CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Four America East indoor track and field student athletes helped lead their teams to victories this week with standout individual performances. University of Maine junior Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine, Bangor) took home Male Track Performer of the Week while UMBC junior Aaron Brooks (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dematha) threw his way to the Male Field Performer of the Week nod. University at Albany took both of the women’s awards as freshman Kathryn Fanning (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) and senior Kadine Johnson (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) earned Track Performer of the Week and Field Performer of the Week accolades, respectively.
Masters won the mile and 1,000 meters at the Bates Invitational with IC4A-qualifying times of 4:09.98 and 2:29.08, respectively. Both times rank among the top-10 in school history and also set the pace for America East men this season.
Brooks earned third place in the shot put at the Terrapin Indoor Invitational Saturday with an America East season-best throw of 15.39 meters. Brooks also finished sixth in the weight throw with a heave of 15.03 meters.
Fanning led Albany to the team title at the ninth annual Great Dane Classic. The sophomore was Albany’s lone individual champion, as she won the 1,000-meter run with an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:55.09.
Johnson finished second in the shot put with an ECAC-qualifying mark of 14.14 meters. She also took third in the weight throw with another ECAC mark of 17.12 meters. Both of those throws were good for second-best in program history. They are also the leading marks in America East this season.
The University at Albany hosted the ninth annual Great Dane Classic over the weekend, held at the Armory Track & Field Center in New York City. The men finished second to champion Connecticut among 24 scoring teams. The Albany women placed first among 18 scoring teams, scoring 103 total points. Sophomore Alex Leuchanka (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) set one of six meet records in the 5,000-meter run by finishing first in 14:39.22. Leuchanka’s time was the best by an Albany runner since 2005 and qualified him for the IC4A Championships in March. Sophomore Paul Lagno (Salt Point, N.Y./Millbrook) was first across the line in the mile run with an IC4A time of 4:09.64. Senior Wilfredo de Jesus Elias (Arroyo, Puerto Rico/Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez) and sophomore Ethan Clary (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville Central) posted second-place showings in the weight throw and 5,000 meters, respectively. De Jesus Elias recorded the second-best throw in program history with an IC4A-mark of 18.43 meters. Senior Aaron Lozier (East Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia/Hudson Valley C.C.) (mile), juniors Peter Rowell (Scotia, N.Y./Scotia-Glenville/Manhattan) (500m), Nick Santos (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central) (1,000m) and Chris Burke (Tully, N.Y./Tully/SUNY Delhi) (1,000m) and sophomore Jonathan Santana (Rochester, N.Y./Edison Tech) (500m) also earned spots at the IC4A meet with their performances. The men are currently ranked fifth in the Northeast region by the USTFCCCA. For the women, freshman Kathryn Fanning (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) was Albany’s lone individual champion, winning the 1,000-meter run in an ECAC-qualifying time of 2:55.09. Senior Kadine Johnson (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) took second in the shot put and third in the weight throw with ECAC marks in both events. Johnson recorded the second-best throws in school history with a shot put of 14.14 meters and a toss of 17.12 meters in the weight throw. Sophomore Sherez Mohamed (Albany, N.Y./Academy of the Holy Names) ran the second leg on the second-place 4x400-meter relay that hit the tape in 3:50.11, an ECAC-qualifying time, in addition to placing second in the 400-meter dash. Freshman Brianne Bellon (Greenfield, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) finished second in the 800-meters (2:12.53, ECAC). Senior Christen Griffin (Waldorf, Md./Maurice J. McDonough) qualified for the ECAC meet with a 60-meter hurdles time of 8.68 seconds while junior Brittany Eveleth (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) also qualified for the ECAC meet with her performance in the 500-dash (1:15.78). The Great Dane women are No. 4 in the Northeast region. The Great Danes next compete January 28, at the 104th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden.
Binghamton University competed at the Cornell Upstate Challenge over the weekend. The men finished second overall with 96 points. The women totaled 34 points, good for fourth place. Senior Cazal Arnett led the men with a win in the 500-meter dash, finishing in a time of 1:04.49. Senior Adam Quinn also grabbed a win, placing first in the 3,000 meters. Sophomore Adam Helman cleared 5.00 meters to win the pole vault. The men are currently ranked 11th in the USTFCCCA Northeast region. For the women, sophomore Jenna Marrione won the pole vault, clearing a height of 3.60 meters.
