Lafaver, Cornelius, Phillips and Henchen Claim Top Honors
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards for the 2013-14 men’s indoor track and field season. The conference coaches vote on the awards.
Nazareth senior
Jake Lafaver has been voted the Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. He won the Empire 8 title in the 800-meter with a winning time of 1:58.92 at the start of February. A month later he placed third in the 800 meter at the New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) championship with a time of 1:55.53. He was also part of the school record setting Distance Medley Relay with a time of 10:32.80. He capped off his indoor season a week later with first place finish and season best time of 1:53.69 at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships.
St. John Fisher sophomore
Devin Cornelius was tabbed the Field Athlete of the Year after an 11th place finish in the heptathlon with 4,836 points at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Earlier in the season he was named the NYSCTC Men's Field Athlete of the Meet after breaking both the Association and the Championship meet records in the heptathlon with 4,818 points. Cornelius also captured first-place in the heptathlon at the ECAC Championships, becoming the first champion in Fisher history. He totaled a career and school record best 4951 points, which ranked him 10th in the nation.
Ithaca’s
Sean Phillips has been granted the award for Rookie of the Year. He finished second at the E8 Championships in the 5,000 meters on Feb. 1 with a time of 15:29.70. A month later he placed third at the NYSCTC Championship in the 3,000 meter (8:48.21) and ran the mile leg on the winning DMR. He completed the indoor season with an 8:44.85 in the 3,000 meter at the ECAC Championships.
Fisher’s
Mike Henchen has been named the Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Competing in just their third season as an NCAA Division III program, the Cardinals rewrote the school record book as they set new marks in 14 of the 20 indoor events. Fisher scored 105 points and placed as the runner-up at the Empire 8 Championship and had five individuals earn All-conference honors. Henchen guided the Cardinals to a ninth place finish at the NYSCTC Championships, and had four individuals and one relay qualify for the ECAC Championships and the first-ever national qualifier.