CAMBRIDGE, Mass.— Four America East outdoor track & field student-athletes earned Performer of the Week recognition for the third week of the spring season. On the men’s side, University at Albany sophomore Ebube Abara (Loudonville, N.Y./Shaker) ran his way to Track Performer of the Week honors while UMBC junior Aaron Brooks (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dematha) earned Field Performer of the Week accolades. For the women, University of Maine juniors Jesse Labreck (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) and Jessica Bond (Namur, Quebec/CEGP St. Jerome) garnered Track Performer and Field Performer of the Week distinction, respectively.
Abara won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the UMass Invitational with a time of 53.87. His time was three-hundredths of a second off the IC4A standard. The sophomore also anchored winning 4x400-meter relay that finished in 3:16.08, an IC4A-qualifying time. He sprinted a final leg of 49.2 seconds. Abara helped Albany to a second-place team finish at the meet.
Brooks won the discus throw at the Maryland Invitational with an IC4A-qualifying and America East Conference season-best throw of 49.01 meters (160’9”). The junior also finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 14.54 meters (47’8.5”) and the hammer throw with a heave of 43.64 meters (143’2”). Brooks led the Retrievers to a first-place team finish at the meet.
Labreck won the 200-meters at the Wildcat Invitational with a time of 24.98. The junior also took the triple jump with an ECAC-qualifying leap of 40’ 0.5”. Labreck and the Black Bears were competing against America East conference foes Vermont and New Hampshire as well as Dartmouth, Northeastern, Holy Cross, Colby Sawyer and Gordon College.
Bond also brought home a win at the Wildcat Invitational, taking the top spot in the Javelin with a mark of 148’ 2”. The junior’s throw cracked the top-five throws in Maine history and qualified Bond for the ECAC meet. Bond is the defending America East champion in the javelin.
University at Albany competed at the UMass Invitational in Amherst, Mass. April 9. The Great Dane men finished second overall while the women won the meet. Junior Stephen Hassard (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) was first in the discus throw with an IC4A-qualifying toss of 157’ 4”. The Great Danes had three other individual winners. Senior Greg Kiley (Saratoga Springs, N.Y./Saratoga Springs) was first in the 800 meters (1:52.98) and sophomore Ethan Clary (Schuylerville, N.Y./Schuylerville Central) won the 5,000-meters (14:45.79). Sophomore Ebube Abara (Loudonville, N.Y./Shaker) won the 400-hurdles in 53.87, just three-hundredths of a second off the IC4A standard. The sophomore also anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay to an IC4A time of 3:16.08. Abara was joined on the relay by sophomores Royston Souvenir (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) and Alex Petit-Frere (Nanuet, N.Y./Spring Valley) and senior Jeffery Barnes (Albany, N.Y./Albany). Sophomore Shane Wagner (Gansevoort, N.Y./Schuylerville Central) was second in the 110-hurdles in 14.79, qualifying for the IC4A meet. The Great Danes also competed at the 84th Texas Relays, where seniors Wilfredo de Jesus Elias (Arroyo, Puerto Rico/Natividad Rodriguez Gonzalez) and Alie Beauvais (Hempstead, N.Y./Hempstead) each posted sixth-place efforts. De Jesus Elias threw a season-best 199’ 8” in the hammer throw while Beauvais recorded his best time (51.54) of the spring in the preliminary round of the 400-hurdles. Senior Luke Schoen (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) was 10th in the pole vault (16’ 6.75”). The Albany women posted seven individual winners and two first-place relays as they scored 214.5 points, 69 points ahead of second-place Boston College. Sophomore Pat McNish (Great Neck, N.Y./Manhasset) was first in the long jump with an ECAC-qualifying leap of 19’ 2”. Freshman Jillian Haynes (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) was first across the finish line in the 100-meter dash (12.53). Haynes also anchored the winning 4x100 relay to victory in 47.81, a time that bettered the ECAC standard. Junior Brittany Eveleth (Watervliet, N.Y./Watervliet) ran to a first-place showing in the 400-hurdles (1:03.65) and led off the winning 4x400 relay that hit the tape in 3:52.17. Other Albany winners were junior Catie Coxon (Delanson, N.Y./Duanesburg) in the discus, sophomore Ashley Mahlmeister (Unadilla, N.Y./Sidney) in the 100-hurdles, senior Yushanni Durrant (Montego Bay, Jamaica/Mount Alvernia) in the 200-meter dash, and freshman Ashley Grant (Highland Mills, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) in the high jump. The Great Danes also competed at the Texas Relays, where senior Jenn Pierson (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) was third in the 3,000-steeplechase (11:06.53). Sophomore Alli Rogers (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst Central) and senior Rebecca Kelly (Bayport, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) each qualified for ECACs in the 100-meter dash (12.07) and 400-hurdles (1:02.02), respectively. The Great Danes return to the track for the West Point Open on Saturday, April 16.
