The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the Track Athlete, Field Athlete, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards for the 2017 women’s outdoor track and field season.
Track Athlete of the Year: Taryn Cordani, Ithaca College
Ithaca’s Taryn Cordani has been awarded the 2017 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. The highly accomplished distance runner compiled an impressive junior campaign throughout the outdoor season, ultimately claiming a national championship in the 10,000 meter (34:41.11) and a third place All-America finish in the 5,000 meter (16:46.68).
During the season, Cordani set an Ithaca program record in the 10,000 meter with a time of 34:27.37 at the Penn Relays, which broke a 33-year old record, and notched the third-best 5,000 meter time of the season in Division III at 16:35.71. At the NYSCTC Championship she won the 5,000-meter run in a new facility record and was also a second place finisher in the 1,500-meter run.
As a result of her outstanding season, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Cordani the Atlantic Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Field Athlete of the Year: Brandy Smith, Ithaca College
For the fourth consecutive outdoor season, an Ithaca athlete has claimed the Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year. Senior Brandy Smith completed her exceptional career with her third consecutive national title in the discus throw with a mark of 48.91 meters. She also finished as an All-American in the shot put with a throw of 14.05 meters to finish in seventh place at the NCAAs.
At the conference championship, Smith took top honors in the discus with a mark of 48.26 meters to set a new Empire 8 meet record and was nearly nine meters farther than the runner-up. Smith also won the hammer with a heave of 46.87 meters (153' 9"), and took third in the shot put at 11.74 meters. At the NYSCTC Championship, Smith won the discus (42.95 m) and the hammer throw (48.78 m).
Rookie of the Year: Gina Dello Russo, Stevens Institute of Technology
Steven’s Gina Dello Russo has been awarded the 2017 SUNYAC Outdoor Track and Field Rookie of the Year. At this year's conference championships, the freshman sprinter edged out the competition in the 200-meter dash (25.52) and the 400-meter dash (56.99) and ultimately claimed the Track Athlete of the Meet honors.
She set the school record in the 200 (25.43) and 400 (56.39) at the Oneonta Final Qualifier, crossed the 57-second threshold in the 400 on three different occasions and was named All-Region in the 400 by USTFCCCA. She was one of two Stevens athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships and finished 14th overall in the 400 meter after entering the competition ranked 16th. She is the third Stevens athlete to be named Rookie of the Year.
Coaching Staff of the Year: Ithaca College
The Ithaca College staff, led by Head Coach Jennifer Potter, earned the Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. The national-ranked Bombers finished as the national runners-up at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio with 37 total team points. The second place finish is the best in outdoor school history, as the previous best team finish was sixth in 2011. The Bombers registered six All-Americans, including a National Champion in the 10,000 meters and the discus throw.
Ithaca claimed its tenth consecutive Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championship and 13th overall. Ten Bombers were named first-team all-conference, while eleven athletes earned second-team all-conference honors. The Bombers claimed their ninth straight NYSCTC crown and seven Ithaca athletes earned USTFCCCA All-Atlantic Region honors across ten events.
Sportsmanship Team
In addition, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2017 Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
Alfred: Megan Alper
Houghton: Rebekah White
Ithaca: Amber Edwards
Nazareth: Karly Keil
St. John Fisher: Kaitlyn Rizzo
Stevens: Kaela Earrusso
Utica: Mackenzie Hoven