CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – University at Albany freshman Alex Leuchanka (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) and senior Laura Cummings (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore/North Carolina) each claimed a title and posted a top national mark at the Duke Invitational to capture the male and female Track Performers of the Week honors, respectively. UMBC senior Victor Gilreath (Catonsville, Md./Western Tech/Maryland) also earned a gold medal and a top national mark at the 45th Colonial Relays to garner the male Field Performer of the Week award while University of New Hampshire senior Ashlee Lathrop (Sherburne, N.Y./Sherburne-Earlville) remained dominant in the throwing events to claim the female Field Performer of the Week accolade for the week ending April 4.
Leuchanka won the 10,000m at the Duke Invitational in an IC4A-qualifying time of 30:44.22. His mark is an America East Conference best this season and ranks 65th in the nation and 37th in the East region. Leuchanka also ranks 10th among freshmen nationally and seventh among rookies in the East.
Cummings claimed a title for the Great Danes in the 3,000m steeplechase. She crossed the finish line in first with an ECAC-qualifying time of 10:38.43, which is also the top time posted by a conference runner this season. Cummings ranks 18th in the nation and eighth in the East region.
Gilreath led the Retrievers at the Colonial Relays against top ranked teams in the Mid-Atlantic region, including No. 1 Rutgers and No. 3 Georgetown. He captured UMBC’s only title of the meet, winning the triple jump for the second consecutive week with an IC4A-qualifying mark of 14.98m. His mark is a conference best this season and ranks him 51st in the nation and 28th in the East. Gilreath also earned a ninth-place finish in the high jump (1.98m) over the weekend.
Lathrop won a pair of throwing events at the Wildcat Invitational on April 3. She claimed first in both the discus and the hammer throw with tosses of 41.29m and 50.17m, respectively. Lathrop tops the conference performance list in both events.
Albany – Albany competed at the Duke Invitational and Texas Relays last weekend. Six Great Danes qualified for postseason meets at the Duke Invitational. Alex Leuchanka and junior Fred Casimo (Latham, N.Y./Shaker) posted America East Conference bests and qualified for the IC4A Championship to lead the men. Leuchanka won the 10,000-meter run in 30:44.22 while Casimo was fifth in the long jump after leaping 7.25m. Junior Wilfredo de Jesus Elias (Arroyo, Puerto Rico/Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez) also met the IC4A standard with a third-place mark in the hammer throw (58.64m). In addition, freshman Craig Weiss (Loudonville, N.Y./Shaker) became the third Great Dane to qualify for USA Junior Nationals by placing 13th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:37.76). Seniors Laura Cummings and Jenn Pierson (Brentwood, N.Y./Chenango Valley/Broome C.C.) qualified for the ECAC Championship in the 3,000m steeplechase to pace the women’s squad. Cummings finished the race with a winning time of 10:38.43, an America East best this season, while Pierson was third in 10:44.82. Junior John Moore (Fort Johnson, N.Y./Fonda-Fultonville) led the Great Dane men at the Texas Relays by anchoring two relay teams that broke school records and one that qualified for the IC4A Championship. He ran a 3:46.8 split for the second-place 4x1,500m relay which finished in 15:27.39 behind Arkansas and ahead of Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Baylor and Kansas. The junior then anchored the distance medley relay which placed third in 9:45.71. The previous school record in the DMR stood unchallenged for 19 years. Moore also ran a 1:50.7 split for the 4x800-meter relay which qualified for IC4As by finishing fifth in 7:33.10. Freshman Alli Rogers (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst Central) led the women’s squad at Texas Relays by qualifying for the ECACs in two events. She won her heat of the 100m in 12.02 and led off the 4x100-meter relay which navigated the track in 47.78. Albany next competes at the UMass Invitational on April 10.
Binghamton – Junior Casey Quaglia (Bangor, Maine/ Bangor) and senior Caitlin Wright (Ithaca, N.Y./ Lansing) led the Bearcat men’s and women’s squads at the Princeton/Sam Howell Invitational over the weekend. Quaglia placed second in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:52.58 while Wright took silver in the women’s 400m hurdles in 1:02.62. Freshman Casey Gilbert (Berlin, N.Y./Berlin Central) and junior Cazal Arnett (Queens, N.Y./ Christ the King) also claimed top finishes on the track for the men. Gilbert captured third in the 400m hurdles with an IC4A-qualifying time of 53.58 while Arnett took fourth in the 800m. Gilbert currently tops the conference performance list in the 400m hurdles. Freshman Adam Helman (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island) claimed a top five finish for the men in the field, placing fifth in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.69m. On the women’s side, sophomore Kaitlin Sullivan (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) garnered fourth in the 100m hurdles in 15.11 while junior Rosie DeFino (Holbrook, N.Y./ Sachem North) and sophomore Abigail Oakes (Lyndonville, N.Y./Lyndonville) both claimed fifth-place finishes in the long jump and discus, respectively. The Bearcats next compete in a pair of meets next weekend. A majority of both teams will compete at the Virginia/Lou Onesty Invitational on April 9-10 while the rest of the squads will head to the Bucknell Invitational on April 10.