Binghamton University competed at the Cornell Outdoor Open on April 9, earning three first-place finishes at the meet. There was no team scoring at the meet. Senior Cazal Arnett (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) took home the only win for the Bearcat men, taking the 400 meters in 47.63. He was followed in third place by sophomore Dustin Ross (Bainbridge, N.Y./Bainbridge-Guilford-Afton) (49.17). Sophomore Jeff Martinez (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City) finished third in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:54.55. Junior Jesse Fuca (Warwick, N.Y./UConn) finished second in the 400 hurdles (55.17) and classmate Colin Anderson (Manlius, N.Y./Fayetteville-Manlius) took second in the hammer (159’ 6”). On the women’s side, junior Kaitlin Sullivan (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) took top honors in the women’s 100 hurdles (14.72) and also placed second in the 400 hurdles (1:04.67). Freshman Camille Ginyard (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) and sophomore Jenna Marrione (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley) took the top two spots in the pole vault, each clearing 11’ 7.75”. Sophomore Jessica Hennig (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) was second in the women’s 400 (56.68).
Boston University competed at the Texas Relays and UMass Lowell’s George Davis Invitational last week. At the four-day Texas Relays, three Terriers earned personal records. Junior Shelby Walton (11.68) (Danbury, Conn./Danbury) and sophomore R.J. Page (10.81) (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) ran personal bests in the 100-meter dash, while sophomore Nikko Brady (13.59) (New Castle, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) accomplished the feat in the 100-meter hurdles. Walton’s time was also the fastest in America East during the 2011 outdoor season. At the George Davis Invitational, senior Sarah Mosser (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) and freshman Blake Edwards (Nashville, Tenn./Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet) combined for three wins. Mosser won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:15.93 and finished first in the 5,000-meter run (17:51.18). Edwards collected the long-jump title with a 6.98-meter leap. Boston U. will return to action on Saturday, April 16 when it competes at the Brown Invitational.
University of Hartford continued its outdoor campaign at the University of Connecticut Husky Invitational on Saturday, a non-scoring meet. The Hawks combined to put down a pair of school records. On the men’s side, sophomore Kyle Cholewa (Griswold, Conn./Griswold) recorded a heave of 43.03 meters to take 16th-place overall in the discus. On the track, the 4x100 relay combined for a time of 43.74, sixth best on the afternoon. Junior Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences) placed fourth in the 200, finishing with a time of 22.09, and classmate Andrew Chamlers (Ashland, N.H./Plymouth Regional) ran 15:12.51 in the 5,000-meter race for fourth place. For the Hartford women, freshman Alisha Beeman (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) hurled the javelin a distance of 40.91 meters, improving her personal-best and the school record by more than three meters while taking third place. Senior Nicolle Adams (Schoharie, N.Y./Schoharie) put forth a solid effort in the long jump, recording a distance of 5.39 meters, good for eighth place in the event. The Hawks return to action on Saturday, April 16 with the Northeastern Invitational in Boston, Mass..
