Ithaca Chases Seventh Empire 8 Women's Indoor Track and Field Title
Ithaca College, which has won six of seven conference championships, seeks its fourth consecutive title at the 2011 Empire 8 Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship on Sunday at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Senior Marcia McCord of the Bombers earned Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Meet and Track
Athlete of the Year awards for the second consecutive time last season. She has swept the
55-meter dash, triple jump, and 200-meter dash in each of her first three conference indoor championships. McCord, a two-time NYSCTC Track Athlete of the Week this season, broke
her own Empire 8 records in the 55 meters and triple jump in last year’s meet.
Junior Emma Dewart of Ithaca was named Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year last season after recording two All-American performances at the NCAA
Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. She finished second in Division III in the
pentathlon and third in the high jump. Dewart broke a 27-year-old school record in the
pentathlon at last year’s NYSCTC Championships.
Senior Nicole Varble of RIT earned Empire 8 Athlete of the Week honors earlier this month
when she broke the school record set in 2004 in the 1,000-meter run. Sophomore
Samantha Ramos placed second in the shot put in last year’s conference championship.
Junior Grace Python of Stevens Institute of Technology finished first in the 20-pound weight
throw at last year’s conference championship. Freshman Tiffany Evangelou broke the school
record in the 55-meter hurdles this past weekend at the Wesleyan Cardinal Invitational.
Senior Kristi Custer of Nazareth College finished second in the triple jump in last year’s
conference championship meet. Sophomore Mindy Niebuhr won the high jump at the recent
Hamilton Invitational.
Rookie Rebecca Graudons posted top-five finishes in the pole vault and high jump for Alfred University this past weekend’s at Edinboro State.
First-year jumper Jessica Ciraulo of Utica College won the 55-meter hurdles at the RIT Invitational
to qualify for the ECAC Championships.
For more information on the championship and a schedule of events, please go to the RIT
web site at: http://www.ritathletics.com/news/2011/1/26/MTRACK_0126111102.aspx