University of Albany Men Capture Fifth Consecutive America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Vestal, N.Y. – University at Albany’s Joe Greene was a double-winner in the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles to lead his team to its fifth consecutive America East Conference outdoor track & field championship on Sunday, May 3 at Binghamton University’s East Gym Track Complex. The Great Danes were comfortable winners with team total of 243.33 points.

UAlbany’s Kamilah McShine and Fey Adaramola each won two events in leading their team to its first women’s outdoor track & field championship since 2007. The Great Danes scored 176.50 points, while runner-up New Hampshire had 153. UAlbany has garnered three America East women’s outdoor titles in its history.

Greene, who suffered a hamstring injury during the 2008 indoor season and never recovered to full strength, pulled off the 400-dash and 400-hurdles double for third time in his career. An NCAA All-America selection in 2007, he was named the championship’s most outstanding track performer for the third time in his career and won the coaches’ award for accumulating the meet’s highest individual point total. He set a school and meet record of 46.49 seconds in the 400-meters and lowered another conference mark in the 400-hurdles in 49.97. Greene also anchored the 4x400-meter relay to a winning time of 3:13.20. He was joined on the relay by Andrew Overbaugh, Jeffery Barnes and Alie Beauvais.

“Last year was very frustrating for Joe and he wanted to go out on top,” said UAlbany coach Roberto Vives, whose team has an extraordinary year after winning their first-ever IC4A indoor championship in March. “He is very team-oriented, but today he established himself as one of the top hurdlers in the country.”

Middle-distance runner John Moore was also a key figure as the Great Danes surged from their second-place standing after the first day of competition. Moore won the 800-meter run in an IC4A-qualifying time of 1:51.25 and was second in the 1,500-meter in 3:51.56. He also ran the final leg on the winning 4x800-meter relay that finished in 7:32.37. Nick Santos, Ricardo Estremera and Joe Belokopitsky competed on the first three legs.

“John Moore did a great job on the relay with a 1:49 split to hold off the other teams,” Vives offered. “The seniors have never tasted defeat in indoors or outdoors (at conference meet) and they talked about going out that way.”

Jean Juste successfully defended his 110-meter hurdles crown by setting a conference record with a time of 14.40 seconds. A defensive back on the UAlbany football team, Juste was one of nine individual men’s champions. Freddie Wills came from behind on the second day to win the decathlon with 6,250 points. Wills was a winner in 110-hurdles and long jump in the 10-evert competition. Michael McCadney took first in the triple jump for the second consecutive year with a leap of 49-feet, 8.25-inches.

In the women’s championship, McShine won the conference title in the 100-meter hurdles for third year in a row as she was clocked in 13.90 seconds. She completed the hurdles double for the first time in her career when she was the first to hit the tap in the 400 event. McShine posted a time of 59.74 that automatically qualified her for the NCAA East Regional.

Adaramola, who ran the second-fastest qualifying time in the preliminaries, bettered that mark to win the 100-meter dash final in 11.96. She later came back to take the 200-meters in an ECAC-qualifying time of 24.27. Adaramola, a Central Florida transfer, and McShine were both members of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams that each finished second.

Ritshell Verdier set a school record in the hammer throw to win the conference championship for the second time in her career. Verdier broke her own standard by more than two feet with a toss of 159-feet, 9-inches. She was also third in the shot put with a mark 42-0. Jenn Gurrant, who also competed on both second-place relay squads, was the runner-up in the triple jump. Gurrant shattered the UAlbany record with a leap of 42-0.75. Vives and his assistants were named America East Conference Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year.

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America East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships

(Binghamton University’s East Gym Track Complex)

Men’s Team Standings

1. UAlbany 243.33, 2. New Hampshire 159.50, 3. Binghamton 119.33, 4. UMBC 118.50, 5. Boston U. 81, 6. Vermont 57, 7. Maine 44.33, 8. Stony Brook 16, 9. Hartford 15.