CAMBRIDGE, Mass.- Heading down the homestretch before the America East Conference Championship, UMBC’s Adrian Arthur (Bowie Md./Bowie) and University of Maine’s Vicki Tolton (Smithers, British Columbia/Smithers Secondary) earned male and female Track Performer of the Week accolades, while Maine’s Mark Liimakka (Old Town, Maine/Old Town) and University of Vermont’s Ase Lundin (Waterville, Kullavik, Sweden/Donnerymasiet High School) earned male and female Field Performer of the week recognition.
Arthur placed first in the 200-meter dash in a time of 22.49, tying his season best in the event, at the George Mason Patriot Games this weekend. The junior went on to earn fourth in the 60-meter dash in an IC4A-qualifying time of 6.98 seconds, placing him at the top of the America East performance list in the 55-meter after conversion.
Tolton ran the 400 meters in 56.07 seconds, crossing first and qualifying for the ECAC Championship at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games this weekend where the Black Bears finish sixth overall. The senior is the reigning champion of the event at the America East Indoor Championship.
Liimakka, a junior, won the pole vault event at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games this weekend, clearing the 15 foot mark. Liimakka helped the Black Bears earn a fifth-place finish out of 13 teams.
Lundin finished second in both the high jump and triple jump at the Reebok Indoor Games, earning marks of 1.63m and 11.65m, respectively. The rookie’s points helped Vermont finish fourth-overall, propelling them past America East rival Maine in the 13-team field.
Albany- The Great Danes did not compete this week, but will return to action next weekend at the Giegengack Invitational at Yale and the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the New York City Armory Track and Field Center.
Binghamton- The Bearcats took to the road this weekend, competing in the Penn State National Indoor Track Open and the Colgate Class of 1932 Invitational. The men’s distance relay team of freshmen Michael Schieck and Jesse McCormick and sophomores Cazal Arnett and Erik van Ingen shattered the school record of 10:11.47 by posting an impressive 9:53.13 at Penn State. The record, which was set last year, was one of three broken by the Bearcats, the other two coming from van Ingen in the 800 (1:51.89) and senior Joanel Lopez, who reset the shot put record for the third time this season with a throw of 53-8.5 feet. The women had three freshmen earn second-place finishes at Colgate. Kaitlin Sullivan posted a 9.3 second time in the 60-meter hurdles, Samatha Howells finished the 400 meters in 60.21 seconds, and Jessica Conter ran the 200 meters in 20.66 seconds. The women finished in second out of the 15-team field, and the men tied for third out of 18.
Binghamton's Story
Boston- After a week of training, the Terriers will return to action at the Battle of Beantown this weekend in Allston, Mass.
Hartford- The Hawks competed in their first meet of 2009 at the Reebok Indoor Games, where both squads earned 10th in the 13-team fields. Freshman Kristalena Lamore highlighted the women, breaking a pair of school records by scoring fourth in the long jump (5.41m) and fourth in the triple jump (11.13m). Junior Kaycee Martinez led in the track events, completing the 55-meter hurdles in a time of 9.12 seconds and earning eighth place. Freshman Nigel Nimoh was the top finisher for the men, earning third place with a distance of 13.7m in the triple jump. Anthony Oluwanifise continued his impressive senior campaign placing sixth in the triple and long jumps with distances of 13.61m and 6.43m, respectively.
Hartford's Story
Maine- The Black Bears competed at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Center this weekend, with the men finishing fifth, and the women sixth, in the 13-team fields. The men earned three individual wins from Matt Holman in the 500-meters (1:05.94), Riley Masters in the one-mile (4:15.09) and Mark Liimakka in the pole vault (15 feet). The women were led by senior Vicki Tolton who won the 400-meter dash in a time of 56.07 seconds. Allyson Howatt ran for second place in the 200-meter dash posting a time of 25.50 seconds.
Maine's Story
UMBC- The Retriever men and women combined to win six events at the George Mason Patriot Games on Saturday including three post-season qualifying times. Freshman Imani Colbert continued a dominant freshman campaign, setting the school record in the 60-meter hurdles for the fourth time this season at 8.57 seconds. Junior teammate Britney Foreman tied her own school record in the 60-meter dash, earning first with her time of 7.66 seconds. For the men, Adrian Arthur won the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.49. The junior went on to finish fourth in the 60-meter dash in an IC4A-qualifying time of 6.98.
UMBC's Story
New Hampshire- The Wildcats competed in the Harvard Select Meet this weekend, where the men earned third, and the women fourth, out of four teams. Junior Rita Ciambra earned first in the pole vault with an ECAC Championship-qualifying mark of 3.65 meters. Also qualifying for the post-season championship was sophomore Eliza Mackintosh who finished second with a leap of 11.74 meters in the triple jump. On the men’s side, seniors Spencer Shaw and Jeff Kaste each earned first place with IC4A Championship-qualifying marks in their field events. Shaw posted a mark of 7.02-meters in the long jump while Kaste had an impressive toss of 19.41 meters in the weight throw. Classmate Matt O’Connor also qualified for the post-season Championship, placing second in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:16.46.
New Hampshire's Story
Stony Brook- The Seawolves traveled to the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Indoor Championships this weekend earning three first-place finishes, two ECAC-qualifying times and two IC4A-qualifying times. Sophomore Lucy van Dalen, who now holds four indoor track records for the Seawolves, broke her second school record of the season posting a time of 2:47.34 in the 1,000-meter run. In the mile, junior Laura Huet was edged out of first place by three seconds, crossing in an ECAC-qualifying time of 5:00.74. A pair of tight finishes highlighted the men’s squad, with junior Daire Bermingham edging out the second place finisher by .41 seconds in the 1,000-meter run, posting a time of 2:29.36, and the distance medley relay team falling .32 seconds shy of first place with a time of 10:14.55.
Stony Brook's Story
Vermont- The Catamounts competed at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games at the Reggie Lewis Center on Friday, earning top finishes in the distance events and finishing fourth overall out of 13 teams. For the women, junior Aly Millett won the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:12.50. Ase Lunding, a freshman, earned second in both the high jump (1.63m) and triple jump (11.65m). For the men, freshman Shane Snyder, who transferred from Arizona State during the holiday intercession, won the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:50.90 and remains undefeated as a Catamount. Junior Phil Cohen led in the field events, placing third in the pole vault with a mark of 4.42m.
Vermont's Story