FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Seven Different Institutions Represented in Major Awards.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast 10 Conference announced its Indoor Track & Field major individual award winners on Friday, with seven different institutions represented – including American International and Assumption with each a pair of student-athletes to earn recognition.
For a complete list of award winners, as voted upon by the league’s head coaches, please see below. All eight student-athletes selected for awards have never before earned Indoor All-Conference honors. Men’s Coach of the Year John Wallin (SCSU) and Women’s Coach of the Year Karen Boen (Stonehill) are multiple-time winners.
AIC’s Serge Gilbert has been tabbed NE10 Men’s Track Athlete of the Year after a sensational indoor campaign, where he ranked first in the NE10 and East Region in the 60m hurdles – while sitting third in all of the NCAA after an automatic qualifying time of 7.90. In the NCAA Championships, he finished six overall – good for First Team All-American status – while taking gold at the NE10 Championships in the 60m hurdles.
Saint Rose’s Christine Myers had a great season on her way to being named NE10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, as she won both the 3000m and 5000m runs at the NE10 Championships – finishing in times of 10:18.55 and 17:42.93, respectively. She broke a facility record in the 5000 at Utica University earlier in the season.
Southern Connecticut’s Oghenefejiro Onakpoma earned NE10 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year honors, after being named a First Team All-American with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships. He placed first in the NE10 by more than one meter over the competition, while taking second at All-Division New England’s. Onakpoma finished the season with an indoor personal-best of 15.43m.
Assumption’s Abby Jones, the NE10 Pentathlon winner in the league championships, is the conference’s Women’s Field Athlete of the Year. Jones was the only NE10 field athlete to achieve the NCAA provisional standard in more than one event (pentathlon and high jump) this season, while being named a Second Team All-American for her pentathlon performance at the NCAA Championships.
The NE10 Men’s Rookie Track Athlete of the Year was AIC’s Benoit Campion, after finishing with a second-place rank in the NE10 and East Region in both the mile and 3000m. Campion provisionally qualified for the NCAA meet in the mile, placing fifth – first among NE10 runners – and earning himself an award for First Team All-American.
Assumption’s second athlete to earn recognition is Victoria Steffon, who earned Women’s Rookie Track Athlete of the Year. She finished in third in the 60m and fourth in the 200m at the NE10 Championships, accumulating a total of 11 individual track points. She broke school records in both events and was a four-time NE10 Rookie of the Week throughout the indoor season.
Adelphi’s Kevin Nalisa earned NE10 Men’s Rookie Field Athlete of the Year, as he was the top-ranked freshman in the triple jump and third in the long jump throughout the NE10. He placed second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump at the NE10 Championships, earning 12 individual points for the Panthers.
Franklin Pierce’s Paola Brena was picked as NE10 Women’s Rookie Field Athlete of the Year, after earning the NE10 Championship in the high jump. Her season-best jump of 1.70m was a new program record and qualified her for the NCAA Championships – eventually going on to earn All-New England and All-East Region honors in the high jump.
Wallin and Boen were named NE10 Indoor Track & Field Coaches of the Year by their peers, as both led their respective programs to league titles back on Feb. 17 at Smith College. It is the third-straight year for Wallin receiving the honor and fourth-straight for Boen.
2018-19 NE10 Indoor Track & Field Awards
Men's Track Athlete of the Year - Serge Gilbert, American International
Women's Track Athlete of the Year - Christine Myers, Saint Rose
Men's Field Athlete of the Year - Oghenefejiro Onakpoma, Southern Connecticut
Women's Field Athlete of the Year - Abby Jones, Assumption
Men's Rookie Track Athlete of the Year - Benoit Campion, American International
Women's Rookie Track Athlete of the Year - Victoria Steffon, Assumption
Men's Rookie Field Athlete of the Year - Kevin Nalisa, Adelphi
Women's Rookie Field Athlete of the Year - Paola Brena, Franklin Pierce
Men's Coach of the Year - John Wallin, Southern Connecticut
Women's Coach of the Year - Karen Boen, Stonehill
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.