• Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.
• Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.
• Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.