CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – University of New Hampshire freshman Victor Adejuyigbe (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) and graduate student Jeff Kaste (Atkinson, N.H./Timberlane) led the Wildcat men to a first-place finish over Bates College and conference foe University of Maine to capture the male Track and Field Performers of the Week honors, respectively. Senior teammate Rita Ciambra (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) and Boston University senior Andrea Walkonen (Jaffrey, N.H.) each posted top national marks to garner the female Field and Track Performers of the Week awards for the week ending March 28.
Adejuyigbe won a pair of events to lead the Wildcats to first at Maine. The rookie won the 100m in 11.24 and the 200m in 22.54. Both marks were just off IC4A-qualifying times. He also ran a leg of the 4x100m relay which won in 43.95.
Kaste posted three top finishes for New Hampshire at the meet. He won the discus throw with a toss of 46.44m and finished third in both the shot put (15.05m) and the hammer throw (49.35m).
Ciambra claimed her second straight weekly honor after breaking her own school record in the pole vault. She won the event at the Maine tri-meet with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 4.11m. The mark ranks her 11th in the nation, which is the highest national ranking ever achieved by a Wildcat pole vaulter. Ciambra is also ranked fourth in the East in the event.
Walkonen broke a 24-year-old school record in the 10,000m run in her first meet of the outdoor season. At the Stanford Invitational, she took third in the event after posting the second fastest time in the nation and the ninth fastest all-time collegiate mark. Walkonen’s time also qualifies her for the ECAC championship.
Albany – The Great Danes will next compete at the Texas Relays, which run from March 31 to April 3, and the Duke Invitational on April 2-3.
Binghamton – The Bearcats return to action on April 2-3 at the Sam Howell Invitational hosted by Princeton.
Boston U. – The Terriers competed at the Stanford Invitational over the weekend where Andrea Walkonen, competing in her first meet of the outdoor season, broke a 24-year-old school record in the 10,000m run to finish in third place. She posted a time of 32:31.33 in the event, which is the ninth fastest collegiate time ever. The mark ranks second in the nation this season and qualifies Walkonen for the ECAC championship. Freshman Robert Gibson (Brookline, Mass.) also competed at the invitational, placing 18th in the men’s 5,000m. Gibson posted a personal best time of 14:24.09, which qualifies him for the IC4A championship. The Boston U. squads next race at the Florida Relays on April 2-3 and the Tufts Invitational on April 3.
Hartford – The Hawk squads opened their 2010 outdoor season at the RPI Early Outdoor Invitational on Saturday. Freshman Priscilla Appiagyei (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) led the women with a pair of victories. Appiagyei placed first in the 400m with a time of 59.82 and ran the opening leg of the 4x400m relay that won in 4:02.76. Freshman Brittney Lawson (Woonsocket, R.I./Woonsocket) also claimed an individual title in her first outdoor meet with Hartford. Lawson claimed the hammer throw title with a mark of 45.88m, smashing a 13-year-old school record. Sophomore Caitlyn Hauswirth (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) also broke a school record, placing second in the pole vault after clearing a height of 2.99m. For the men, sophomore Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences) and graduate student Mike DuPaul (East Haven, Conn./East Haven/Connecticut) claimed first-place finishes. Emerole won the 200m dash (22.50) while DuPaul finished first in the 1,500 (4:06.46). Emerole also led the 4x100m relay squad to victory in 43.43 before he teamed up with DuPaul to help the 4x400 relay team capture first. In the field, freshman Ackeme Brown (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) posted the men’s only title, winning the long jump with a leap of 6.61m. The Hawks return to action on April 3 at the University of Connecticut Alumni Invitational.
