CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Three of this week’s four Indoor Track and Field award winners currently rank in the top-30 nationally in their respective events. Here’s a look at this week’s award winners:
Women’s Indoor Track Performer of the Week
Olivia Burne, Sr., Stony Brook
Palmerston, New Zealand
- Placed first among collegiate athletes and fourth overall with a 4:38.28 mile.
- Ranks 11th nationally for her second-best personal time.
- Qualified for the ECACs for the second time this season.
- Time of 4:38.10 at Boston University’s Terrier Invite on Jan. 18th still ranks 8th nationally for the 2013-14 season.
Women’s Indoor Field Performer of the Week
Brittany St. Clair, Sr., Vermont
Whitehall, N.Y.
- Matched her personal-best record in the high jump as she leapt to a fifth-place finish of 1.75 meters.
- High jump mark ranks first among America East competitors.
- Bounded 5.54 meters to tie for 11th in the long jump for a new personal record.
- Long jump record ranks third among AE field athletes.
Men’s Indoor Track Performer of the Week
Robert Allen, Jr., UMass Lowell
Cranston, R.I.
- Continued his assault on the UMass Lowell record book clocking in at 4:00.35 in the mile.
- Surpassed own school record of 4:02.58, established just two weeks ago.
- Placed 10th in a field of 307 competitors at the Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational.
- Time is the 14th fastest nationally and sits atop of America East rankings.
Men’s Indoor Field Performer of the Week
Youssef Benzamia, Fr., Albany
Nice, France
- Won the college section of the long jump in 24’5.75”.
- Mark is knotted for second on Albany’s all-time indoor list with Fred Casimo (2010).
- Currently ranks 28th nationally.
- Leap beats all America East competitors by more than a foot.
Around the League – Women’s
- Alicia Clark led the Vermont women on the track with a sixth-place finish to score in the championship section of the 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:59.71 to rank 54th nationally.
- Hartford’s Sam Crisafulli broke the three-minute mark in the 1,000 meters to finish 16th at the BU Valentine Invitational with a season-best 2:59.09.
- Maggie Fuller of Hartford cleared a height of 1.55 meters in the high jump to set a new career-best record.
- Emily Boardman set a new personal-best in the weight throw, recording a final toss of 51’1.75”, besting her previous mark of 48’8.25” at Holy Cross. She cracked the top-10 in the event (ninth), the only Maine entrant to do so.
- Silvia Del Fava won the championship section of the 3,000-meter run in 9:33.50 to set a new indoor record for Albany.
- Rochelle Reid leapt to an eighth-place finish for Albany in the high jump with a mark of 5’6.5”.
- Sara Daly set season-best times in both the 800 and 1,000-meter runs, breaking the UMBC school record in the longer event, at the Armory Collegiate Invitational. Her time of 2:14.63 in the 800 was the top-finish and currently ranks fourth among AE runners.
- Elizabeth Monty sprinted to victory in the 500-meter to highlight another strong performance led by the UMass Lowell women’s track and field team, finishing at 1:13.56.
- Candace Greene took third place in the shot put with a toss of 45’9.75” to finish second among collegiate competitors. Her hurl ranks seconds among AE throwers, just behind herself.
Around the League – Men’s
- Three schools records fell as UMBC competed at the Armory Collegiate Invitational in New York. In the 1,000 meter run Jake Albino (2:25.48) and Sarah Daly (2:53.04) notched the top-spots in the Retriever record book.
- Hassan Omar of UMBC broke the school record in the 5,000 event as he crossed the line at 14:32.71 to finish second overall and rank 66th nationally. He snapped one of the longest standing marks (1981).
- Jess Garn won the men’s 1,000 at the Amory Collegiate Invitational as he clocked in a time of 2:21.99.
- Maine hurler Justin Gagne was just short of coming in first in the shot put with a final distance 56’11.5”, which ranks 81st in the nation. His best throw of the year came at UNH, in which he kicked of the season with a record breaking toss of 60’5” to rank 33rd nationally.
- John DeLallo of Albany placed seventh in the championship section of the 1,000-meter sprint at the Armory Collegiate Invitational with a season-best time of 2:25.82.
- Jordan Crump-King of Hartford bounded to a mark of 14.3 meters to finish fifth in the triple jump, just 0.03 meters short of the school record.
- Maine’s Jake Leithiser shattered his season top-time of 1:06.43 in the 500 meter, coming in at 1:02.95. His time, which was just .23 seconds off the school record, was good for a first-place showing in a field of 78 entrants.
- Vermont's Colby Cunningham and Aaron Szotka had respectable showings at the Amory Invitational, as they each had top-10 finishes in their respective events. Cunningham was slated eighth in the long jump (7.10 meters) and Sztoka grabbed second in the 3,000 event (8:33.49).
2013-14 America East Indoor Track and Field Weekly Award Winners
Dec. 10 – Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Taelor Murphy, UMass Lowell
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Candace Greene, UMass Lowell
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: Kelton Cullenberg, Maine
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Justin Gagne, Maine
17 - Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Taelor Murphy, UMass Lowell
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Kristie Mitcha, UMass Lowell
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: John Prizzi, New Hampshire
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Garrett King, UMass Lowell
Jan. 14 - Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Kathryn Fanning, Albany
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Candace Greene, UMass Lowell
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: Christopher Buchanan, Albany
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Alexander Bowen, Jr., Albany
21 – Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Silvia Del Fava, Albany
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Caroline Bonsaint, New Hampshire
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: James Reed, Maine
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Nathaniel Meade, Maine
28 – Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Olivia Burne, Stony Brook
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Paige Vadnais, Albany
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: Robert Allen, UMass Lowell
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Martin Kallur, Vermont
Feb. 4 – Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Mercedes Jackson, UMBC
Women’s Co-Field Performer of the Week: Candace Greene, UMass Lowell
Women’s Co-Field Performer of the Week: Robyn McFetters, Maine
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: Andrew Smith, UMBC
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Wilson Adams, Maine
Feb. 11 - Women’s Track Performer of the Week: Olivia Burne, Stony Brook
Women’s Field Performer of the Week: Brittany St. Clair
Men’s Track Performer of the Week: Robert Allen, UMass Lowell
Men’s Field Performer of the Week: Youssef Benzamia, Albany