Men 1st (again), Women 2nd at America East

[McFan]

What a meet for us!!!!!! Wow!!! We won 14 events (Women 8 events, Men 6 events)-Most of any school. We set 8 new school records (Men's and women's 4 x 800m relay, Women's Pentathlon, Men's Heptathlon, Women's High Jump, Women's 1000m, Women's 500m, Men's Distance Medley); Men had the highest point total ever and won by the greatest margin ever; women won more events than any other school (Boston only won 3 events and had no winners in the running events).

 

 

 

Full results: http://www.americaeast.com/ViewArticle.dbm...DB_OEM_ID=14000

 

 

 

Great Photos: http://www.trackshark.com/photos/2007/americaeast.php

 

 

 

UALBANY MEN WIN FOURTH AMERICA EAST TRACK & FIELD CROWN IN PAST FIVE YEARS

 

 

 

Boston, Mass. – Junior David Parker set a school record in the heptathlon, finishing first in the event, as the UAlbany men’s track and field team won the America East Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship for the fourth time in the past five years on Saturday. The Great Danes tallied 203.5 points in the meet, breaking the previous meet record of 202 points, set by Northeastern in 1991. The two-day meet was held at Boston University ’s Track & Tennis Center .

 

 

 

Parker, who tallied 4,914 points and qualified for March’s IC4A meet, won the heptathlon’s 55-meter hurdles in 8.16 seconds and the pole vault with a height of 15-feet, 2.75-inches, and tied for first in the high jump with a leap of 6-feet, 4.75-inches. The previous school record in the heptathlon was held by Fred Frese, who registered 4,849 points in 2004.

 

 

 

The Great Danes earned three other victories in track events, with sophomore Pat Weider winning the 200-meters in 21.57 seconds and sophomore Jean Juste taking the 55-meter hurdles in 7.52 seconds. In addition, Weider was a member of the first-place 4x400-relay team, which also consisted of sophomore Andrew Overbaugh, freshman Nick Lemp and senior Junior Burnett. The relay registered a time of 3:16.99.

 

 

 

Burnett finished second in two individual events, clocking in at 6.42 seconds in the 55-meters and at 21.63 seconds in the 200-meters. Elsewhere, freshman John Moore finished second in the 800-meters in 1:50.83, his best time as a collegian, while Lemp came in third in the 500-meters in 1:05.40. Another school record was set by the 4x800 relay team, as Jared Jupin, Ricardo Estremera, Joe Belokopitsky and Moore placed second in 7:38.73.

 

 

 

In field events, sophomore Mike McCadney won the triple jump with a leap of 49-feet, 1.75-inches. Sophomore Freddie Wills, who won Friday’s long jump, finished second in the high jump with a distance of 6-feet, 7.5-inches, and came in third in the triple jump with a leap of 46-feet, 7.25-inches. Wills, who totaled 27 points, also had a sixth-place finish in the hurdles. Junior Renauld Buck placed second in the shot put with a throw of 50-feet even.

 

 

 

“I told our team that it was a privilege to coach them and that they have continued a winning tradition,” said UAlbany coach Roberto Vives, a member of the America East coaching staff of the year. “It was a team effort all the way, especially to score that many points in both the long jump and triple jump. David Parker has become a bonafide multi-event athlete after competing in the heptathlon for the first time just two weeks ago. Freddie Wills had an exceptional meet by scoring in four different events.”

 

 

 

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America East Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship

 

 

 

Men's Final Standings

 

 

 

1. UAlbany 203.5, 2. New Hampshire 128.5, 3. Boston University 114, 4. Binghamton 92, 5. Maine 79, 6. UMBC 74, 7. Stony Brook 64, 8. Vermont 23, 9. Hartford 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UALBANY WOMEN FINISH SECOND AS JESSICA ORTMAN GARNERS A-EAST TRACK HONORS

 

 

 

Boston, Mass. – Sophomore Jessica Ortman, who won the 1,000-meters and the mile run and was a member of the record-setting 4x800 relay team, was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the America East Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Great Danes finished second with 155 points, 23 behind first-place Boston University . It was the third second-place finish for the indoor team in the past four years.

 

 

 

Ortman was the first-ever UAlbany women’s athlete to earn most outstanding performer honors at the America East indoor meet. Her time of 2:50.74 in the 1,000-meters shattered her own mark of 2:50.90, set at the 2006 Terrier Classic. She also registered a time of 4:54.76 in the mile. The 4x800 relay team, made up of Adanna Andrews, Anisha Andrew, Helene Abiola and Ortman, set both an America East championship and UAlbany record with a time of 9:02.66. The previous conference record was 9:06.11, set by New Hampshire in 2003, while the previous school record of 9:08.42 was set in 2001. The time was also a NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

 

 

 

After winning the 5,000-meters on Friday, senio Alyssa Lotmore followed with a first-place finish in the 3,000 with a season-best time of 9:51.40. Sophomore Kamilah McShine also won her second event of the meet, taking the 55-meter hurdles in 8.16 seconds. She was victorious in the pentathlon the previous day. In other track events, Adanna Andrews came in second in the 500-meters in 1:14.53, breaking her own school record of 1:14.54, set at last year’s America East indoor meet, while Anisha Andrews finished third in the 400-meters in 57.15 seconds.

