CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Six America East track student-athletes earned All-America honors for their performances at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas last weekend. Three of those student-athletes ran their way to first-team distinction.
Binghamton University senior Erik van Ingen, Boston University junior Katie Matthews and Stony Brook University junior Lucy Van Dalen all earned first-team All-America honors for finishing in the top eight of their respective events at the NCAA meet. Boston U. freshman Rich Peters and University of Maine juniors Riley Masters and Corey Conner earned second-team All-America accolades for finishing in the top 16 in the final standings of an event.
Already a Cross Country All-American in the fall, Stony Brook junior Lucy Van Dalen turned in the best finish by any America East runner over the weekend, finishing third in the 3,000-meter run. Van Dalen posted a time of 9:14.12, just .41 seconds off the pace set by the first-place finisher, Jordan Hasay of Oregon.
The women’s 5,000-meter run featured three America East runners. Matthews, the America East champion at the distance, was the top finisher among the trio from America East, finishing sixth with a time of 16:13.21. Conner took 11th with a time of 16:21.61. Stony Brook junior Holly Van Dalen started the 5,000 meters, but did not finish.
On the men’s side, America East was represented well in the mile run. Van Ingen finished fifth overall with a time of 4:01.25 in the final heat. Masters finished ninth, clocking in at 4:02.04 in the final. Peters finished 11th overall, running a 4:01.42 mile in the preliminary round. He missed qualifying for the final race by .03 seconds.
Masters also ran in the 3,000 meters, finishing 17th with a time of 8:19.95 to earn honorable mention in the event.
America East 2011 Indoor Track & Field All-Americans
Name, School Event NCAA Championship Finish All-America Team
Women
Corey Conner, Maine 5,000 meters 11th Second Team
Katie Matthews, Boston U. 5,000 meters Sixth First Team
Lucy Van Dalen, Stony Brook 3,000 meters Third First Team
Men
Riley Masters, Maine Mile Ninth Second Team
Rich Peters, Boston U. Mile 11th Second Team
Erik van Ingen, Binghamton Mile Fifth First Team