West Long Branch, NJ – For the fourth consecutive year, Monmouth has been crowned the men’s Northeast Conference Outdoor Track and Field Champions. Under the reigns of Coach of the Year Joe Compagni (pictured right), the Hawks tallied 168.5 points. Saint Francis (PA) was runner up with 135 points and Sacred Heart came in third with a total of 112.5 points. Fairleigh Dickinson finished the two-day meet with 96 points, good for fourth place while Robert Morris completed the championship with a total of 81.5. Quinnipiac had its best showing in program history, a sixth-place finish with 68 points while Long Island (50) and Mount St. Mary’s (49.5) finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively. St. Francis (NY), Wagner and Central Connecticut round out the field in ninth, 10th and 11th place.
Sacred Heart’s Arman Dixon (Beacon, NY/Beacon) earned Most Valuable Performer honors as the junior kept his win streak in tact, taking the gold in the 100m (10.75) and the 200m (21.55) while also placing fifth in the long jump (6.88m).
The men’s co-outstanding field performer award went to senior Corey Brown (Smithsburg, MD/Smithsburg) from Mount St. Mary’s and Evan Lasher (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) from Sacred Heart. Brown placed fourth in the high jump (1.98m) and claimed the individual titles in both the long jumo (7.32m) and the triple jump (14.58m). Lasher, meanwhile, placed fourth in the javelin and placed second with an NCAA qualifying mark of 16.98 in the shot put. In the discus, the senior set a new meet record with a toss of 53.53m.
For the third time during the 2006-07 season, Fairleigh Dickinson Samuel Chelanga (Nairobi, Kenya/Bartolimi) was named Rookie of the Meet and Most Outstanding Track Performer. Previously, Chelanga earned the honors in cross country and indoor track and field. This weekend, Chelanga crushed the longest standing NEC record, by finishing the 10,000m in 29.31.29. The rookie also placed first in the 5000m with a time of 14:36.96.
Chelanga shares the Most Outstanding Track Performer honors with Dixon.
In the first contested event on the day, two of top field athletes in the conference went head-to-head in the men’s shot put as Monmouth senior Nick Williams (Adamstown, MD/Urbana) upended Sacred Heart senior Evan Lasher (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) by .05m to place first with a NCAA regional qualifying mark of 17.03m. Lasher also qualified for NCAA’s with his heave of 16.98m. Saint Francis (PA) sophomore Ben Madeira (Summerhill, PA/Forest Hills) claimed the bronze with an IC4A qualifying mark of 15.96m. Monmouth senior Kyle Hirschklau (Morristown, NJ/Morristown), who placed fourth, qualified for the IC4A meet with 15.62m.
To earn the gold medal in the pole vault, the two finalists competed in a jump off as Robert Morris senior Joshua Ghaley (Oakdale, PA/West Allegheny) defeated teammate Anthony Trunzo (Trafford, PA/Penn-Trafford) at 4.60m. Sacred Heart junior Ian Straughter (Hackensack, NJ/Hackensack) came in third by clearing 4.20m.
Robert Morris freshman Nasim Siddeeq (New Hampton, NY/Goshen Central) earned the silver medal in the triple jump with a bound of 14.26m and Saint Francis (PA) sophomore Mikko Aronpaa (Toivala, Finland/Kuopion Klassillinen Lukio) was a mere .01 behind at 14.25m.
Monmouth senior Martin Suarez III (Burlington, NJ/Holy Cross) won the 3000m steeplechase in 9:25.24 and Robert Morris junior Philip Thompson (New Castle, PA/Shenango) repeated his second-place finish from last year, finishing the race in 9:32.14. The bronze was claimed by Quinnipiac grad student Anthony Mio (Staten Island, NY/Susan Wagner) who stopped the clock at 9:46.06. The race for fourth through seventh place tightened in the home straightaway as a pair of Monmouth juniors finished one-tenth apart with Matthew Caporaso (Matawan, NJ/Old Bridge) finished in 9:52.07 to claim fourth place and Randall Hadzor (Lafayette, NY/Lafayette) was fifth at 9:52.17.
The Long Island 4x100 relay team consisting of Marlon Martin (St. Vincent Boys Grammar), Andre Marcano (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/Queen’s Royal College), Shavar Clarke (Kingston, Jamaica/Calabar) and Norman Simms (Upper Marlboro, MD/Largo) edged out a breakneck Sacred Heart team to claim the gold in 41.18. The Pioneers finished in 41.28.
