BOSTON, MASS. – The second full week of the outdoor track & field season brought with it lots of America East competition. Binghamton travelled to Princeton, N.J. for the Sam Howell Open; Maine travelled to Durham, N.H. to run against the Wildcats of UNH and Crusaders of Holy Cross; UMBC had a split squad, some taking part in the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Fla., and others at the Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Va.; the River Hawks, Stony Brook Seawolves and part of the New Hampshire squad also ran at Zable Stadium, on the campus of William & Mary. UMass Lowell also had several men’s track & field athletes compete at Fitchburg State College in the Jim Sheehan Memorial Invitational. Lastly, the Vermont Catamounts travelled to Springfield, Mass. for the AIC Invitational. Here are the America East Outdoor Track & Field Performers for the past week:
Female Track Performer of the Week
Mercedes Jackson, UMBC, Senior, Huntington, Maryland
- Placed 13th in the 100-meter dash at the Pepsi Florida Relays with a speed of 11.58 seconds.
- Her time ranks tied for 20th in the country, and resides first in the America East by nearly half a second.
Male Track Performer of the Week
Drew Piazza, New Hampshire, Sophomore, Danvers, Massachusetts
- Drew Piazza was part of two first place finishes at the Colonial Relays. The sophomore took the top spot in the 800-meter run, clocking in a time of 1:50.25. In addition, he was part of the winning 4x1, 500-meter relay team, which collectively finished in less than 16 minutes at 15:58.59.
- The Danver’s Mass. native ranks first in the conference in the 800, besting the next closest America East runner by nearly 3 seconds.
- Piazza’s efforts in the team relay, along with his teammates, John Prizzi, Kevin Greene, and Jeffery Moretti, places them second in the nation, just five hundredths of a second behind Eastern Michigan’s nation leading time.
Female Field Performer of the Week
Kaylyn Gordon, Stony Brook, Freshman, Spring Valley, New York
- Won the triple jump at the Colonial Relays with a distance of 12.12 meters. Her mark ranks atop the conference.
- Gordon also placed in the top five in the long jump, leaping to a length of 5.78 meters, good enough for fourth place. Her distance also ranks atop the America East.
Male Field Performer of the Week
Brandon Bordeau, Binghamton, Senior, Conklin, New York
- Brandon Bordeau won the discuss event at the Princeton/Sam Howell Open with a new Binghamton school-record mark of 169’ 7”. It broke an old mark set by NCAA Division III All-American Mike Ventura in 1995; the distance set then was 164’ 5”.
- His distance ranks first in the America East thus far this season.
Female Outdoor Track & Field Notes
- The Binghamton Bearcats performed well as a team at Princeton, posting four first place finishes. Sophomore Keishorea Armstrong won both the 100-meter (11.93) and 200-meter (24.24), senior Christy DiMichele took top spit in the pole vault (11’ 11.75”), and freshman Lauren Miller sat atop the pedestal in the javelin (130’ 5”). Overall, the Bearcats had 15 competitors that finished the top five in their respective events.
- Maine placed third at the UNH Outdoor Season Opener, tallying up a total of 147 points, and racking up nine first place finishes. Ashley Donohoe was a huge winner on the day, taking first place in the shot put (12.09 meters) and discus (39.51 meters). The Black Bear relay teams did damage, winning both the 4x100 and 4x400 meters events. Jaclyn Masters was part of the winning 4x400 team, and she also took first in the pole vault (3.72 meters).
- The UMBC track & field teams split up this weekend, part travelling to Gainesville, Fla. at the Pepsi Florida Relays, with others took part in the Colonial Relays in Virginia. Mercedes Jackson stood out for the Retrievers in Florida, finishing 13th in the 100-meter dash (11.58), and being part of the new school-record setting 4x400-meter relay (3:24.40).
- At the Colonial Relays, the Retrievers brought with it a lot of success. Sophia Cologer broke her own school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:00.36. The distance medley team of Angelina Oputa, Essence Fredericks, Mary Katherine Kulp, and Cologer took second place with a time of 12:01.68.
- ·UMass Lowell was led by Senior Taelour Murphy who placed fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.08 seconds. Freshman Kathryn Loughnane finished fourth in the University Division 1,500-meter race, clocking in at 48.88. In the field, Freshman Mary Lou Ryder took third place in the triple jump (34’ 2.75”).
- The University of New Hampshire placed second among five teams at the UNH Outdoor Track & Field Season Opener. The 4x100-meter relay team consisting of Virginia Lavelle, Molly Clark, Sydney Kay, and Kristen Sherlock came in second (51.33), and individually, Kay took runner-up in the 100-meter (12.36).
- At the Colonial Relays, the Stony Brook Seawolves placed 21st out of 46 team; junior Allyson Laporte took fourth place in the javelin toss with a distance of 36.56 meters. Sophomore Christine Eisenberg too fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:57.16), and the group of Daneen Small, Shannon Grogan, Shanee Grant and Shi-Anne Humes took sixth in the 1,600-meter sprint relay.
