Men's Indoor Track Places Sixth, Women 11th at NEC Indoor Championships
February 22, 2009
NEC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
UPDATED PHOTO GALLERY FROM MEET
This past weekend marked the beginning of Bryant track and field at the Division I level. Competing in their first Northeast Indoor Track and Field Conference Championships, the Bryant men finished 6th of 12 teams. Going into the meet, the men were ranked 10th.
"To come into this level of competition with no transition period
and to perform so well speaks volumes to the type of
student-athletes we have on the team. The men performed
unbelievably well, surpassing not just our expectations, but the
expectations of the conference through their ranking system. We are
very excited to be a part of the NEC and Division I athletics and
have shown this weekend, that we belong here" - Head Coach
Stephanie Reilly
Men
Day 1
The first day of competition was primarily focused on preliminary rounds where individuals were required to qualify for finals on day 2. Tom O'Connor (sophomore) and Alex Engel (junior) successfully qualified for both the 200m and 400m finals. O'Connor finished 2nd in his 200m preliminary (22.69) and 1st in his 400m first round (50.42). Engel also showed that he would compete for individual honors by winning his 200m preliminary (22.60) and also his 400 first round (50.90). Mike DiBella built upon the early successes of his team mates by winning his 500m preliminary (1.07.73) to qualify for the final on day 2. Day 1 also saw the opening rounds of the mile. Bryant was represented by two freshmen, Drew Clarke and John Mitton. Both Bulldogs easily qualified for the final with wire to wire victories, Clarke in 4.29.34 and Mitton in 4.27.28 (the fastest time for the first round). Distance events were also represented on the first day. Senior Tom Casey, the school record holder at 5000m, finished 10th in the final of the 3000m narrowly missing scoring Bryant's first points at the meet. In addition to Casey, Mark Kenwood (graduate student) finished 14th of 24 competitors (9.10.69).
Other Bulldogs competing on Day 1 included freshman Ryan Busby and senior Justin Getts in the 800m. Both student-athletes narrowly missed qualifying for the finals. For Getts, competing at a Division 1 conference championships was a great way to end his indoor campaign at Bryant. For Busby, this is just the beginning of 4 years of quality competition. The hurdles event also had two Bryant Bulldogs, again a freshman and a senior. Anthony Monteiro (freshman) and Zach Perron (senior) were drawn in the same preliminary section. Facing steep competition neither would qualify for the finals but benefited from the experience in preparation for their relay duties on day 2. Bryant had 3 members of the team compete in the long jump, Andrew Fitzgerald (sophomore), Justin Hoffner (sophomore), and Chris Brida (freshman). Fitzgerald and Hoffner finished 12th and 13th out of 28 competitors. Unfortunately, Brida struggled to complete one jump after injuring his hamstring. In the shotput Steve Haskell (senior) threw over 40 feet to finish in 18th place.
Day 2
The Bulldogs got off to an electric start in the mile when Clarke and Mitton finished 3rd and 4th in the final. This marked the first scored points for the Bulldogs. Finishing ahead of the two freshmen were two experienced upperclassmen. "I could not ask for anything better from Drew and John. To come out with 11 points from the middle distance events was superb" - Head Coach Stephanie Reilly. Following up the success of the milers, O'Connor and Engel showed that the sprinters can also take care of business when needed. O'Connor finished 2nd in the final of the 400m (49.70) while his experienced teammate Engel finished in 4th position (50.08). Both student-athletes continued their exceptional performance by finishing 8th and 9th respectively in the 200m final putting another point on the board for the Bulldogs. Sprint coach, Joel Brown was ecstatic with their performances and complimented them on their dedication throughout the cold winter months, which had now finally paid off. Continuing to have a great conference meet, Mike DiBella finished a fantastic 5th in the 500m final (1.07.30), improving on his time from the day before. In the distance events, Tom Casey again narrowly missed scoring points with a 12th place finish in the 5000m (15.41.52) while his Bulldog teammate Kenwood, running a season's best (15.59.68), finished in 16th out of 27 competitors. Bryant received a huge lift from Andrew Fitzgerald with a 7th place finish in the triple jump (42 feet 9 inches), good for 2 points. Steve Haskell improved on his performance from day 1 with a 15th place finish in the weight throw. At this stage, Bryant, 10th in the team scores, were comfortably ahead of two of their rivals. However, the meaning of bulldog tenacity was truly shown in the relay events. The distance medley relay team consisting of Mitton, Perron, Getts, and Clarke outperformed their 7th pre championship ranking to finish in 5th place. Each of these athletes had already competed at the meet in individual events but their unity as a team helped them exceed expectations. The 4 by 400m team followed suit. DiBella, Fitzgerald, O'Connor, and Engel wrapped up the men's competition, finishing 4th in 3.24.52. Once the team scores were posted, Bryant had moved up 4 places to finish 6th, a remarkable accomplishment for a conference squad of just 15 members competing in their first Division I Indoor track and field championships.
