University of Albany Men's Outdoor Track and Field Picked to Win Fifth Straight America East Title; Women Tabbed Third in - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. – The University at Albany men’s outdoor track and field team has been picked to finish first, while the women’s squad was projected to place third, according to the preseason poll conducted by the America East Conference head coaches.

The men’s team, which has won four straight and five of the past six conference championships, was unanimously selected to repeat this winter. The Great Danes received all eight possible first-place votes and accumulated 64 points. New Hampshire was picked second with 54 points and earned the final first-place vote, while Binghamton (51 points) was chosen third.

Boston University, which won its fourth consecutive outdoor crown last spring, received seven of the possible eight first-place votes and garnered 62 points. New Hampshire and UAlbany garnered the remaining two first-place votes, and the Wildcats edged out the Great Danes by one point for the second-place spot.

All-America honorees Joe Greene and Luke Schoen headline the list of 23 returning student-athletes, including 12 league champions, who have garnered all-conference laurels for the two squads. Schoen earned All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship by placing fifth in the pole vault, and he followed that up by earning the same national distinction at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship two weeks ago with a sixth-place finish. Greene was an All-American in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 2007 when he recorded a fourth-place finish at the NCAA meet.

The Great Danes should continue to be strong in the sprinting and hurdle events. Jean Juste, Garrett Askew and Nicholas Assini all placed first through third in the 110-meter hurdles at last year’s conference championship. Alie Beauvais, who already qualified for the IC4A championship at the Carolina Classic last weekend, will look to challenge Greene for the conference title in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Sprinters Jeffery Barnes and Pat Weider won the 200-meter dash in 2008 and 2007, respectively. On the women’s side, Kamilah McShine has won the 55 and 100-meter high hurdles titles at six of the seven conference championships. Newcomer Fey Adaramola broke the school record in the 200 and won the event at the indoor championship this past winter, while Rebecca Kelly will look to post a top-three finish in the 400 hurdles after placing fourth at the conference meet in 2008.

The middle distance runners have been one of UAlbany’s most improved event groups. Tyler Fogarty and John Moore were USA Junior National All-Americans in the 800-meter run, while Joe Belokopitsky was an all-conference selection last year in the event. Newcomer Aaron Lozier, who set the school record in the mile indoors this winter, and Zuliana Fontanez, an indoor ECAC qualifier in the 800-meter run, should also make strong contributions this winter.

Ricardo Estremera and Laura Cummings, who have each won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the conference championship, are expected to lead the distance runners. Cummings won the event in a meet record time of 10:33.60 while setting a new school record last year, while Estremera, who redshirted this past spring, won the 2007 title. Cummings and Estremera will also bolster the middle distance group.

One of the deepest event groups will be the jumpers. Valete Graham and Mike McCadney won the long and triple jump, respectively, at last year’s conference championship. Jenn Gurrant, who provisionally qualified for the NCAAs in the triple jump indoors this winter, won the outdoor title at the America East meet two years ago. Newcomer Nasim Siddeeq, a transfer from Robert Morris who was named the USTFCCCA Division I Northeast Field Athlete of the Year this winter, set a meet record in the triple jump at the 2008 Northeast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Fred Casimo, Kyle Nadler, Freddie Willls and Tiffany Sprenkels have also met IC4A and ECAC marks in their careers.

The throwers have been among the fastest growing groups, especially on the women’s side. Wilfredo de jesus Elias, Ashley Lewis and Ritshell Verdier are returning all-conference honorees. de jesus Elias placed second in the hammer throw at last year’s America East championship, while Verdier and Lewis finished second and third, respectively, in the discus throw. Verdier, the discus champion in 2006, also holds the school record in the event, while Isabella Katsarelis owns the program standard in the javelin. Kadine Johnson, who accumulated points in three throwing events at the conference championship meet as a freshman last year, will look to earn all-conference honors this spring.

The America East Conference Championships will be hosted by Binghamton University on May 2-3.

AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON POLL

1. UAlbany, 64 points (8); 2. New Hampshire, 54 (1); 3. Binghamton, 51; 4. UMBC, 42; 5. Boston U., 36; 6. Maine, 29; 7. Vermont, 21; 8. Stony Brook, 19; 9. Hartford, 8.

AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD PRESEASON POLL

1. Boston U. (7), 62 points; 2. New Hampshire, 55 (1); 3. UAlbany, 54 (1); 4. Vermont, 37; 5. Maine, 32; 6. Binghamton 31; 7. UMBC, 28; 8. Stony Brook, 17; 9. Hartford, 8.