Regan, Njoku, Garns and Ithaca Staff Recognized
Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards for the 2014-15 women’s indoor track and field season. The conference coaches vote on the awards.
Stevens Institute of Technology juniors
Amy Regan and
Gladys Njoku have been named the Indoor Track and Field Athletes of the Year, respectively, for the second straight year.
Regan claimed All-American status after finishing second in the 5,000-meter and fourth in the 3,000 at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships. Leading up the NCAA’s she was chosen Atlantic region women's track athlete of the year. She took home a first place finish in the one mile run (5:00.68) and anchored the Distance Medley Relay in 4:57 to set a new school record of 12:18 at the ECAC championships. At The Armory Collegiate Invitational, she bested a field of Division I athletes in the 5,000-meter, and her time of 16:40.84 marked the fifth best time ever ran in DIII history. She set an E8 record in both the mile (5:05.87) and 5,000m (17:48.07) at the conference championship meet in February.
Gladys finished the 2014-15 season undefeated against NCAA DIII competition. At the Indoor National Championships, she became the first person in Stevens indoor track and field history to win a national championship when she jumped 1.72-meters. Back in February at the Ramapo Indoor Select, the Cedar Grove, N.J. native set a school-record with a jump of 1.80-meters, which is .3 centimeters off of the all-time record. This height is also the fourth best height ever recorded in DIII history. At the E8 championship meet on February 14, she set a conference record with a jump of 1.70m. And on March 7, she took home first place honors at the ECAC Championship with a jump of 1.72 meters. As a result of her outstanding year she was named United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Field Athlete of the Year.
Houghton freshman
Nikki Garns was voted the Rookie of the Year. Garns earned a second place finish in the 800-meter run at the Empire 8 Championships with a time of 2:25.06. She was also part of the 4x400 relay that placed fourth in 4:25.02. Garns started the season on Jan. 17 with a 400 meter time of 1:02.38 to finish second at the Rochester Institute of Technology Invitational. Garns was part of the distance medley relay team that claimed a fourth place finish on Feb. 20 at the NCCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 12:30.88.
The
Ithaca College staff, led by Head Coach Jennifer Potter, earned the Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. Ithaca claimed its eighth consecutive Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championship as Ithaca qualified for ECAC's 14 times and broke 18 Kerr-Pegula Field House facility records. Five Bombers were named first-team all-conference, while seven athletes earned second-team all-conference honors. The Bomber’s claimed their 14th NYSCTC crown on Feb. 28. Over the course of the meet, Ithaca met ECAC standards 26 times across 15 events. On March 7, Ithaca finished second at the ECAC Championship. Ithaca sent four qualifiers to NCAA’s and came away with two All-America performances.