University of Albany Women's Track & Field Stands First, Men Second After Day One at A-East Championships - UAlbany Sports 2010

Durham, N.H. - University at Albany's Jenn Pierson and Laura Cummings placed first and second, respectively, in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase to lead their team to a first-day lead at the 2010 America East Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, May 1 at the University of New Hampshire's Reggie F. Atkins Track Facility. The Great Dane women have an 8.5-point lead over second-place New Hampshire.

Freddie Wills won the men's high jump by clearing 6-feet, 9.75-inches, which was a personal best, and placed fourth in the men's long jump to lead his squad to a second-place standing after the first day of action. The Great Danes have 50 points, which is 31 points behind New Hampshire.

Pierson and Cummings achieved 18 points for the Great Danes in the women's steeplechase. Pierson's winning time of 10:40.46 was a personal best, while Cummings finished the race right behind her teammate in 10:47.93. Showcasing their depth, the Great Danes accumulated at least nine points and had multiple student-athletes score in four of the remaining five finals to keep the lead they held for most of the afternoon. Notable performances were made by Pat McNish, who placed second in the long jump with a mark of 19-1.50, and Kadine Johnson, who finished in the runner-up spot in the hammer throw by registering a toss that sailed 164-9.

Led by Valete Graham, UAlbany's men's team racked up 29 points by taking the top four spots in the long jump. Graham won the event for the third straight season by flying 24-7.75. The mark was less than two inches shy of his school record. Kadeem Howell's second-place mark of 24-1.75 was a personal-best by 11 inches. Fred Casimo placed third by leaping 24-0.75. He was followed by Wills, who registered a mark of 23-9.50.

In the preliminary rounds, the UAlbany men most notably had four student-athletes advance to tomorrow's finals in both hurdles events. Garrett Askew won his heat of the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.83 seconds, while Alan Nimblette placed first in his section of the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in a personal-best time of 53.33. Both marks were the second-fastest times of the day.

Fey Adaramola won both of her heats in the 100- and 200-meter dash events to lead the women's program in the preliminary races. She ran season-best times of 11.85 in the 100 and 24.27 in the 200. Both marks ranked second in the field. Christen Griffin and Rebecca Kelly also won heats in the 100-hurdles and 400-hurdles, respectively. Griffin hit the tape in 14.26 seconds, while Kelly navigated the track in 1:02.44.

The championship meet concludes on Sunday with the first events beginning at 9 a.m.

Paw Prints: After claiming both of the league's indoor titles for the first time in school history this past winter, UAlbany will have the opportunity to become the first school to win all four America East track and field championships in the same academic year tomorrow afternoon ... The Great Dane men's program will aim to win a league-record sixth straight America East championship and seventh in the last eight years, while the women's team will look to capture their second straight title and fourth in the last five years.

Men's Team Scores (Through Seven Events)
1. New Hampshire 81; 2. UAlbany 50; 3. Binghamton 48; 3. 4. Maine 26; 5. Vermont 24; 6. UMBC 19; 7. Boston U. 15; 8. Stony Brook 9; 9. Hartford 0.

Men's Individual Results
10,000-Meter Run: 1. Jeff Martinez (Binghamton) 31:04.19, 2. Wesley Dinnan (New Hampshire) 31:17.39, 3. Elliot Lehane (Boston U.) 31:20.88. 3,000-Meter Steeplechase: 1. Doug Maisey (Vermont) 9:00.78, 2. Eric Ashe (Boston U.) 9:02.76, 3. Alex Felce (Stony Brook) 9:03.36. High Jump: 1. Freddie Wills (UAlbany) 6-9.75, 2. Jadrien Cousens (Maine) 6-9, 3. Matthew Guarente (New Hampshire) 6-6. Long Jump: 1. Valete Graham (UAlbany) 24-7.75, 2. Kadeem Howell (UAlbany) 24-1.75, 3. Fred Casimo (UAlbany) 24-0.75. Pole Vault: 1. Robb Quiller (Binghamton) 16-2.75, 2. Adam Helman 15-3, 3. John Slaven (Binghamton) 14-9. Hammer Throw: 1. Paul DeTurk (New Hampshire) 203-4, 2. Jeffrey Kaste (New Hampshire) 195-7, 3. Wilfredo de Jesus Elias (UAlbany) 187-7. Javelin Throw: 1. Michael Simon (New Hampshire) 199-4, 2. Christopher Morgan (New Hampshire) 194-2, 3. Sam Hoadley (Vermont) 189-6.

Women's Team Scores (Through Six Events)
1. UAlbany 60; 2. New Hampshire 51.50; 3. Maine 31; 4. Binghamton 24; 5. Boston U. 20.50; 6. Vermont 20; 7. Stony Brook 19; 8. UMBC 8; 9. Hartford 0.

Women's Individual Results
10,000-Meter Run: 1. Holly Van Dalen (Stony Brook) 35:21.68, 2. Katie Matthews (Boston U.) 35:32.03, 3. Laura Huet 35:55.28. 3,000-Meter Steeplechase: 1. Jenn Pierson (UAlbany) 10:40.46, 2. Laura Cummings (UAlbany) 10:47.93, 3. Debbie Isen 11:02.89. Long Jump: 1. Jesse Labreck (Maine) 19-6, 2. Pat McNish (UAlbany) 19-1.50, 3. Kiki Malomo-Paris (UMBC), 18-4.50. Pole Vault: 1. Rita Ciambra (New Hampshire) 13-1.75, 2. Jenna Marrione (Binghamton) 10-10, 3. Celine Cauderlier (UAlbany), 10-10. Hammer Throw: 1. Ashlee Lathrop (New Hampshire) 179-4, 2. Kadine Johnson (UAlbany) 164-9, 3. Rosemary Read (New Hampshire) 161-9. Javelin Throw: 1. Jessica Bond (Maine) 140-1, 2. Lauren Berg (Boston U.) 137-9, 3. Alexandra Krous (Maine) 135-2.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information