Baltimore, MD -- St. Francis (PA) University won its first Northeast Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Sunday afternoon at UMBC Stadium in Baltimore, MD. 

The Red Flash (131.5 points) beat  runner-up Long Island (131) by just a half of a point in the closest finish in NEC track history.  Monmouth (122), UMBC (86), Robert Morris (85.5), Central Connecticut State (71), Fairleigh Dickinson (51), Sacred Heart (50), Wagner (38.33), Mount St. Mary’s (34.67), Quinnipiac (16), and St. Francis (NY) rounded out the field.

Monmouth junior Danielle Lyons struck gold in the 100 and the 200 meters and was named the 2003 Most Valuable Performer.  Lyons set a new NEC record and qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet with a time of 11.97 in the 100 Meters.  She also qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet with a first-place time of 24.55 in the 200 meters.  Lyons was also a member of the Hawks’ gold medal winning 4 x400 meter relay (3:47.08), which qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet.

St. Francis (PA) freshman Cycerli Ash was named the Most Outstanding Field Performer after winning the shot put on Saturday and the discus on Sunday.  Ash’s throw of 148' in the discus qualified her for the IC4A/ECAC Meet.

UMBC senior Ohita Asein was named the Most Outstanding Track Performer after winning a pair of events for the Retrievers, striking gold in the 800 and the 1,500 meters.  Asein qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet in the 800 meters with an NEC record time of 2:11.34.  Her time of 4:45.66 in the 1,500 Meters also qualified her for the IC4A/ECAC Meet.

Sacred Heart junior Katie Wrinkle (3,000 meter steeplechase, 11:03.47), St. Francis junior Alicia Westover (javelin, 140'11"), St. Francis (PA) junior Erin Walczak (pole vault, 12'), and Central Connecticut State sophomore Nicole Dumpson (400 meter hurdles, 59.95) all won gold medals and established new NEC records in their events.  Westover, Walczak, and Dumpson also qualified for NCAA Regionals and the IC4A/ECAC Meet.

St. Francis (PA) junior Nicole Armfield won the gold medal in the triple jump with an effort of 38'9".  Long Island senior Camilla Harris (100 meter hurdles, 14.10, NCAA Regionals, IC4A/ECAC Meet) and junior Destinee McCray (400 meters, 55.76, IC4A/ECAC Meet) won gold, as did Fairleigh Dickinson junior Everlyne Cheptoo (5,000 meters, 7:52.42).

St. Francis (PA) head coach Scott Catone was named the NEC Women’s Coach of the Year.

Day One Notes
St. Francis (PA) junior Lindsey Stefan won the high jump and qualified for the NCAA Regionals with an effort of 5’7”. Red Flash freshman Cycerli Ash won the shot put with a throw of 44’2”. Fairleigh Dickinson junior Everlyne Cheptoo, the 2002 NEC Outdoor Track Most Valuable Performer, qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet with a gold medal time of 37:01.78 in the 10,000 Meters.  Long Island's Camilla Harris outdistanced the field in the long jump with a leap of 18' 11 3/4".  Robert Morris' Nicole Downing won the hammer with a 163' 9" toss.

UMBC (Ohita Asein, Yasmin Fields, Cara Wettlaufer and Sherita Baker) took first place and set a new conference record with a time of 9:11:78 in the 4 x800 meter relay. The Retrievers’ also qualified for the IC4A/ECAC Meet.