- The main highlight for Stony Brook was Sophomore Shi-Anne Humes, who broke school record in both the 100-meter dash (12.41) and 200-meter dash (24.96).
- The Catamounts finished second at the AIC Yellow Jacket Invitational, headlined by Grace Weisbecker who took second in the pole vault (3.50 meters). Hilary Rawding took second in the 1,500-meter run (4:46.94), and Dana Gaetani was runner-up in the 400-meter hurdle (1:05.33).
Male Outdoor Track & Field Notes
- On the campus of Princeton University, senior Brandon Bordeau won the discus throw with a school record distance of 169’ 7.” Another first place finisher was sophomore Jon Alkins placed first in the 200-meter (21.63). Other notable Binghamton finishes came from Alkins, coming in second in the 100-meter (10.98), and Peter Fagan tying for second in the pole vault (16’ 4.75”).
- The Maine Black Bears captured a first place finish in the UNH Outdoor Season Opener with an accumulation of 146 points. Five student-athletes came in first place for Maine, including Alexander Parenteau winning the javelin (55.65 meters), and Julian Hubbard taking first in the triple jump (13.80 meters). The Black Bears three track wins came way via Levi Frye in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:18.76), Jake Leithiser in the 800-meter (2:04.43), and Jarrod Lenfest in the 5,000-meter (15:44.16).
- The UMBC track & field teams split up this weekend, part travelling to Gainesville, Fla. At the Pepsi Florida Relays, with others took part in the Colonial Relays in Virginia. In the sunshine state, Vincent Rentzsch took second in the javelin (70.82 meters), which fell just short of his own school record.
- On the campus of William & Mary, Hassan Omar finished third in the 10,000-meter run, crossing the line with a time of 31:10.81. Teammate Eric Schuler also took a top ten spot, placing sixth in the same event (31:41.72).
- UMass Lowell also took part at the Colonial Relays, and saw several strong performances arise throughout the two-day event. Senior Robert Allen finished eighth in the 5,000-meter race, and was part of the 10th place finishing 4x800-meter relay team.
- At the Jim Sheehan Invitational at Fitchburg State College, the River Hawks had a one first place finish, and three runner-up finishes. Sophomore Perry Mroz won the shot put (47’ 8”), while fellow sophomores Joseph Phillips-Mason and Nicholas McArdle placed second in the discus (138’ 4”) and 5,000-meter (15:59.69). Freshman Dhahran Velasquez finished second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10:10.81).
- Members of the University of New Hampshire travelled to Williamsburg, Va. For the Colonial Relays, including Drew Piazza who placed first in the 800-meter run with a time of 50.25. The other Wildcat highlight from Virginia was Kevin Greene in the 1,500-meter run; the senior placed third in the event with a time of 3:49.20. On the final day of the event, Greene, Piazza, John Prizzi and Jeffery Moretti ran a new school record in the 4x1, 500-meter relay, taking first in 15:58.59.
- At the home opener on their campus, Christopher Poggi, who claimed a pair of first place finishes, led New Hampshire. The sophomore took gold in the 400-meter dash (52.16), and was part of the winning 4x400-meter quartet with Thomas Harter, Joseph Poggi and Joseph Boles. Another notable finisher was sophomore Andrew McFarland taking first in the 400-meter hurdles (58.91).
- The Seawolves represented themselves well at the Colonial Relays; Eric Speakman placed second in the 1,500-meter, finishing in 3:28.37. Senior Daniel Dennis took the top spot in the 3,000-meter (8:27.82), and Junior Tyler Keys won the 1,500-meter university race in 4:00.53.
- The Vermont men’s track & field team won AIC’s fifth annual Yellow Jacket Invitational, totaling 138 points. The Catamounts had six individual champions, including Patrick Coppinger in the 800-meter (1:59.85), and Fletcher Hazlehurst in the 10,000-meter (32:14.07). An incredibly close victor was Mallory Duncan, who won the 400-meter hurdles by less than a tenth of a second (56.09).
- In the field, Vermont was led by freshman John Cioffredi, who cleared a height of 1.83 meters in the high jump. Chris Ogletree placed third in the triple jump (12.81 meters), and Isaac de la Bruere took the bronze in the javelin (56.90).
Weekly Awards
March 31
- Female Track Performer of the Week: Mercedes Jackson, UMBC
- Male Track Performer of the Week: Eric Speakman, Stony Brook
- Female Field Performer of the Week: Alysson Laporte, Stony Brook
- Male Field Performer of the Week: Michael Shanahan, New Hampshire
April 7
- Female Track Performer of the Week: Mercedes Jackson, UMBC
- Male Track Performer of the Week: Drew Piazza, New Hampshire
- Female Field Performer of the Week: Kaylyn Gordon, Stony Brook
- Male Field Performer of the Week: Brandon Bordeau, Binghamton