Boston U. – Both Terrier squads competed at the Florida Relays and Tufts University’s Snowflake Classic. Freshman Allison Barwise (Orange, Conn.) and junior Karly Neveu (Surrey, British Columbia) led the women, tying for 14th in the high jump with leaps of 1.65m. Sophomore Katie Matthews (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and senior Sarah Mosser (East Aurora, N.Y.) also claimed top-20 finishes for the women, placing 15th in the 5,000m and 17th in the 1,500m, respectively. The Terrier men captured two top-10 finishes at the Florida Relays. The distance medley relay team, including sophomore Billy Whelan (Farmingville, N.Y.), junior Ken Haltom (Memphis, Tenn.), and freshmen Joe Greenspun (Orange, Conn.) and Ibifiri Wilcox (Boston, Mass.), led Boston U. with a seventh-place finish in a time of 10:16.17. Junior Dan Withrow (Dedham, Mass.) also claimed a top finish, taking 10th in the discus with an IC4A-qualifying throw of 48.78m. Withrow tops the conference standings in the event. At Tufts, the lady Terriers won three events. Junior Jen Fleser (Warwick, R.I.) claimed the hammer throw title with a mark of 46.34m while freshman Lauren Berg (Derry, N.H.) won the javelin (37.34m). Freshman Sophia Mercadante (Lunenburg, Mass.) posted a victory on the track, racing to first in the 400m. Sophomore Michael Murowchick (Needham, Mass.) claimed a title for the men at the meet, winning the javelin with a throw of 53.83m. Junior Rich Haigh (Orange, Conn.) placed second in the event with a mark of 50.47m. The Terriers next compete at Florida State’s Seminole Invitational April 9-10.
Hartford – The Hawk squads competed at the University of Connecticut Alumni Invitational on Saturday led by senior Kaycee Martinez (South Yarmouth, Mass./Dennis Yarmouth Regional) and graduate student Mike DuPaul (East Haven, Conn./East Haven Connecticut), who each claimed a title at the meet. Martinez won the 400m hurdles in 1:04.38 and placed fourth in the 100m hurdles (46.06). DuPaul finished first in the 800m in a school-record time of 1:53.79. Sophomore Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences) and junior Warren Lane (Brooklyn, N.Y./Murry Bergtraum) posted two more top-five finishes for the men on the track. Emerole came in fourth in the 200m while Lane placed fifth in the 400m. Freshman Ackeme Brown (Englewood, N.J./Dwight Morrow) claimed a top-five finish for the men’s squad in the field, earning silver in the long jump with a mark of 6.82m. On the women’s side, freshman Brittney Lawson (Woonsocket, R.I./Woonsocket) posted another top finish for the squad, placing sixth in the hammer throw with a new school record mark of 46.06m. Hartford returns to action on April 3 at the University of Massachusetts Invitational.
Maine – The Black Bear squads competed at the Florida Relays on April 2-3 and the Wildcat Invitational on April 3. Sophomore Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) claimed the top finish by a Maine competitor at the Florida Relays, finishing fourth in the 5,000m run with an IC4A-qualifying time of 14:24.77. The distance medley relay of sophomore Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional), junior Vanessa Letourneau (Fairfield, Maine/Lawrence) and seniors Jordan Daniels (Farmington, Maine/Mt. Blue), and Vicki Tolton (Smithers, British Columbia/Smithers Secondary) claimed another top-five finish for the Black Bears, placing third in 11:36.10. Tolton also posted an ECAC-qualifying mark in the 400m with a 17th-place finish while freshman Cearha Miller (Waldorf, Md./Oxon Hill) earned an ECAC-qualifying mark of her own in the 100m, taking 33rd. Tolton and Miller both posted the top times by a conference competitor in their respective events. At the Wildcat Invitational, sophomore Trevor England (Poland, Maine/Poland) led the men, claiming the triple jump title with an IC4A-qualifying mark of 14.57m, while classmate Katherine McGeoghan (Agawam, Mass./Agawam) led the women, taking first in the high jump (1.62m) and third in the 100m hurdles (15.80). Freshmen James Reed (Garmisch, Germany/Munich International School) and Patrick Mullarkey (Mendon, Mass./Nipmuc Regional) and seniors Skip Edwards (Portland, Maine/Portland) and Matt Holman (Gardiner, Maine/Gardiner Area) also claimed titles for the men. Edwards won the 400m while Reed captured the 110m hurdle title and Holman placed first in the 400m hurdles. Reed and Holman both rank second in the conference standings in their respective events. Mullarkey was victorious in the 5,000m. On the women’s side, the Black Bears dominated the sprints. Sophomore Jillian O’Brien (Buffalo, N.Y./West Seneca West) placed first in the 100m while classmate Shaniqua Burgess (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse) won the 200m and freshman Mary Fagan (Camden, Maine/Camden) captured the 400m title. Maine next competes at the second Wildcat Invitational on April 10.
