University of Albany Sends 34 Track & Field Athletes to IC4A and ECAC Championships - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Princeton, N.J. – UAlbany, which recently swept the America East Conference track and field team titles for the third time in four years, will send 34 athletes to Princeton University for the IC4A and ECAC championship meets on May 15-17. Twenty-three men and 11 women will dawn a purple and gold uniform at the regional competition.

The men’s program, which won the IC4A indoor championship over Connecticut and has been ranked as high as 36th nationally this spring, will look to become the first school to win both team titles since Rutgers accomplished the feat in 2005. The UAlbany men have placed as high as fourth with 47 points at the IC4A outdoor competition in 2007. The women will also look to have their best showing ever at the ECAC meet by surpassing their 23rd-place finish in 2004.

UAlbany’s men's squad is the only program in the country to have two student-athletes ranked in the top 10 nationally in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Joe Greene, a 2007 All-American in the event, ranks fifth in the country for his time of 49.97 seconds at the America East championship meet. Alie Beauvais’ mark of 50.36 recorded on the same day is eighth. All-American Luke Schoen, who did not compete at the America East championship due to an injury, will be in the running to claim the pole vault title. He currently ranks 10th in the country, clearing 17-feet, 6.50-inches at the Duke Asics Invitational. The mark is also a school record.

The largest contingent of men’s athletes will be competing in the horizontal jumping events. The Great Danes have entered six long jumpers, headlined by Valete Graham, and three triple jumpers, led by Mike McCadney. The Great Danes accumulated 22 points in these two events at this winter’s indoor championship.

Sprinter Fey Adaramola and hurdler Kamilah McShine should be the biggest threats to accumulate points for the women’s team after winning multiple events at the America East meet. Adaramola won both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, while McShine was victorious in both hurdles events. Jenn Gurrant, who was the triple jump champion at the ECAC indoor meet this winter, and broke the outdoor record at the America East championship, will be in contention to score points in both horizontal jumping events.

UAlbany also has several other school record-holding athletes competing this weekend. They are Laura Cummings and Ricardo Estremera in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kadine Johnson in the hammer throw, Ashley Lewis in the javelin throw, John Moore in the 1,500-meter run and Ritshell Verdier in the discus throw.