 

 

 

Junior Brenna Militello's record-breaking victory in the high jump was a highlight of the field events. Militello’s leap of 5-feet, 7.25-inches, surpassed the school mark of 5-feet, 5-inches, set by Janna Johnston in 1998 and by Militello earlier this season. Senior Sarah Charles broke her own UAlbany record in the triple jump with a leap of 40-feet, 4-inches, good for second place. Sophomore Jenn Gurrant placed third with a triple jump of 39-feet, 8-inches and fourth in the long jump with a distance of 17-feet, 9.75-inches.

 

 

 

“We had hoped for more, but I am not sure we could have done anything else,” said Ortman about her team’s second-place finish in the team standings. “The field went out slow in the 1,000, but I felt comfortable enough to go for it (the lead) in the last 200 meters and was able to execute. I wanted to help my teammates win a championship in the 4x800 (relay). When I got the baton on the final leg we had closed the gap to six seconds, I gradually worked my way up to the front."

 

 

 

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America East Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship

 

 

 

Women's Final Standings

 

 

 

1. Boston University 178, 2. UAlbany 155, 3. New Hampshire 112, 4. Binghamton 88, 5. Vermont 79, 6. UMBC 69, 7. Maine 59, 8. Stony Brook 32, 9. Hartford 8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roberto J. Vives

 

Director of Men's and Women's

 

Track & Field/Cross Country

 

University at Albany

[Oldtimer]

GREAT JOB BY BOTH MENS AND WOMENS TEAM. I REALLY LOVE TRACK AND FIELD!! IS THERE EVER GOING TO BE A DAY WHEN EITHER THE INDOOR OR OUTDOOR TEAMS ARE GOING TO COMPETE LOCALLY???? IT SEEMS LIKE OUR HOME EVENTS ARE IN NYC AND OTHER EVENTS ARE EVERYWHERE.

[McFan]

At this time, with the current facilities, you can't really hold a an event on campus. Indoor is a decent training facility but not a D-1 level facility for hosting a meet. Outdoors, believe it or not, was built without enough lanes to host a championship meet. Not enough lanes due to football lighting. New facilites will eleviate these problems and I'm sure you will see the Championship Track & Field teams compete on campus.

 

Congratulations to Coach Vives and both the Mens and Womens Track & Field teams.

[danes05]

Great job by both squads! Keep it up this spring

[purplehaze]

Great job by Coach Vives, his staff and the entire team! Keep it going in the outdoor season!

[bleedpurple101]

I know its early, but is it possible that UA Men's track could get the school's first Top 10 D-1 ranking at the National Championships in Sacramento??? To do this they'd have to beat 100's of other school's head to head in June where only 8 people score points in each event? Thoughts?

[UAalum72]

I know its early, but is it possible that UA Men's track could get the school's first Top 10 D-1 ranking at the National Championships in Sacramento??? To do this they'd have to beat 100's of other school's head to head in June where only 8 people score points in each event? Thoughts?

In today's Gazette College Notebook Vives adds to the above quotes that our goal is to be top-20. Last year the indoor team was 42nd. He thinks this year they'll be a top-30 team in the spring.

[McFan]

They add Gerard Burns to this team for outdoors. I think if all goes to plan they can score quite a few points at the NCAA Championships and it doesn't take that many to move up the list. Last year outdoors it took 10 points to tie for 26 place, and 13 points to hit the top 20. Indoors last year it took 10 points to get in the top 20. UA had 4 pts (G. Burns for 5th place in the 800) for 41st place).

 

That said, Burns is a tremendous talent and he got fifth. It will be a real challenge but there are some athletes that could score some points so its not out of the realm of possibility. Things would have to go right.

[bleedpurple101]

They add Gerard Burns to this team for outdoors. I think if all goes to plan they can score quite a few points at the NCAA Championships and it doesn't take that many to move up the list. Last year outdoors it took 10 points to tie for 26 place, and 13 points to hit the top 20. Indoors last year it took 10 points to get in the top 20. UA had 4 pts (G. Burns for 5th place in the 800) for 41st place).

 

That said, Burns is a tremendous talent and he got fifth. It will be a real challenge but there are some athletes that could score some points so its not out of the realm of possibility. Things would have to go right.

 

 

So how many scorers would it take? And does UA's team have that many? I don't know if they have anyone else thats injured or if they're a stronger team outdoors than indoors?

[McFan]

Burns and Joe Greene (400 hurdles) are the best chances. Outside shot at a relay. I'm not that fimiliar w/ the field events but the jumpers dominated the AE Championship. A pair of fourth place finishes gets us 10 points.

[bleedpurple101]

Burns and Joe Greene (400 hurdles) are the best chances. Outside shot at a relay. I'm not that fimiliar w/ the field events but the jumpers dominated the AE Championship. A pair of fourth place finishes gets us 10 points.

 

From what I've been told they have 3 returning throwers that went to IC4A's or beyond last year. They also have a triple jumper who was a DII All-American who transferred in (he won indoors easily while hurt), a 4x100 relay that could dip under 40 this year and a 4x4 that could possibly run in the 3.05 range.