CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The University at Albany men’s outdoor track and field team was unanimously chosen to capture its sixth league title, garnering 64 points in the 2010 America East Outdoor Track and Field Coaches’ Poll.
University of New Hampshire came in second in the poll, claiming the remaining first-place vote and 54 points followed by Binghamton University (52 points) in third and UMBC (42) in fourth. Boston University (35) and University of Maine (31) are again predicted to finish fifth and sixth, respectively, while University of Vermont (21), Stony Brook University (17), and Hartford (8) placed sixth, seventh and eighth in the poll. Coaches couldn’t vote for their own team.
The Albany men enter the outdoor season after capturing their fifth straight America East indoor title and their second consecutive IC4A Championship title. The squad has had strong performances this season from seniors Freddie Wills III (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and Valete Graham (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael) and junior Wilfredo de Jesus Elias (Arroyo, P.R./Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez). Wills captured the indoor championship high jump title this year. This spring he hopes to defend his decathlon title. Graham, who won the long jump at last year’s outdoor meet, captured the indoor title this season. He hopes to remain at the top of the long jump standings and capture another title this spring. Classmate Nasim Siddeeq (New Hampton, N.Y./Goshen Central/Robert Morris), who bested him in the indoor triple jump and is some of Graham’s strongest competition will redshirt the outdoor season. De Jesus Elias continued his dominance in the weigh throw events, capturing his second straight title this year. He will also look to capture his second straight hammer throw title at the outdoor championship in May. Senior Alie Beauvais (Hempstead, N.Y./Hempstead/Lincoln (Mo.)) and Luke Schoen (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), both claimed titles for the team at the indoor championship, will redshirt the outdoor season.
The Wildcats, who finished second at last year’s outdoor championship, finished fourth at this season’s indoor championship one point ahead of Boston U. Junior Price Paey (Milton, N.H./St. Thomas) captured another shot put title this past indoor season, breaking his own America East indoor record in the process. Paey hopes to capture a third outdoor shot put title this spring. The squad will also gain the help of distance runners graduate student Nicholas Decrescenzo (New Milford, Conn./New Milford) and junior Wesley Dinnan (Juneau, Alaska/Juneau-Douglas) during the outdoor season. Decrescenzo and Dinnan went 1-2 in the 10,000m run last spring.
The Bearcats ended the spring season with a third-place finish at the championship meet. Binghamton was led by junior Cazal Arnett (Queens, N.Y./ Christ the King), who was crowned the Most Outstanding Track Performer for the second straight year after winning the 200m, 400m and 4x400m relay. The three wins earned him the Coaches’ Award for the Most Points Compiled by a Male Athlete at the meet. Arnett looks to have a strong outdoor season after not competing in the outdoor championship last year. Junior Erik van Ingen (Marathon, N.Y./Marathon) will be another top competitor for the Bearcats this spring. Van Ingen won the mile run at the indoor meet and broke the four-minute mile mark earlier in the season to provisionally qualify for the NCAAs. He hopes to defend his 1,500m run title this spring.
UMBC will need the help of seniors Adrian Arthur (Bowie, Md./Bowie) and Antonio Thomas (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) to improve on their fourth-place finish from last year. The duo went 1-2 in both the 100m dash and the 200m with Arthur winning the 100 while Thomas took the 200m. They also both ran legs of the victorious 4x100m relay at last year’s championship. In the field, senior Victor Gilreath (Catonsville, Md./Western Tech/Maryland) seeks to defend his high jump title.
Boston U. finished fifth at the indoor championship and will work to improve its finish at the outdoor championship. Senior Jeff Moreau (Hanson, Mass.) claimed a title for the Terriers at the indoor championship in the 800m run and looks to do better than his fifth-place finish in the event at last year’s outdoor meet. Junior Daniel Withrow (Dedham, Mass.) is also a potential point earner for the squad. Withrow, who placed fourth in the indoor shot put event, seeks to claim a second straight title in the discus throw.
Maine is predicted to finish sixth at the outdoor meet after placing seventh at last year’s meet. The squad will be led by sophomore Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor), who is coming off a successful indoor season. Masters won the 3,000m and placed fifth at NCAAs in the mile run. He will look to continue his successful sophomore year and defend his 5,000m title.
Senior Doug Maisey (Gwynedd Valley, Pa.) earned 11th place in the 3,000m run this winter and looks to improve on his finish and earn points for the Catamounts during the outdoor season. Maisey finished second in the 3,000m Steeplechase and third in the 5,000m at last year’s outdoor championship. Senior Jared Alvord (Plainfield, Mass./Mohawk Trail Regional) will also look to capture a top finish for the Catamounts and improve on his silver medal in the decathlon from last year’s outdoor championship.
Senior Tim Hodge (Tawa, New Zealand/Victoria University) hopes to again earn points for the Seawolf squad. Hodge claimed two top finishes at the indoor meet, winning the 5,000m and placing fourth in the 3,000m. He seeks to again claim a top finish in the 5,000m, bettering his second-place performance from last year’s outdoor meet.
Hartford sophomore Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences) claimed a top finish for the squad at the indoor meet, placing seventh in the 400m dash and hopes to improve on his fifth-place finish in the 400m at last year’s outdoor champion. Freshman Ackeme Brown (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) also has potential to earn points for the Hawks in his rookie outdoor season after finishing 10th in the long jump at the indoor championship.
2010 Preseason Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Total
1. Albany (8) 64
2. New Hampshire (1) 54
3. Binghamton 512
4. UMBC 42
5. Boston University 35
6. Maine 31
7. Vermont 21
8. Stony Brook 17
9. Hartford 8