UMBC – The Retriever squads competed at the Colonial Relays on April 2-3 where Victor Gilreath earned UMBC’s only first-place finish of the meet. Gilreath garnered gold in the men’s triple jump and qualified for the IC4A Championship with a leap of 14.98m. On Friday, senior Suzanne Gabriel (Falls Church, Va./McLean) captured the top finish by a UMBC competitor, finishing sixth in the 5,000m in an ECAC-qualifying time of 17:12.76. Sophomores Imani Colbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./C.H. Flowers) and Kiki Malomo-Paris (Northern Ireland/Glenlola Collegiate School) also captured top-10 finishes, placing ninth in the 100m hurdles (14.45) and 10th in the long jump (5.47m), respectively. Senior Brian Pendleton (Aberdeen, Md./Harford Tech) and sophomore Aaron Brooks (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dematha) claimed two top-10 finishes for the men’s squad, earning ninth in the long jump (6.76m) and 10th in the shot put (14.29m), respectively. Then on Saturday, Gilreath claimed gold in the triple jump and placed ninth in the high jump (1.99m). Junior Keith Onto (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro/St. Francis (PA)) placed 13th in the high jump. The men’s 4x100m relay squad also raced to a top-10 finish, coming in seventh, while the women’s distance medley relay team set a new UMBC school record time of 12:20.87. The Retrievers return to action at the University of Virginia Invitational on April 9-10.
New Hampshire – The Wildcat women were led by strong performances from their seniors, including Ashlee Lathrop, who claimed a pair of first-place finishes at New Hampshire’s Wildcat Invitational. Lathrop won the discus throw with a top conference mark of 41.29m and captured the hammer throw title with a toss of 50.17m, the top mark posted by a conference competitor in the event this season. Senior Rita Ciambra (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) remained dominant in the pole vault, winning the event for the third straight week with a mark of 3.85m. Senior Tayla Ryan (Norwood, Mass./Norwood) also earned a title for the women, capturing first in the 100m hurdles in 15.06. The junior class also captured top finishes at the meet with Allison Letourneau (Kingston, Nova Scotia/Berkshire Prep), Camille Quarles (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) and Megan Donohue (Stratham, N.H./Exeter) all posting second-place finishes for the squad. Letourneau grabbed second in the 1,500m while Quarles earned second in the long jump and Donohue took silver in the 400m hurdles. On the men’s side, juniors Brice Paey (Milton, N.H./St. Thomas) and Paul DeTurk (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) both earned victories, winning the shot put (17.45m) and the hammer throw (58.34m), respectively. Both posted IC4A-qualifying marks and top the performance list in their respective events. Freshman Matthew Guarente (Saugus, Mass./Saugus) and junior John Donaghy (Sutton, N.H./Sutton) also claimed title in the field for the men, winning the high jump (2.01m) and the pole vault (4.27m), respectively. On the track, the Wildcats garnered six more titles. Sophomore Bill Godfrey (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) led New Hampshire to a sweep of the top four positions in the 800m run, crossing the finish line in first with a time of 1:54.79. Freshman Christopher Houston, senior Will Brehm (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) and graduate students Ben Jenkins (Francestown, N.H./Conval) and Matt O’Connor (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck) all also claimed individual titles at the meet. The Wildcats return to action on April 10 when they host the second Wildcat Invitational.
Stony Brook – The Seawolves continued their outdoor season at the Sam Howell Invitational hosted by Princeton University on Friday. Senior Alex Felce (Stroud, England), in his outdoor season opener, finished third in the 3,000m steeplechase (8:57.94). The time qualifies him for the IC4As and puts him within striking distance for a spot at the NCAA Regional Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. He also posted the top time by a conference competitor this season. Senior Tim Hodge (Tawa, New Zealand), who was also competing in his first meet of the outdoor season, ran to a top-10 finish in the 5,000m with an IC4A-qualifying time of 14:17.87. Hodge tops the performance list in the event. Junior Carolina Cortes (Woodmere, N.Y.) earned a top finish for the women, placing eighth in the 3,000m steeplechase. She crossed the finish line in 11:05.82. The next outdoor event for Stony Brook is the UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill on April 10.
Vermont – The Catamounts competed at three different meets over the weekend, including the Duke Invitational, the Middlebury Invitational and the New Hampshire Invitational. At the Middlebury meet, junior Sam Hoadley (East Granby, Conn.) and senior Hannah Sylvester (North Hero, Vt./Governors Academy) won the men’s and women’s javelin with marks of 55.32m and 32.73m, respectively. Sylvester claimed a second top-five finish, placing fifth in the shot put with a mark of 9.28m. At Duke, senior Aly Millett (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) finished fifth in the 3,000m (10:11:97) while sophomore Morgan Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hills) also earned a fifth-place finish in the 800m (2:20.56). Senior Doug Maisey (Gwynedd Valley, Pa.) captured a top-10 finish for the men, taking sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase (9:21.13). At the Wildcat Invitational, freshman Debbie Isen (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) led the Catamounts, winning the women’s 5,000m with a time of 18:13.92. The Vermont squads return to action on April 10 at the Dartmouth Invitational.