BOSTON -- The University at Albany indoor track and field teams swept the men's and women's titles at the 2011 America East Championship for the second straight year. The Great Dane men won their sixth straight title, and eighth in the last nine years, while the women won their second consecutive trophy. Saturday concluded the two-day meet held at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center and America East Conference records continued to fall.
The Albany women, whose staff earned Women's Coaching Staff of the Year, earned the second-most points in indoor competition with 206.50, just short of the record set by Boston U. in 2008 (206.83 points). The Terriers earned runners-up with 119, while University of Maine followed closely behind with 112. New Hampshire finished fourth with 99, Vermont placed fifth with 68, and UMBC earned sixth place with 64.50 points. Stony Brook (61), Binghamton (40) and Hartford (9) rounded out the nine-team championship.
The Great Danes earned 184 points on the men's side, while Binghamton finished second for the fourth-straight indoor season with 157 points. Boston U. (141) and UMBC (107) followed in third and fourth place. New Hampshire scored 84 points, Maine earned 62, and Vermont finished with 24. Hartford (16) and Stony Brook (5) completed the men's team standings. Mike Thompson and the Bearcats' coaching staff earned the top Men's Coaching Staff of the Year.
Maine junior Jesse Labreck earned the most points of any competitor in the meet with 38, winning the long jump (20 feet-1.75) with a new America East mark, capturing titles in the 60m hurdles (8.39s) and triple jump (40-10.25), and placing second in the high jump (5-10.00). Both Labreck and Boston U. sophomore Allison Barwise set a new America East high jump record with the same height, however Barwise took home the title after achieving the jump on her first attempt.
Albany freshman Brianne Bellon earned the meet's Top Female Rookie of the Year, pacing the 800 meter race in 2:12.88. Fellow Great Dane and classmate Kathryn Fanning took home the 1000 meter title with a time of 2:53.10.
In a race of two conference heavy-weights and NCAA National Cross Country participants in the fall, Stony Brook's Lucy Van Dalen and Maine's Corey Conner both set the America East standard in the one-mile run. Van Dalen won the race in 4:38.48, while Conner followed with a time of 4:43.37. Not to be outdone, Lucy's sister, Holly, broke Andrea Walkonen's 2009 conference record in the 3000 meters with a race clocked at 9:24.00. Fellow Seawolf freshman Annie Keown placed second in 9:25.79. The coaches voted Lucy Van Dalen the Top Female Track Performer of the Year.
Terrier junior Shelby Walton (23.87) and Black Bear sophomore Cearha Miller finished 1-2 in the 200 meters (24.10), both also setting a new America East record.
Binghamton's Jessica Hennig won the Bearcat women's only gold with a 55.69 time in the 400 meters, while New Hampshire senior Megan Donohue earned the maximum 10 points in the 500 meters.
UMBC scored 17 points in the shot put with three Retrievers earning points. UMBC sophomore Amanda Deller won with a throw of 14.33, while she was joined by teammates Chrissy Robinson (fourth) and Emma Mayne (seventh).
The Great Danes sealed their victory by owning the last two events of the day, the relays. Albany won both the 4x400 and 4x800 relays with ECAC times.
On the men's side, the Great Danes won four event golds on the second day of the meet. Albany sophomore Tristan Akong took home the 60 meter dash title in 6.88 to set the facility record. Three other Great Danes joined Akong as medalists. Fellow Great Danes junior Peter Rowell and junior Nicolas Santos won the 500 meters and 800 meters, respectively.
The Coaches' Award for the male performer to earn the most points went to Albany freshman Kareem Morris. Morris earned big points for the Great Danes by winning the 200 meters (21.74), placing second in the long jump (22-11.75) and finishing fourth in the 60 meter dash (6.99).
A day after winning the 5000 meters, Binghamton's Erik van Ingen also won the 1000 meters en route to winning the Male Track Performer of the Year award.
The Top Rookie of the Year award went to Boston U.'s Rich Peters. Peters broke former Terrier David Proctor's record in the one mile run set in 2009 by nearly two seconds, running the race in 4:00.98. The Terrier men also took the top two spots in the 400 meter event. Juniors Tewado Latty and Joel Senick ran the race with times of 47.28 and 47.41, respectively.
Black Bear junior Riley Masters continued his outstanding winter campaign by legging out a strong winning performance in the 3000 meters. Master completed the race in 8:11.90, just .11 off the league record set in 1998.
UMBC sophomore Trae Proctor (8.19) eked out Maine sophomore James Reed (8.20) for the 60 meter hurdles crown.
Binghamton 4x400 relay team captured the gold and a new America East record in the last event of the day. Anchored by senior Cazal Arnett, the Bearcats finished the event in 3:11.58. The 4x800 title belonged to the Terriers, who anchored by Peters, also set a new conference record with a time of 7:33.60.
New Hampshire sophomore Matthew Guarante (high jump; 6-08.25), Maine junior Trevor England (triple jump; 48-07.25), and Boston U. senior Dan Withrow (shot put; 52-10.0) won day two's field events. Albany's Wilfredo de Jesus Elias, who won the weight throw on Friday, took home the meet's Top Male Field Performer of the Year.
UMBC's Keith Onto, who led the men's heptathlon after day one, held on to win with 5,096 points.
Men - Team Rankings - 20 Events Scored
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1) Albany 184 2) Binghamton 157
3) Boston U. 141 4) UMBC 107
5) New Hampshire 84 6) Maine 62
7) Vermont 24 8) Hartford 16
9) Stony Brook 5
Women - Team Rankings - 20 Events Scored
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1) Albany 206.50 2) Boston U. 119
3) Maine 112 4) New Hampshire 99
5) Vermont 68 6) UMBC 64.50
7) Stony Brook 61 8) Binghamton 40
9) Hartford 9