Men's Indoor Track and Field | 3/18/2022 9:58:24 AM
Three-time national champion Kyle Rollins of St. John Fisher College garnered his fifth straight individual honor, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021-22 Men’s Indoor Track & Field All-Conference awards on Friday, March 18. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Fresh off winning his third national championship on March 12, Rollins was also named the National Field Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He is now the first four-time Field Athlete of the Year in Empire 8 Indoor Track and Field history and was also the 2017-18 Rookie of thr Year.
Rollins claimed his third consecutive national title after winning the high jump with a mark of 2.12 meters. He also added to his department-leading All-America total after taking seventh in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor National Championship to earn his 10th overall All-America nod. Rollins, who was named the Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Meet at the Empire 8 Championship after placing first in the high jump, triple jump and long jump, made further history at the Atlantic Regional Championship on March 5 after clearing 2.20 meters (7'2.5"), which is the third highest jump ever recorded in Division III history.
Junior Kaleb Luton of Nazareth College garnered his first Empire 8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honor. Luton qualified for the NCAA Tournament in the 60-meter hurdles and recorded a personal best time of 8.13 seconds in the event at the Fastrack National Invite on Feb. 11. That time was the eighth best in the country prior to nationals. Luton is the third Golden Flyer to earn E8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year accolades.
Russell Sage’s John Coddington and Houghton’s Malcolm Smith shared 2021-22 Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Rookie of the Year honors.
Coddington set Russell Sage program records in both the shot put and weight throw. Coddington placed second in the shot put at the E8 Championship with a throw of 14.75 meters and was second in the weight throw, firing it 15.81 meters. He is the second straight Gator to earn E8 Indoor Rookie of the Year honors.
Smith was among the top sprinters in the conference. He won the E8 title in the 200-meters with a time of 22.65 seconds and was part of Houghton’s 4 x 400-meter relay team won the league championship in a time of 3:29.59. Smith had top times of 7.24 seconds in the 60-meters and 22.58 seconds in the 200-meters. Smith is the first Houghton student-athlete to garner an Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field invididual honor.
St. John Fisher head coach Mike Henchen and his staff were named the 2021-22 Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Cardinals won third consecutive Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Championship. Overall, the Cardinals had 16 different student-athletes earn All-Conference honors, while Rollins won his first indoor championship and third overall national title in the high jump and garnered his ninth and tenth All-American plaudits. It is the sixth time Henchen and his staff were honored by the E8.
The
Empire 8 first, second and third team all-conference selections were determined at the championship meet on Feb. 25-26 from the Todd and Jen Hutton Recreation Center, hosted by Utica University. Those selections were previously announced on March 8.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021-22 Men's Indoor Track & Field Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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 sportsmen.
2021-22 Empire 8 Men’s Indoor Track & Field Award Winners
Track Athlete of the Year: Kaleb Luton, Jr., Nazareth
Field Athlete of the Year: Kyle Rollins, Gr., St. John Fisher
Co-Rookie of the Year: John Coddington, Jr. Russell Sage
Co-Rookie of the Year: Malcolm Smith, Fr., Houghton
Coaching Staff of the Year: St. John Fisher, led by head coach Mike Henchen
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
George Mecca, Jr., Alfred
Caleb Mallery, Sr., Hartwick
Brennan Lewandowski, Jr., Houghton
Matthew Johnson, Sr., Nazareth
David Adadjo, Fr., Russell Sage
Trenton Wynn, Jr., St. John Fisher
James Boss, Jr., Utica
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.
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