Ithaca Chases Third Straight Empire 8 Men's Indoor Track and Field Title
January 28, 2010
ROCHESTER, NY – Ithaca College has captured the past two conference championships and looks to repeat as conference champions at the 2010 Empire 8 Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship on Sunday at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Junior Kylie Devins of the Bombers has captured the triple jump in each of his first two indoor championships, setting the Empire 8 record with a leap of 14.14 meters last year. He earned Athlete of the Week honors this season at the RIT Invitational when he provisionally qualified for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Freshman Jeffrey Willis of Ithaca was named Athlete of the Week on Monday for setting the school record in the pole vault and provisionally qualifying for the national meet. Junior Max Orenstein earned Athlete of the Week honors when he broke his own school record in the 300-meter run earlier this season and posted two second-place finishes in last year’s meet.
RIT will be competing without 2009 Empire 8 Track Athlete of the Meet and Track Athlete of the Year Mike Hardbarger, who will be returning for this year’s outdoor championship, but will miss the indoor meet due to a co-op opportunity. Junior sprinter Matt Marion earned Athlete of the Week honors this season when he set the school record in the 500-meter dash. Junior Zachary Loughery broke a 15-year-old school record in the 55-meter dash and classmate Brian Walker has broken the school weight throw record twice this season.
Junior hurdler Mohamed Abuouf of Stevens Institute of Technology was named Athlete of the Week earlier this year when he broke his own school record in the 55-meter hurdles. He also ran on a 1,600-meter relay team that set a school mark.
Junior Shawn Ross of Alfred University set the Empire 8 record in the winning the shot put in last year’s championship meet. He placed second in the event as a freshman. Sophomore Richard Scott has posted a first- and second-place finish in the 400-meter run this season.
Senior Robby Castor of Nazareth College finished second in the one-mile run in the 2008 conference championship and finished second in the 1,000-meter run earlier this season at the RIT Invitational.
Utica College will be competing in the championship for the first time as the program is in its inaugural season. Freshman Trenton Sparks became the first student-athlete at Utica to finish first overall in an event when he won the triple jump at the St. Lawrence Invitational.
For more information on the championship and a schedule of events, please go to the RIT web site at: http://www.ritathletics.com/news/2010/1/28/MTRACK_0128100948.aspx?path=mtrk