DEDHAM, Mass. - The Northeastern University men and women track and field teams took home the titles at the 2004 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Solomon Track in Dedham, Mass. On the men's side, it was the closest finish in conference history as Northeastern (162 points) narrowly squeezed by runner-up University at Albany (160.5). For the women, the Huskies (193) outpaced second-place finisher Albany (172) as well.
Day 2 Results
Following behind Northeastern and Albany in the men’s scoring was University of New Hampshire (139.5), Boston University (114), Binghamton University (99), University of Maryland, Baltimore County (66), University of Maine (50), Stony Brook University (39) and University of Hartford (16).
In the women’s field, New Hampshire finished third with 109.5 points, followed by Maine (93), Boston University (80), Vermont (66), Binghamton (60.5), UMBC (38), Stony Brook (23) and Hartford (18).
Leading the way for the Northeastern men was Idris Payne (New York, N.Y./Fordham Prep), who was named Most Outstanding Track Performer, and Derek Anderson (Wrentham, Mass./Xavarian Brothers) who was selected Most Outstanding Field Performer. Payne won the 200-meter (21.04) and 400-meter (47.46) dashes, while Anderson shattered two America East Championship records with a throw of 62’ .25” in the shot put and a hurl of 185’ 7” in the discus. During the second day of competition Peter Jasmin (Middletown, N.Y./Pinebush) also grabbed first-place points for the Huskies as he won the 110 hurdles (14.39).
The Albany 4x100 (41.92) and 4x800 (7:50.76) relay teams each finished first during the second day of competition, while Great Danes Gered Burns (Altamont, N.Y./Guilderland), Naron Stewart (Kingston, Jamaica/Kingston College) and Kamar Elliot (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) each garnered first-place accolades, winning the 800 (1:54.05), high jump (6’ 9.75”) and triple jump (48’ 11.75”) respectively.
For New Hampshire, Brandon Williams (Hooksett, N.H./Hookset) won the 1,500, finishing with a time of 3:55.65. Ethan Gato (South Portland, Maine/South Portland) won the decathlon after amassing 5,455 points, narrowly defeating fellow Wildcat Craig Lange (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central) who finished the multi-event with 5,428 points.
Other day two men’s highlights included Boston University’s Jordan Jones (Medford, Mass./Medford) who won the 5,000 (14:54.28) as well as the Terriers 4x400 relay team which captured the title with a time of 3:12.85. Andre Felton (Oxon Hill, Md./Oxon Hill) of UMBC won the 100 (10.90) while Binghamton’s Mike Stewart (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) claimed top honors in the 400 hurdles (52.91).
Most Outstanding Track Performer Ahndraea Allen (Roselle Park, N.J./Roselle Park) led the way for the Northeastern women as she won the 200 (23.92) and set a new America East record while winning the 400 (53.55). Allen was also the recipient of the Most Outstanding Track Performer award in 2003. Supporting the Huskies effort during the day was Zara Northover (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka), who won the shot put (48’ 10.25”), along with the 4x100 (46.28) and 4x400 (3:44.88) relay teams that each garnered first-place honors.
Kristal Kostiew (Northwood, N.H./Coe-Brown) of Vermont was selected the Most Outstanding Track Performer for the women. Kostiew took first in the discus with a throw of 151’ 2” and also grabbed first-place points in the hammer throw (180’ 2”) during the first day of competition. Kostiew has won the Most Outstanding Field Performer award in three-straight outdoor championships.
Other day two highlights on the women’s side included Teresa Covert (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna) of Albany, who won the 100 (11.70) and 100 hurdles (13.51), along with fellow Great Dane Jen Aubin (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) who was victorious in the triple jump (39” 2.5”). Hana Pelletier (Belgrade, Maine/Messalanskee) of Maine won the 800 (2:10.09) and the Black Bears also captured the 4x800 relay (9:08.02). Jessica Iannacci (Lunenberg, Mass./Lunenberg) and Erin Cadden (Allentown, Pa./Allentown) led the Boston University effort, winning the 5,000 (17:28.56) and 400 hurdles (1:03.32) respectively. Rounding out the first-place finishes were Jackie Nunez (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Suffolk CC) of Stony Brook, who won the 1,500 (4:33.55), and Lauren Knight (Centerville, Mass./Barnstable) of New Hampshire as she claimed top honors in the heptathlon (4,585).
Northeastern was selected Coaching Staff of the Year for both the men and women. Head coach Sherman Hart guides the Huskies.