Boston University opened its season at its Multi-Team Meet at the Boston U. Track & Tennis Center on January 20. The Terrier men tied Sacred Heart for first place while the women took home second place. In his Boston U. debut, Matt Paulson (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Central/Union) collected wins in the mile (4:11.66) and 800-meter runs (1:54.60). Sophomore R.J. Page (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional), junior Tewado Latty (Kingston, Jamaica/White Plains (N.Y.)) and senior Joel Senick (Saskatoon, Sask./Holy Cross) each picked up sprint wins for the Terriers. Page won the 60-meter dash with a time 6.99 and Latty was victorious in the 200-meter dash (22.13). In the 500-meter dash, Senick crossed the finish line in 1:03.21. Graduate student Eric Ashe (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson) cruised to a victory in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:31.68, 14.42 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Freshman Stephen Vitale (Randolph, N.J./Randolph), Senick, Latty and Page rounded out the track events with a win in the 4x400 relay (3:18.46). In the field events, sophomore Adam Weaver (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty) (4.10m) placed first in the pole vault while senior Dan Withrow (Dedham, Mass./Dedham) claimed the shot put title (15.30m). For the women, junior Shelby Walton (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) claimed the 60-meter dash title with a time of 7.64. In the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Nikko Brady (New Castle, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 8.78 while classmate Allison Barwise (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) placed second (9.48). In addition to her second-place finish, Barwise claimed the high jump (1.72m). Junior Katie Matthews (Rocky Hill, Conn./Rocky Hill) won the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:34.95, while Boston U.’s 4x400m relay team of Walton, seniors Amanda Howard (San Antonio, Texas/William Howard Taft) and Laura Martin (Tacoma, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) and freshman Janet Mellor (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) finished first (3:57.21). Boston U. hosts the Terrier Invitational January 28.
University of Hartford returned from a month-long layover to compete at the Wesleyan Invitational on Saturday. Both the men’s and women’s teams earned three top finishes at the meet. In the men’s meet, junior Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences) and senior Warren Lane (Brooklyn, N.Y./Murry Bergtruam), a pair of Hawk sprinters, dominated the short distances. Emerole notched first-place finishes in the 200- and 400-meter races with times of 22.48 and 49.93, respectively. Lane, who finished third in the 200 with his time of 22.93, finished right behind his teammate in the 400, clocking in at 50.48. The duo went on to help the 4x400-meter relay squad record the meet’s third-best time (3:26.47). Junior Andrew Chalmers (Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional) and senior Jonas Hampton (Pottstown, Pa./Pottsgrove) rounded out the top finishes for the Hawks on the track as the duo finished one-two in the 5,000-meter event. Chalmers tore up the track with a time of 15:32.14 to secure first place while Hampton checked in at 15:46.12. For the women, sophomore Priscilla Appiagyei (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) won the 400-meter title with a time of 1:00.17 and also recorded a third-place finish in the 200-meter dash (26.96). She then helped the 4x400-meter relay squad to second-place honors. Also excelling on the track was senior Marisa Poleto (Albany, N.Y./Colonie), who followed Appigyei’s performance with a school-record time in the 600-meter run (1:41.68) while falling just seven-tenths of a second short of first place. The Hartford women dominated in the jumps, claiming first place in two of four events. Junior Nicolle Adams (Schoharie, N.Y./Schoharie) leapt 5.06 meters in the long jump to take top honors in the event while freshman Alisha Beeman (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) cleared 1.58 meters for first place in the high jump. The Hawks continue their indoor schedule with the Reebok-Boston Indoor Games on January 28.
