Albany’s Junior Burnett (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica/Black River) is this week’s America East Track Performer of the week, on the women’s side, Albany’s Jenna Ortman (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) earns the honor. Albany’s Marc Pallozzi (Waterford, N.Y./Lansingburgh) and Binghamton’s Rory Quiller (West Point, N.Y./James O’Neill) are the Men’s Field Performers of the Week, while Albany’s Ritshell Verdier (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) and Maine’s Clarissa Michalak (Cumberland, Maine/Greely) are the Women's Field Performers of the Week. The accolades were announced Tuesday (March 28).
Burnett opened the season at the Puerto Rico Spring Break Classic, winning the 100-meter dash in 10.72 seconds, 4-hundredths of a second off the school record pace. He also was the top finisher in the 200-meter dash with a fourth-place finish in a time of 21.84 seconds. The senior went on to anchor the 4x400-meter relay which set a school record in an IC4A-qualifying time of 3:12.33, plus ran the second leg of the 4x100 relay which also qualified for IC4As in 42.40 seconds. At Army’s Dick Shea Open on March 25, Burnett was the top Albany sprinter, winning the 400-meter in 49.03 and posting a third-place showing in the 200-meter (22.16).
Ortman opened the season by winning the 1500-meter at the Puerto Rico Classic on March 18, crossing the line in 2:13.11. She also placed third in the 800-meter in 2:13.11, less than three seconds off the winning pace. The freshman qualified for the USAT&F Junior Nationals in both events, plus ran the second leg of the winning 4x400 relay. At Army’s Dick Shea Open on March 25, she won the 800m in 2:16.32 and again ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay which posted a time of 3:54.51.
Pallozzi started the outdoor season by shattering his own Albany javelin standard with a winning throw of 217’3” at the Puerto Rico Spring Break Classic on March 18. He broke his own record by over seven feet and qualified for the NCAA Regional in the event. Pallozzi currently ranks third in the nation in the event. At Army’s Dick Shea Open on March 25, Pallozzi won the event for the second straight competition with a mark of 207’10”, nearly 20 feet farther than his nearest competitor.
Quiller won the men's pole vault at the Coastal Carolina/Shamrock Invitational on March 18 with an outdoor school record height of 17’0.75”. In the process, he met both the NCAA Regional and IC4A standards for the third consecutive season. He followed up with a win in the pole vault at the Army/Dick Shea Open this past Saturday (16-3). Last year, Quiller advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships and placed 12th in the pole vault.
Verdier won the discus and set a new school record in the event at last weekend’s Dick Shea Open. The freshman recorded a mark of 138’11” to set the new Albany standard and qualify for the ECAC Championship in the event. She also captured the shot put with a throw of 42’6.25”. At the Puerto Rico Spring Break Classic, Albany’s season opener held on March 18, Verdier posted second-place showings in both the discus and shot put.
In a five-team meet hosted by Navy, Michalak won the hammer throw with a distance of 48.88 meters. The junior thrower broke the University of Maine school record that was set in 2001 by Angela Pulcifer.