Adian Ewart became the highest place finisher from the St. Francis College track and field team during competition in the Fordham Season Opener Meet at the Lombardi Center in The Bronx. Ewart’s 51.4 seconds in the 400-meter-dash divided among various sections or heats in a field of 33 athletes earned him an overall in this event.
Austin King of Providence University ran a 51.0 seconds to win the event in a meet to prepare the athletes for the upcoming indoor winter season. The meet attracted nine colleges from the met area.
Ewart, a senior sprinter from St. Thomas in the Caribbean, could be a bright spot in the Northeast College Conference.
One year when St. Francis College competed in the Penn Relays, Coach Kyle Brown made a connection that still exists today.
The coaches from the Caribbean felt that St. Francis of Brooklyn had a lot to offer, made some telephone calls and was a good fit for Ewart and the college according to St. Francis College Head Coach Kyle Brown.
The coaches and Ewart trusted in the training that the athlete was able to accomplish.
“Since we don’t have the facilities (in our college), we find how to develop ways to still be fairly competitive at our own track,” said Coach Brown. “We train at a good facility in the Park Slope Armory. There are challenges and obstacles for him. Our field event people train both in our gymnasium and outdoors. College and high school people train there at different times,” continued the coach.
Kristal Williams, a senior sprinter, another Jamaican native, and Ewart earned some school records over past years and should continue to improve.
“Our athletes from the Caribbean are hard workers,” continued the coach. “The biggest thing was making the adjustment to the weather (as they were not accustomed to running from indoors to outdoors. The biggest thing is to adjust to the talent. They are coming along well. They are looking forward to a great season.”
Ewart enjoys running for the St. Francis College Terriers.
“I like running for St. Francis (because) they have been very (good to us),” the student athlete said. “It’s been a great experience. I want to continue to run in college.”
Ewart started running in college in Jamaica, West Indies. Eventually, he and his family moved north and landed in New York, where he transferred and began running at St. Francis, located in downtown Brooklyn.
Meanwhile, teammate Stephan Reynolds feels that he is having a great experience, too, running at St. Francis. He also competed in the 400 meters and clocked in at 56.6 seconds for the 21st position.
Reynolds also hails from Jamaica, in the Caribbean, and competed in his first 400 meters.
“It was good,” Reynolds added after the race. “I tried hard in this (event) and could have done a little bit better. I need to work on my breathing. It should be better for the (regular schedule).”
Overall, the meet consisted of both individual track and field events and relays for men and women, and was very successful for a season opener and better prepared the athletes for the rest of the indoor season.