The University of Maine competed in a multi-team meet at the Bates Invitational over the weekend. The Black Bear men placed first with 232 total points while the women also came out on top, putting up The men were led by junior Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor), who won the mile and 1,000 meters with IC4A-qualifying times of 4:09.98 and 2:29.08, respectively. Both times rank among the top-10 in school history. Junior Trevor England (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little) also had a strong performance, winning the triple jump (14.14 meters) and the long jump (6.49 meters). His triple jump distance ranks among the top-10 in school history. For the women, junior Corey Conner (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex Regional) won the 3,000 meters by almost 45 seconds with a time of 9:49.76, which qualifies her for the ECAC Championships. She also won the mile with a time of 4:59.33. In the field, sophomore Shelby Tuttle (Waterville, Maine/Waterville) won the triple jump with a leap of 11.12 meters. Next up for Maine is the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on January 28.
UMBC competed at the Terrapin Indoor Invitational on Saturday. The men amassed 105 points to capture first place while the women checked in at seventh. The UMBC men went one-two-three in the 1,000-meter run, with senior Chris Snyder (McConnellsburg, Pa./McConnellsburg) winning in a UMBC season-best time of 2:30.49. Senior Michael Christmas (Invercargill, New Zealand/James Hargest College) and freshman Jake Albino (Hampton, N.Y./Minisink Valley) followed Snyder, finishing in 2:31.39 and 2:31.77, respectively. Senior Martin Nevarez (Casa Grande, Ariz./Central Arizona College) earned bronze in the pole vault, hitting a mark of 4.70 meters, while Junior Aaron Brooks (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dematha) just missed the school record in the shot put, finishing third with a throw of 15.39 meters. For the UMBC women, junior Laura Walker (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) broke the school record in the pole vault, reaching a height of 3.20 meters. In the shot put, sophomore Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) earned third place with a throw of 13.39m while junior Chrissy Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) hit a mark of 12.57 meters, good for seventh. Deller also finished third in the weight throw with a heave of 15.86 meters. Junior Kiki Malomo-Paris (Northern Ireland/Glenlola Collegiate School) finished sixth in the long jump with a leap of 5.41 meters, while fellow junior Imani Colbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./C.H. Flowers) placed seventh in the 60-meter hurdles in an ECAC-qualifying and UMBC season-best time of 8.73. The Retrievers return to action next Saturday, with most of the team competing at George Mason, while a few will travel to Penn State.
University of New Hampshire hosted a quad-meet last weekend. Both the men and the women came in first at the meet, with the men earning 212.5 points and the women totaling 204.5 points. For the men, freshman Eric Guinto (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton Academy) grabbed a pair of top finishes. Guinto sprinted to wins in the 55-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. The women were led by senior Megan Donohue (Stratham, N.H./Exeter), who earned a pair of top-three performances. Donohue won the 500-meter dash and also finished third in the long jump with a leap of 5.18 meters.
Stony Brook University participated in the Princeton Relays last weekend. The men were paced by senior Shamell Forbes (Springfield Gardens, N.Y./Valley Stream Central), who won the 1,000-meter run at the event with a time of 2:37.54.The women were led by sophomore Annie Keown (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Girls Grammar), who took second in the mile in a time of 4:51.58. Those two were among four Seawolves to post top-eight finishes. The Seawolves return to the track for the Metropolitan Championships in New York City January 29.
The University of Vermont competed in a tri-meet with Middlebury and St. Peter’s College. The Catamounts earned victories on both the men’s and women’s sides, with the men scoring 84 points and the women totaling 69 points. Senior Beau Cameron (Grand Isle, Vt./Essex) led the team with a school-record score of 4,847 in the heptathlon. Cameron, the reigning America East Field Performer of the Week, qualified for IC4A’s with his score. Sophomore Dan Ciabattoni (Reading, Pa./Holy Name) was a double-winner in the long jump and triple jump. The men’s team also had a strong showing in the distance events, winning four individual events. For the women, freshman Julie McGilpin (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) set a new facility record in the 500 meters with a time of 1:16.70. Sophomore Mary Krug (Essex, Vt./Essex) won the pole vault for the second straight week with a mark of 3.51 meters, establishing a new school record. Junior Mari Fourie (Waterloo, Ontario/Ontario Schools) qualified for the ECAC meet with a time of 8.20, a personal best, in the 55-meter hurdles.