University of Maine was one of three America East teams, along with Vermont and host New Hampshire, to compete at the Wildcat Invitational I in Durham, N.H. The Maine men received strong performances from sophomore Arthur von Marschall (Milford, N.H./Milford) on the track and senior Jeff Ramos (Turner, Maine) in the field. Marschall took first place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.58. The time ranks in the top-10 all-time at Maine. Ramos cleared a height of 6’ 6” in the high jump to earn second place in the event. On the women’s side, junior Jesse Labreck (Oakland, Maine/Messalonskee) led the Black Bears, posting wins in the 200-meter dash (24.98) and triple jump (40’ 0.5”). Junior Jessica Bond (Namur, Quebec/CEGP St. Jerome) also brought home a top mark, finishing first in the javelin with a throw of 148’ 2”. That mark qualifies Bond for the ECAC meet. The Black Bears return to competition at New Hampshire again on April 16.
UMBC set multiple school records as it competed at the Maryland Invitational. The men scored 184 points to run home with the title while the women took second place as a team with 132 points. For the men, senior Chris Snyder (McConnellsburg, Pa./McConnellsburg) broke the school record in the 3,000-meter run, finishing fourth in a time of 8:28.46, while sophomore TJ Cowing (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) also finished under the previous record, placing eighth in 8:37.04. Junior Aaron Brooks (Upper Marlboro, Md./Dematha) won the men’s discus throw with an IC4A-qualifying heave of 49.01 meters (160’9”). Sophomore Shioma Obemeata (New Rochelle, N.Y./Iona Preparatory/St. Francis College) earned silver in the men’s triple jump with a leap of 14.04 meters (46’0.75”). On the women’s side, senior Sara Parkinson (Chorley, England/Loughborough University) broke a UMBC record for the second consecutive week, smashing the 3,000-meter mark and winning gold in 9:44.93, more than 16 seconds faster than the previous record, set 27 years ago. Parkinson broke the 5,000-meter run record at the Colonial Relays last weekend. Junior Imani Colbert (Upper Marlboro, Md./C.H. Flowers) earned gold in the women’s 100-meter hurdles in 14.72. Sophomore Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) finished second in the shot put with an ECAC-qualifying throw of 14.11 meters (46’3”) and third in the discus with a mark of 37.65 meters (123’6”). Sophomore Megan Arnold (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) and junior Keri Wilson (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) finished one and two in the women’s 5000-meter run in 18:43.59 and 18:56.42, respectively. The Retrievers split up this weekend with half the team going to the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. and the other half competing at the Bucknell Outdoor Classic in Lewisburg, Pa.
University of New Hampshire hosted the Wildcat Invitational I on Saturday, April 9, a non-scoring meet against America East foes Maine and Vermont as well as Dartmouth, Northeastern, Holy Cross, Colby Sawyer and Gordon College. Individually, the Wildcats took home seven first-place finishes. Junior William Godfrey (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) won the 800 meters in 1:57.97. Senior Andrew Dionne (Westerly, R.I./Westerly) won the 10,000 meters in 32:36.81. In the field, sophomore Matthew Guarente (Saugus, Mass./Saugus) won the high jump with a leap of 1.98 meters while senior Anthony Vorachak (Lebanon, N.H./Lebanon) won the long jump with a mark of 6.49 meters and junior Max Hoddwells (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) won the triple jump with a mark of 14.02 meters. Graduate student Paul DeTurk (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) won the hammer throw with a toss of 59.65 meters and senior Mike Simon (Durham, Conn./Durham) took first in the javelin with a throw of 61.52 meters. The Wildcat women took home four first-place finishes. Junior Elizabeth Adejuyigbe (Penacook, N.H./Merrimack Valley) won the 100 meters with a time of 12.73 and senior Allison Letourneau (Kingston, Nova Scotia/Berkshire Prep School) finished first in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.41 to pace the Wildcat runners. Graduate student Rita Ciambra (Hanover, N.H./Hanover) took first place in the pole vault with a cleared height of 3.57 meters. Sophomore Rosemary Read (West Greenwhich, R.I./Warwick) finished first in the hammer throw with a toss of 49.74 meters. The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, April 16 when they host the Wildcat Invitational II at the Reggie F. Atkins Track.
