CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The 2014 America East Outdoor Track & Field meet makes its way to the campus of University of Vermont for the first time in league history. The event will take place over the course of two days, rain or shine. For the first time in the history of America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the league has teamed up with UVM’s streaming provider NSN for live coverage of events this weekend. The meet will be streamed live for free on AmericaEast.TV: Saturday Stream | Sunday Stream
Albany
- The Great Danes enter the league championships vying for their sixth-straight sweep of the championships with Roberto Vives at the helm.
- The men have clinched nine-straight and 10 overall championships in the last eleven years, while the women have eight crowns under their belt since 2005.
- Nine player of the week awards have been awarded to the Great Danes in 2014.
- Alex Bowen, Jr., last year’s Indoor Most Outstanding Field Performer, highlights the men’s team as he ranks 14th in the nation in the high jump (2.19m).
- On the women’s side, Silvia Del Fava stands out in the 10,000-meter run, sitting at 38th in the country (31:13.32) and at the top of the league rankings.
Binghamton
- Is on the search for its first outdoor title following an impressive indoor season, in which they finished second in the America East Championship on both sides.
- Joe Miceli currently ranks 85th in the pole vault, which he clear at 5.07 meters enroute to earning Field Performer of the Week Honors (Apr. 15).
- Sarah Haley also excels in the pole vault, as she won the event at the league meet and also recorded an indoor season-best height of 3.65 meters at the IC4A/ECAC indoor event to top the AE competitors in the winter season.
Hartford
- The Hawks look to climb up the ladder as they are led by a pair of distance runners who rank in the top-10 in the league.
- Megan Barry, who placed third in the 5,000-meter (17:14.95) at the Indoor Championship, leads the women’s distance as she currently ranks fourth in the AE with a 10k time of 35:32.98.
- John Busque, who also had a top-10 finish in the Indoor Championship (3k, 8:50.17), currently sits at eight in the league rankings with a 10,000-meter time of 32.23:32.
Maine
- Last year, the Black Bear men had their best finish since 2001 as they collected 121 points for third place.
- The women look to bounce-back from a fifth place finish last year.
- Ashten Hackett leads the women in the hurdles with a 100-meter mark of 14.43 that ranks third in the America East.
- Justin Gagne ranks nationally in two throwing events for the Black Bears, including the shot put (51st, 17.85) and the discus (72nd, 53.95).
UMBC
- The Retrievers hungrily await the start of the 2014 America East Outdoor Championship after the men ended the 2013 league meet with their-best finish in program history (2nd, 176 pts.).
- The women finished their season with their third-best year (4th, 108 pts.).
- UMBC earned nine Performer of the Week awards in 2014.
- Last year’s Most Outstanding Male Track Performer, Dennison Long, ranks 45th in the country in the 100-meter as he clocked in at 10.36 at the Florida Relays.
- Sprinter Mercedes Jackson, the 2013 Women’s Most Outstanding Track Performer, currently leads the league in the 100-meter and 200-meter outdoor events with marks of 11.71 and 23.96 seconds, respectively.
- Trae Proctor has made a name for himself in the 110-hurdles with a time of 13.88 set at the Spring Invite, good for 21st in the country.
UMass Lowell
- The River Hawks enter their second league championship across all sports and second for track and field.
- The first-year conference member enjoyed a fruitful indoor season, placing sixth for both the men’s and women’s team in the league meet.
- Elisabeth Monty was awarded Co-Coaches Award honors as she collected 20.5 points over four top-10 event finishes in the indoor league meet.
- Monty currently ranks 76th in the 400-hurdles (59.89).
- Robert Allen could be a force to be reckoned with in the distance events, as he ranks in the top-10 in the indoor 1500-meter (2nd, 3:45.54) outdoor in the 5000 (8th, 14:42.02).
New Hampshire
- Despite breaking 100 points on both teams in last season’s outdoor league meet, the Wildcats finished fifth in the standings.
- If John Prizzi is any indication with how the Wildcats intend to do they’ll put up quite a fight as the junior is among the best Division I performers in the nation, ranking ninth in the 3000 Steeple (8:47.39).
- Rosemary Read not only leads the America East in the hammer (56.10m), but she also ranks among the top-throwers in the nation as she sits at 89th.
Stony Brook
- The Seawolves look to Olivia Burne and Chris Hand for leadership as they aim to make a mark in this year’s outdoor track and field championship.
- Burne looks to improve upon her 1500-meter record book standard of 4:22.99 that she ran in 2012, which should be a breeze as her season-best time of 4:22.98 currently ranks 64th among NCAA runners.
- Hand sits in the top-10 league rankings with a toss of 53.03 meters in the hammer throw, good for sixth.
Vermont
- The Catamounts are searching for their first outdoor title in the men’s program history and for the women’s first since 2001.
- Brittany St. Clair currently ranks 28th among the nations high jumpers as she leapt to a 1.78 meter landing.
- Her best jump in the 2013-14 year has been in indoor competition (1.80m).
- Isaac Delabruere will lead the way for UVM in the Javelin as he is currently ranked fifth along league leaders.
Catch all the America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship action live this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Follow America East as we tweet the action on @AmericaEast or #AETF.