Twice as Nice! Stevens Takes Home Both Men's and Women's E8 Outdoor Track & Field Championships

5/4/2019 9:46:10 PM

MEN'S RECAP
Stevens senior Alex Kainer won four conference championships to lead the men's track and field team to its first-ever Empire 8 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday afternoon at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex. The South Brunswick, New Jersey native placed first in both the 100 and 200-meter dashes, while capturing a pair of championships in the 4x100 and the 4x400-meter relays.

To see the complete list of team results, please see below.

"Our teams have had the goal of winning outdoor E8's since last spring when they came up just short," said head track and field and cross country coach Lance Harden. "They have been working towards this goal for the past 11 months: lifting in the weight room, completing solo workouts in the summer, organizing themselves in small groups for early morning practices and grinding during the academic year. They have never complained or made excuses regarding the logistical challenges that we have faced for practices and meets. They have collectively stepped up and asked how they can contribute to the team and many of them have sacrificed individual glory and personal aspirations for the team's best interests."

Collectively, the team won seven of the 21 events, including all three relay events. The team earned nine second-place finishes, captured third in eight events and scored in all 21 events. The Ducks totaled 231 points to claim the program's first Outdoor Championship. St. John Fisher finished second with 183 points, while Utica (162), Houghton (48) and Alfred (18) rounded out the top five. Fisher's Eddie Mahana and Houghton's Tyler Deuschle were named Athletes of the Meet.

Combined with the women's program also winning its first Empire 8 Outdoor Championship, the Ducks joined Ithaca College as the only programs in conference history to win all four championships outright in a single season. Rochester Institute of Technology also captured all four titles in the 2006-07 season, but shared the men's outdoor championship with the Bombers.

Junior Jake Catalano opened the meet Friday by winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He posted an AARTFC-qualifying time of 9:48.08 and bested the field by over 15 seconds. Freshman Tom McKenna took third with a personal-best time of 10:31.67 to score six points towards the team total.

The Ducks strong performance in the relay events began with a meet record in the 4x800. Sophomores Sean James and James Lawrence joined freshmen Robby Russo and Trevor LaDue topped the seven-team field with a time of 7:59.47. The previous meet record of 8:04.51 was set by Alfred at last year's championship. "All four legs did their job," Harden commented.

Final Men's Results
1. Stevens - 231
2. St. John Fisher - 183
3. Utica - 162
4. Houghton - 48
5. Alfred - 18
6. Nazareth - 8
7. Sage - 1
8. Hartwick - 0 

WOMEN'S RECAP
Junior Gina Dello Russo and senior Katie Weeks swept Athlete of the Meet honors to help lead Stevens to its first-ever Empire 8 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship Saturday at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.

After capturing five individual titles at the indoor championships, Dello Russo earned an additional five over the two-day outdoor competition, taking first in the 200 and 400-meter dashes, the pole vault and high jump and running the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay. Her winning time of 24.93 seconds in the 200 set a new meet record. Additionally, the Whippany, New Jersey native finished second in the 100 and third in long jump to total 56.5 points towards the team total. 

Weeks captured three individual championships, while setting a pair of meet records in the process. The Toms River, New Jersey native captured first in both the hammer throw, while also topping the field in the discus. Weeks also finished third in the javelin and totaled 36 points.

"As a coaching staff, we feel a sense of fulfillment to see their hard work and buy-in to our team vision pay off in the form of our program's first-ever outdoor team titles," Harden added. "To all of the alumni that have paved the way and raised the level of expectations for the team, we say thank you for pushing this current group to dream big and pursue their goals fully," said head track and field and cross country coach Lance Harden.

Stevens totaled 189 points to top the eight-team field to capture the program's first Outdoor Championship. The Ducks scored in 19 of the 21 events and won 11 events, while also collecting a pair of runner-up finishes and six third-place performances. St. John Fisher finished second with 144 points, while Utica (138), Nazareth (85) and Houghton (60) rounded out the top-five.

"Weeks set a conference meet record in the hammer to again go over 52 meters, her third straight meet over 51 meters," Harden offered. "Her quality and consistency in this event bodes well for the future. Weeks' meet record in the hammer throw shattered the previous distance of 51.91 meters, set in 2004. The Toms River, New Jersey native topped the field by almost 10 meters. She's currently ranked 13th in Division III.
 
Dello Russo set an outdoor personal in the pole vault in earning the conference crown with a height of 3.20 meters. She also set an outdoor best in the long jump, taking third with a distance of 5.41 meters. 

"Dello Russo had a busy day, setting new outdoor personal bests in the pole vault and long jump and coming close to her 100-meter dash best in winning her prelim," Harden continued. "She was able to win the pole vault with a string of first-attempt clearances and then took a few attempts at the conference meet record before heading over to her next event. Her third place in the long jump was better than her indoor finish."

Dello Russo won second individual title of the day, shattering the previous meet record in the 200 with a time of 24.93 seconds. Running into a headwind, Dello Russo knocked 15-hundredths-of-a-second off the previous record, set in 2014. She also reached 1.61 meters in the high jump to round out her competition.

Weeks began her championship run through Saturday's field events by topping the field in the discus. The senior thrower reached 45.75 meters on her second attempt to win the individual title by over six meters. Weeks continues to rank fourth in the country in the event.

Weeks picked her second title of the day in the shot put, touching 13.29 meters to top the previous meet record of 13.16, which was set in 2004. Each of Weeks' first two attempts would have been good enough for the conference title. 

Final Women's Results
1. Stevens - 189
2. St. John Fisher - 144
3. Utica - 138
4. Nazareth - 85
5. Houghton - 60
6. Alfred - 26
7. Hartwick - 5
8. Sage - 4

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