CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Stony Brook's Lucy Van Dalen, Boston U.'s Katie Matthews and Binghamton's Erik van Ingen each earned first-team All-America honors from the USTFCCCA this week to headline a group of eight America East student-athletes who received national awards. Honors are awarded for performances at the final site of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships occurring the previous weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
First-team USTFCCCA All-America honors are awarded to those who earn any portion of a team point at the national championships, or reach an eight-entrant final. Second-team All-America honors are handed out to those whose final placing in the national meet range from ninth to 16th place.
Those who participated at the final site but did not place in the meet’s top 16 are listed as honorable mention for the All-America award.
Matthews earned her second All-America honor of the year with an eighth-place showing in the 10,000 meters Thursday night. She clocked in at 34:45.77 to earn a point for the Terriers
Juniors Van Dalen and van Ingen won their recognition in back-to-back events Saturday afternoon in the women's and men's 1,500 meters, respectively. After finishing second in her preliminary heat with a time of 4:18.50, Van Dalen finished second in the final in 4:15.33 only behind Villanova's Sheila Reid. The Stony Brook runner finished the trifecta, winning All-America honors three times in 2010-11, doing so previously at the cross country and indoor track and field (3,000 meters) NCAA championships.
Van Ingen automatically qualified for Saturday's final with a third-place run in his preliminary heat, crossing in 3:49.07. He placed sixth in the finals, improving his time to 3:44.71 and earning his second All-America honor this year. Van Ingen placed fifth in the Indoor Championship mile in March.
America East pole vault champion Luke Schoen from Albany earned second-team All-America recognition with a 12th-place finish, tied with Princeton's David Slovenski. Schoen leaped 5.25 meters, improving on his 5.20 meter vault in the national semifinals.
Albany's Alie Beauvais (men's 400 meter hurdles), Vermont's Nika Ouellette (women's javelin), and Boston U.'s Allison Barwise (women's high jump) and Whitney Ford (women's triple jump) each garnered honorable mention All-America for competing at the national meet. Ouellette, a freshman, became the first-ever All-American for the Catamounts' track and field program.
Combined with the cross country and indoor track and field seasons, America East boasts 15 All-Americans in 2010-11 (two cross country; six indoor track and field).