Zickgraf, Cornelius, Rivera, VanMarter and Fisher Staff Claim Top Honors

Zickgraf, Cornelius, Rivera, VanMarter and Fisher Staff Claim Top Honors

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The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards for the 2014-15 men’s indoor track and field season. The conference coaches vote on the awards.
 
Stevens Institute of Technology sophomore Nicholas Zickgraf has been voted the Track Athlete of the Year. He recorded two first-place finishes during the Empire 8 Championships. During the one mile run, he set a facility record with a time of 4:21.79, besting the original mark by over two seconds and defeating the field by about five seconds. In the 800 meter, he knocked three seconds off the previous top mark, finishing in first place with a time of 1:55.85. He capped off his indoor season with a second place finish in the one mile run at the ECAC Championships with a school record time of 4:15.11.
 
St. John Fisher junior Devin Cornelius and Nazareth senior Luis Rivera have been tabbed the co-Field Athletes of the Year.
 
Cornelius wins the honor for the second straight year after a fifth place finish in the heptathlon with a school record 5,093 points at the 2015 NCAA Championships. With the fifth place finish he became Fisher's first All-American in track and field. He also broke both the Association and meet record in the heptathlon at the New York State Collegiate Track Championship with 4,897 points. At the Empire 8 Championships, Cornelius finished second in the pole vault with a new Fisher-record height of 4.20 meters.
 
Rivera’s record-breaking indoor track and field season culminated with an All-American performance in the 35-pound weight throw at the NCAA Championships. He became the Golden Flyers' first male field All-American as he finished in sixth place with a school-record heave of 19.29 meters (63 feet, 3 1/2 inches). It marked the sixth time this winter that Rivera has broken his own school record. Rivera placed third in the weight throw at ECAC’s with a mark of 19.18 meters (62 ft., 11 1/4 in.). He also took first in the 35-pound weight throw at the E8 Championships with a school-record, Houghton's Kerr-Pegula Field house facility-record, and meet-record mark of 18.44 meters (60 ft., 6 in.).
 
Fisher’s Mark VanMarter has been granted the award for Rookie of the Year. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in the long jump and placed 10th overall, with his best of three jumps measuring out at 6.76 meters. His NCAA qualifying mark of 7.15 meters came at the ECAC Championships to earn a second place finish and set a new school record. VanMarter was recognized as the E8 Indoor Championship Field Athlete of the Meet after a winning long jump of 7.02 meters to set a Houghton Kerr-Pegula facility record. He also finished second in the triple jump (13.18m) and fourth in the high jump (1.93m) at the E8 Championships.
 
The Fisher staff, led by Head Coach Mike Henchen, earned the Men’s Indoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Competing in just their fourth season as an NCAA Division III program, the Cardinal’s won the programs first E8 Indoor Championship. Fisher also enjoyed its best finish the NYSCTC, as the Cardinals placed sixth overall and they completed their best finish at ECAC’s. The Cardinal’s had two NCAA qualifiers in Cornelius and VanMarter and the program’s first-ever All-American.