Maine – The Black Bear men’s and women’s squads hosted a three-way meet against Bates College and conference foe New Hampshire over the weekend. The Maine women placed first while the men finished in second behind the Wildcats. Sophomore Shaniqua Burgess (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse) led the women, claiming one individual title and two relay victories. Burgess won the 200m in 25.53, a time that puts her at fourth on Maine’s all-time list. She was also a member of the both the 4x400m relay team that won in 4:06.00 and the 4x100m relay squad that placed first with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 47.43. Senior Vicki Tolton (Smithers, British Columbia/Smithers Secondary) also posted an ECAC-qualifying mark, winning the 400m hurdles in 1:01.85. Her time is fourth-best on Maine’s all-time list. In the field, sophomore Jessica Bond (Namur, Quebec/Cegep de St. Jerome) claimed another title for the women, finishing first in the javelin with an ECAC-qualifying mark that ranks second-best in school history. On the men’s side, senior Matt Holman (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner Area) took home first in the 400m hurdles (55.12) while sophomore Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) won the 5,000m (14:44.42). Seniors Skip Edwards (Portland, Maine/Portland) and Jeff Ramos (Turner, Maine/Turner) also claimed wins for the squad, placing first in the 400m and high jump, respectively. The Black Bears return to action at the Florida Relays on April 2-3 and the Wildcat Invitational on April 3.
UMBC – The Retriever squads began their outdoor season at the Maryland Invitational on Saturday, March 27. Senior Victor Gilreath (Catonsville, Md./Western Tech/Maryland) and sophomore Imani Colbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./C.H. Flowers) led the men’s and women’s squads, respectively, each claiming a title at the meet. Gilreath won the men’s triple jump with a leap of 14.42m. He also finished second in the high jump with a mark of 1.93m. Colbert claimed her title in the 100m hurdles, crossing the finish line in first with a time of 15.02. She also ran a leg of the 4x100m relay that took home silver. Senior Britney Foreman (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake), who also ran a leg of the 4x100m relay, claimed another top finish for the women on the track, earning third-place in the 100m dash with an ECAC-qualifying time of 12.30. In the field for the women, junior Jasmine Batchelor (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) and freshman Chowan Brightful (New Market, Md./Linganore) tied for third in the high jump while sophomore Kiki Malomo-Paris (Northern Ireland/Glenlola Collegiate School) garnered third in the long jump. Senior Brian Pendleton (Aberdeen, Md./Harford Tech) claimed two more top finishes for the men, leaping to second place in both the triple jump (14.08m) and long jump (6.70m). The Retrievers return to action on April 3 when they take part in the Colonial Relays.
New Hampshire – The Wildcat men won the Maine Tri-meet while the women placed second. Victor Adejuyigbe led the men, winning three events at the meet. Adejuyigbe earned individual titles in the 100m (11.24) and 200m (22.54) and ran a leg of the victorious 4x100m relay team. On the track, the Wildcat men also swept the top three spots of the 1,500m with senior Marc Quellete (Hopkinton, N.H./Hopkinton) leading the way with a time of 4:05.97. In the field, New Hampshire went 1-2 in the javelin throw and the triple jump. Junior Michael Simon (Durham, Conn./Durham) claimed first in the javelin with a throw of 58.07m while sophomore Max Hoddwells (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) captured first in the triple jump with a leap of 13.23m. Senior Brice Paey (Milton, N.H./St. Thomas) also claimed a title in the field events, placing first in the shot put with a mark of 13.23m. On the women’s side, senior Ashlee Lathrop (Sherburne, N.Y./Sherburne-Earlville) posted a pair of victories while classmate Rita Ciambra broke a school record for the second consecutive week. Lathrop won the hammer throw (49.39m) and the discus throw (38.71m) while Ciambra broke her own school record in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.11m. Her mark ties her at 11th in the nation in the event. The Wildcat women also swept the top four spots in the long jump with freshman Melanie Frazier (Bridgewater, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham) leading the way. On the track, senior Tayla Ryan (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) claimed a title for the squad, placing first in the 100m hurdles (15.17). The Wildcats return to action on April 3 when they host a quad meet against Holy Cross, Maine and Northeastern.
Stony Brook – Sophomores Kristal Conklin (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central) and Justine Noel (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) each claimed titles to lead the Seawolf squads in their first meet of the outdoor season at the Monmouth Invitational on Saturday. Conklin won the 1,500m in 4:42.43 while Noel placed first in the 800m in 2:19.66. Sophomore Christina Johnson also claimed a top 10 finish for the women, earning ninth in the 100m hurdles. On the men’s side, sophomore Mark Appledorf (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and junior Alex Varone (Providence, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) finished eighth (33:45.81) and 10th (34.16.86), respectively, in the 10,000m. Both teams next compete at the Bryant University quad meet today (March 30).
Vermont – The Catamounts next compete at the Duke Invitational on April 2-3 and the New Hampshire Invitational on April 3.