Stony Brook University competed at the Rutgers Invitational on Saturday. On the men’s side, freshman Daniel Denis (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) took fourth in the 1,500 (3:59.76). Junior Drew Dillingham (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) also finished in the top-five in an event, placing fourth in the 3,000 (8:53.58). Freshman Carlos Roa (Jamaica, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) placed fifth (8:55.28) and junior Mark Appledorf (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) finished sixth (8:56.58) in the 3,000. Senior Brian Crew (Galt, Calif.) recorded a mark of 46.76 meters in the hammer throw and junior Cameron Hall (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) posted a 50.79-meter mark in the javelin. The Stony Brook women were led by junior Page Price (Tampa, Fla./Miami), freshman Olivia Burne (Palmerston North, New Zealand/Palmerston North) and senior Laura Huet (Carrickmines, Ireland/Loreto College Foxrock), who each posted wins at the Rutgers Invitational on Saturday. Price won the 800 in 2:14.46, and was followed by junior Kristal Conklin (Middletown, N.Y./Valley Central), who took third (2:16.28). Burne was victorious in the 1,500 (4:36.69), winning by more than three seconds. Huet also won her race by three seconds, taking the 3,000 (9:56.32). Junior Patricia Barry (Tipperary, Ireland/University of Limerick) finished third in the 3,000 (10:08.05). Junior Christina Johnson (Elmont, N.Y./Sewanhaka) ran a 16.13 in the finals of the 100 hurdles, good for seventh. Junior LaQuashia Hall (New York, N.Y./Norman Thomas) jumped 10.21 meters in the triple jump. Stony Brook gets back to the track at the Mt. SAC relays in Walnut, Calif., April 14-16 and the Larry Ellis Invitational in Princeton, N.J., April 15-16.
University of Vermont competed at the UNH Wildcat Invitational last weekend in Durham, N.H. Junior Raheen Bush (Fort Myers, Fla./Canterbury School) led the men’s team in the sprint events as he finished third in the 200 meters with a time of 22.53 and fourth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.21. In the 800 meters, freshman Jamie Love (Armonk, N.Y./Byram Hills) led all Vermont finishers with a time of 2:00.90, good for third overall. Sophomore Andy Stillman (Norfolk, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) finished second in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3:59.01, a six-second improvement on his time at the Dick Shea Open two weeks ago. Vermont had two top-five finishers in the 5,000 meters. Junior Connor Jennings (Concord, N.H./Concord) finished second in the event with a time of 15:00.17. Freshman Aaron Szotka (Windsor, Conn./Windsor) came in fifth with a time of 15:16.63. In the long jump, Vermont was led by freshman Varpilah Chase (Essex Center, Vt./Essex), who finished second overall with a mark of 6.40 meters. Junior Mari Fourie (Waterloo, Ontario/Bluevale Collegiate Institute) led the Catamount women, finishing first in the 100-meter hurdles with a career-best time of 14.39. Junior Morgan Powers (Cincinnati, Ohio/Indian Hill) led a strong Vermont contingent in the 5,000 meters, finishing first with a time of 17:13.56. Teammates Kirsten Weberg (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora Senior) and Bo Dunn (Harvard, Mass./The Bromfield School) finished third and sixth, respectively. Junior Ase Lundin (Kullavik, Sweden/Universal School) led Vermont in the field events, winning the high jump with a mark of 1.67 meters. The Catamounts had two top-five finishes in the pole vault as sophomore Mary Krug (Essex, Vt./Essex) finished second (3.42m) and classmate Elyse Ogletree (Wayland, Mass./Wayland) came in fourth (3.12m). Freshman Charlotte Mintzer (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) continued her strong freshman season with a mark of 48.54 meters in the hammer throw, earning second place. Freshman Nika Ouellette (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) finished second in the javelin with a mark of 45.00 meters, which last season was good enough to qualify for the NCAA championships. Five Catamounts competed in the heptathlon at the Cornell Spring Invitational. Freshman Erica Hawley (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) led the way for the Catamounts, finishing second with a personal-best 3,973 points. The Catamounts will compete at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., April 14-16 and at Dartmouth April 17.