BOSTON, Mass. -- Binghamton found its name atop the leaderboards for both the men
and the women after day one of the America East indoor track and field
championships. The Bearcat men finished the day with a score of 52.5, while
the women racked up 50.5 points. Both teams had a strong showing in the pole
vault, as Adam Helman (Grand Island, N.Y.) earned second-place finish for the men and Camille
Ginyard (Vestal, N.Y.) took a victory for the women.
The men's top three was
rounded out by Albany at 41.5 points and Maine at 32 points. The Great Danes,
who are striving for an eighth straight indoor championship, were led by
Alfonso Scannapieco (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.). The junior defended his title in the pole vault and sits
in first place for the heptathlon, another event he won a year ago. Maine
earned its third place standing thanks to a solid showing in the distance
events. Kelton Cullenberg (Chesterfield, Maine) won the 5000 with a time of 14:44.58 and the Black
Bears also took first in the distance medley relay. UMBC could make a move up
from fourth on day two, as Dennison Long (Greenbelt, Md.) qualified first in both the men’s 60
and 200 meter dash events.
The big story on the
women's side was Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md.) breaking the America East championship meet
record in the 60 meter dash. Jackson cruised to a time of 7.36 seconds, easily
qualifying first for the finals tomorrow. Vermont's day was highlighted by
Brittany St. Clair (Whitehall, N.Y.) winning the pentathlon with victories in the 800 and the
high jump. For Albany, Patricia McNish (Great Neck, N.Y.) won the long jump for a second straight
year. Maine sits in fourth place thanks to Corey Conner’s (West Townsend, Mass.) big win in the 5000.
Conner’s time of 16:24.13 is the fourth-best time in the history of the America
East indoor championship meet.
Day two of the indoor
championships kicks off tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the conclusion of the men's
heptathlon. Visit Championship Central for a full schedule, day one results and
more.