UAlbany Chosen in Preseason Poll to Win Seventh Consecutive America East Track & Field Crown

(courtesy of America East Conference) Cambridge, Mass. - After winning their sixth consecutive America East crown last spring, the University at Albany Great Danes were are predicted to again finish first in America East in outdoor track and field in 2011. The America East Conference office announced Thursday, March 17 that Albany was the unanimous favorite among America East coaches in the preseason poll.

The Great Danes garnered all eight possible first-place votes from the opposing coaches for a total of 64 points. Binghamton University checked in at second with 56 points and the remaining first-place vote. Boston University rounded out the top three with 50 total points.

University of New Hampshire grabbed 41 votes to earn fourth place, followed by UMBC in fifth place with 36 points and University of Maine in sixth with 32 points. University of Vermont took the seventh spot in the poll with 22 points while Stony Brook University (12 points) finished just ahead of University of Hartford (11 points) to complete the poll.

UAlbany returns 15 all-conference performers from the 2010 squad, displaying depth in both the track and field events. Head coach Roberto Vives and last year's 2010 Coaching Staff of the Year bring back senior Tyler Fogarty (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), who won the 1,500-meter race. UAlbany also returns all four mem¬bers of its first-place 4x100 relay team as well as its entire first-place 4x800 relay team.

Binghamton, which finished second at the 2010 America East Championship, is again projected to take second place. The Bearcats are led by senior sprinter Cazal Arnett (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King), the 2010 Most Outstanding Track Performer, senior middle-distance runner Erik van Ingen (Mara¬thon, N.Y./Marathon/Canisius), an All-American miler in the 2011 indoor season, and sophomore Jeff Martinez (Johnson City, N.Y./Johnson City), the 2010 Most Outstanding Rookie. Arnett won both the 200- and 400-meter dashes at the 2010 conference meet while Martinez won the 10,000 meters and took second in the 5,000 meters. The Bearcats also return a field contingent led by junior Robb Quiller (West Point, N.Y./James I. O'Neill) and a pole vault team that swept the top three spots in the event at last year's conference meet.

Boston U. is poised to improve on last year's sixth-place team finish after finishing third in the recently completed 2011 America East Indoor Track and Field Championship. The Terriers return a pair of event champions from their 2010 squad in sophomore distance runner Robert Gibson (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) and senior thrower Dan Withrow (Dedham, Mass./Dedham). Gibson earned a gold medal in the 5,000-meter run as a freshman. With¬row took the top spot in the discus with a heave of 50.85 meters, more than five meters farther than the runner-up, and also took second in the shot put. The Terriers also benefit from the efforts of freshman middle-distance runner Rich Peters (Bristol, England/Brimsham Green School), who earned second-team All-America status at the 2011 NCAA Championship.

New Hampshire, which finished third at the 2010 meet, is predicted to finish fourth in 2011 by the coaches. The Wildcats are led by a trio of senior throwers that won events at the conference championship last spring. Brice Paey (Milton, N.H./St. Thomas) earned a gold medal in the shot put while Paul DeTurk (Durham, N.H./Oyster River) finished at the top of the shot put standings and Mike Simon (Durham, Conn./Durham) won the javelin throw.

UMBC was voted fifth in the 2011 preseason poll despite a fourth-place finish in 2010. The 2011 Retrievers are led by champion decathlete Keith Onto (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant Boro/St. Francis (PA)). Onto posted a total of 7,239 points in the decathlon, breaking a 21-year-old conference record for total points in the event. Onto also took home gold in the pentathlon at the 2011 indoor meet.

Maine, last year's fifth-place finisher, checked in at sixth place in the preseason poll. The Black Bears are led by junior Riley Masters (Bangor, Maine/Bangor), a second-team All-American miler after the recently completed indoor season. Maine also returns two all-conference selections from the 2010 squad in junior decathlete Brian Martel and sophomore hurdler James Reed (Garmisch,Germany). Both Martel and Reed earned third-place finishes at the 2010 conference meet.

Vermont took home seventh place in the team standings last year and is projected to do the same this year. The Catamounts will look for leadership from junior distance runner John Little (New Ipswich, N.H./Mascenic Regional). Little earned a fourth-place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the 2010 championship meet.

Stony Brook, which finished eighth last season, is anchored by senior distance runner Alex Felce (Stroud, England/Archway Comp.). Felce took home a bronze medal for his performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last spring.

Hartford will look to improve on last season's ninth-place result at the 2010 America East Championship. To do that, the Hawks will look to junior sprinter Anderson Emerole (Jamaica, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Math and Sciences). As a sophomore at the outdoor meet, Emerole took third place in the 400-meter dash.