Women
Bryant's women's team came into the Northeast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships ranked 12th. However, the team, comprised of over 40% freshmen were successful in picking up points to improve by one position leading them to an 11th place finish. "The women's team are very young which bodes well for the future. We had a number of excellent performances this weekend, which will only serve to help us build the program. Our incoming class of student-athletes look fantastic and we have across the board representation in many events. I expect us to move up perform even better next year" - Head Coach Stephanie Reilly
Day 1
The Bulldogs were led by Captain Casey Fenwick (senior). Fenwick, along with her younger teammate, Kat Ragone (freshmen) competed in the 3000m. Ragone finished in 14th place (10.51.37) with Fenwick running a lifetime best in 16th place (10.56.20). In the sprints, Justine Douvadjian qualified for the final of the 500m when she finished 2nd in her preliminary round (1.20.88). The Bulldogs were also represented in the 400m by senior Liana Greig, 4th in her preliminary (67.19), freshman Kimberly Warner, 3rd in the first round (65.51), and freshman Katie Pelletier, 2nd in her preliminary (63.30). The experience of competing in a Division I conference was crucial to the two first year sprinters. In the 800m, Bryant was represented by Jennifer Denise (sophomore), 7th in her preliminary (2.34.32) and Marissa Donovan, 9th in the same preliminary (2.44.48). Turning to the mile, the Bulldogs also had underclassmen competing. Amanda Garber (freshman) and Katelyn Arouca finished 7th and 8th in their preliminary. Further action saw junior Stephanie Kirk compete in the 60m hurdles preliminary where she finished 6th in 9.88. On the field, freshman Joanna Chanaj narrowly missed out on putting up the first Bulldog points with an 11th place finish in the high jump (4 feet 11.5inches). Her fellow jumpers, junior Melanie Farbotko and freshman Amy Hutchinson struggled with their timing and approach but got a sense of the level of competition needed to perform at the meet. Continuing with the field events, freshmen Amy Hutchinson and Kimberly Warner finished 2nd and 3rd in their flight of the long jump, registering jumps of 4.68m and 4.62m respectfully.
Day 2
The highlight of the 2nd day of action was the superb performance of Justine Douvadjian in the 500m final. Douvadjian had not competed in a 500m all season but performed best when she needed to. In the final, Douvadjian finished in 6th position (1.20.60), faster than the day before and marking the first points Bryant scored in a Division I championships. Further action on the day saw Amy Hutchinson finish 5th in her flight of the triple jump (31 feet 3.75 inches). The meet concluded with the two relay teams, the 4 by 400m, and the distance medley. The 4 by 400m team of Douvadjian, Pelletier, Warner, and Evans finished 5th in their section (4.18.59). The distance medley team made up of Fenwick, Greig, Denise, and Ragone scored the one crucial point they needed to move them ahead of St. Francis (NY) when they finished in 8th place overall.Men's Team Standings (17 Events Scored)
1. Saint Francis (PA)
121
2. Monmouth
116
3. Long
Island
84.50
4. Central Conn. St.
58
5. Sacred
Heart
55.50
6. Quinnipiac
40
Bryant
40
8. Mount St. Mary's
39
9. Fairleigh Dickinson
38
10. Robert Morris 33
11. St. Francis
(NY)
19
Wagner
19
2009 Men's
Performers of the Meet
Outstanding Field Performer: Denis Eradiri
(SFPA)
Outstanding Track Performer: Chris Behre
(SFPA)
Rookie of the Meet: Daniel Roark (QU)
Most Valuable Performer: Chris Behre (SFPA)
Coach of the Year: Felix Moreno (SFPA)
2009 NEC
Indoor Women's Individual Champions
60m:
Jessie
Gaines
Long
Island
Fr. 7.60s
200m:
Ashlynn DeCruise Mount St.
Mary's
So. 24.94s
400m:
Michelle
Losey
Monmouth
Jr. 56.58s
500m:
Crystal
Stein
Monmouth
Jr. 1:16.42
800m:
Aniecia Williams
Long
Island
Jr. 2:19.00
Mile:
Cailin Lynam
Monmouth
Jr. 5:08.61
3000m:
Anna
Hoffman
Saint Francis (PA)
Jr. 10:07.06
5000m:
Anna
Hoffman
Saint Francis (PA)
Jr. 17:54.05
60m Hurdles: Jessie
Gaines
Long
Island
Fr. 8.59s
4x400
Relay:
Mount St.
Mary's
3:53.83
DMR:
Quinnipiac
12:32.87
Long Jump:
Heather
Patton
Long
Island
Sr. 5.64m (18' 6")
High Jump:
Brittany
Dexter
Sacred
Heart
Jr. 1.76m (5'
9.25")Triple Jump:
Heather
Patton
Long
Island
Sr. 12.50m (41'
0.25")Pole Vault:
Kerry
Ojeda
Sacred
Heart
Jr. 3.30m (10'
10")Shot Put:
Jamie
Kilis
Sacred
Heart
Sr. 13.66m
(44' 9.75")
Weight Throw:
Jamie
Kilis
Sacred Heart
Sr. 17.24m (56'
6.75")
Women's Team
Standings (17 Events Scored)
1.
Monmouth
140.50
2. Long Island
134
3. Sacred Heart
132
4. Mount St. Mary's
56
5. Saint Francis (PA) 52
6. Robert Morris
41.50
7. Quinnipiac
34
8.
FDU
31
9.
Wagner
27
10. Central Conn. St 18
11.
Bryant
4
12. St. Francis (NY)
3
2009 Women's
Performers of the Meet
Outstanding Field Performer:
Heather Patton (LIU)
Outstanding Track Performer: Jessie Gaines
(LIU)
Rookie of the Meet: Jessie Gaines (LIU)
Most Valuable Performer: Jessie Gaines (LIU)
Coach of the Year: Joe Campagni (MU)