Monmouth finished one-three in the hammer throw as junior Ed Skowronski (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) placed first in 63.01m while senior Ryan Connell (Nutley, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) had a toss of 54.73m. Robert Morris junior Kevin Argauer (Honeoye Falls, PA/Honeoye Falls) took the silver with a heave of 55.95m.
With a final 400 split of under 57 seconds, Saint Francis (PA) John Balouris (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler) won the 1500m, finishing the race in 3:58.95. Quinnipiac junior Jacob Gurzler (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) and senior Gregory Brink (Babylon, NY/Babylon) finishsed two-three for the Bobcats in 4:01.26 and 4:01.63, respectively.
In the 400m, Saint Francis (PA) sophomore Jorden Davis (Mississauga, ONT/Loyola Catholic) claimed the gold in 47.33 while Fairleigh Dickinson juniors Cortez Adams (Capital Heights, MD/Suitland) and Xavier McFarlene (Metuchen, NJ/Metuchen) finished in 47.63 and 48.11, respectively.
Long Island sophomore Andre Marcano (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago/Queen’s Royal College) came within .05 of ending Dixon’s win streak in the 100m, but with a time of 10.80 claimed the silver. Monmouth senior Fabrice St. Elme (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) came in third with a time of 10.96m
Junior Nicholas Reid (Morristown, NJ/Essex CC) gave Fairleigh Dickinson another gold medal in the 800, finishing the two-lap race in 1:51.33. Monmouth senior David Gaines (Freehold, NJ/Colts Neck) finished second in 1:51.48 while teammate William Doherty (Madison, NJ/Madison) claimed the bronze in 1:54.93.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Fairleigh Dickinson place two Knights on the podium as juniors Derrick Morton (Suitland, MD/Suitland) and Eric Sheppard (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland) placed first and third, respectively. Saint Francis (PA) freshman Kenyan Hicks (Painted Post, NY/Corning Painted) came in second with a time of 53.73.
Saint Francis sophomore Jorden Davis (Mississauga, ONT/Loyola Catholic) was less than a blink of an eye away from capturing the gold, falling to Dixon by .02. Sacred Heart junior Scott Giordano (Hamden, CT/Notre Dame HS) came in third, his first medal on the weekend, stopping the clock at 22.23.
Monmouth senior Craig Segal (Holmdel, NJ/Holmdel) earned the silver medal in his final hurrah, the 5000m, with a time of 15:11.96 and Quinnipiac senior Mark Driscoll (Milford, MA/Milford) finished third, crossing the line at 15:17.40.
Sacred Heart senior Alonzo Meek (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley) won the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.13 and Fairleigh Dickinson junior Derrick Morton (Suitland, MD/Suitland) claimed the silver in 15.17 and Mount St. Mary’s sophomore Quenton Beard (Frederick, MD/Frederick) finished in third at 15.27.
The Saint Francis (PA) 4x400m relay consisting of juniors Ian Butcher (Georgetown, ONT/Christ the King) and James Bush (Baltimore, MD/St. Francis Prep), freshman Kenyan Hicks (Painted Post, NY/Corning Painted) and sophomore Jorden Davis (Mississauga, ONT/Loyola Catholic) captured the gold with a time of 3:12.88. Fairleigh Dickinson came in second while St. Francis (NY) finished third.
Men’s Event Winners (Day two)
Shot put: Nick Williams (MU) 17.03m
Pole vault: Joshua Ghaly (RMU) 4.60m
Triple jump: Corey Brown (MSM) 14.58m
3000m Steeplechase: Martin Suarez, III (MU) 9:25.24
4x100m relay: Long Island 41.18
Hammer throw: Ed Skowronski (MU) 63.01m
1500m: John Balouris (QU) 3:58.95
110m hurdles: Alonzo Meek (SHU) 15.13
400m: Jorden Davis (SFPA) 47.33
100m: Arman Dixon (LIU) 10.80
800m: Nicholas Reid (FDU) 1:51.33
400m hurdles: Derrick Morton (FDU) 53.62
200m: Arman Dixon (SHU) 22.06
5000m: Samuel Chelanga (FDU) 14:36.96
4x400m relay: Saint Francis (PA) 3:12.88