For Immediate Release
February 29, 2012
UMass Lowell and So. Connecticut Look to Make Presence Felt on National Stage
South Easton, Mass. – The NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee announced the participants for the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, and among them were more than 40 student-athletes representing Northeast-10 Member institutions.
Also, in this week's United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Poll, the Northeast-10 was the top-ranked Division II Conference in the country in men's indoor track and field.
In addition to being ranked first as a conference, three member institutions appeared in the top ten as Southern Connecticut State University (#3), University of Massachusetts Lowell (#6), and American International College (#8) all received national attention.
The indoor track and field championships will be held March 9-10 in Mankato, Minn, at Myers Field. Minnesota State University, Mankato will serve as the host institution for the championship. Student-athletes qualified by reaching the automatic and provisional standards established for each event throughout the indoor season.
Seven different Northeast-10 member institutions will have participants in the national championships. Student-athletes representing Adelphi University, American Int'l, Bentley University, UMass Lowell, The University of New Haven, So. Connecticut, and Stonehill will all be heading to Minnesota.
To see the complete list of qualifiers, please click here: Men | Women
To see the complete list of Northeast-10 student-athletes competing at the championships, see below.
Among the student-athletes competing at the 2012 Indoor Track and Field Championships, those looking to bring home a national title include So. Connecticut's Selasi Lumax, who will compete in three races on the national stage. Lumax is the top seed in the 800-meter run, as his qualifying time of 1:47.84 was nearly two-and-a-half seconds faster then the second-fastest qualifier. He's also a member of the school's top-seeded 4 x 400-meter relay team, and will also compete on the Owls' distance medley team, which is seeded fourth heading into the championships.
Stonehill's Corey Thomas will be looking to defend his national title in the high jump, and will also be competing in the 60-meter hurdles. New Haven's Matthew Jeune, who is the third-seed in the event, will join Thomas in the high jump. The two staged a memorable battle at the NE-10 Championships in the event earlier this month, and both will be looking to bring home a title on the national stage. To watch a recap of the NE-10 High Jump competition, click here
UMass Lowell's Evan White, who won the NE-10 title in the 200-meter dash, is the top-seed in the event at the NCAA Division II Championships. His time of 21.35 is the fastest-qualifying time of the season.
Perhaps the conference's best chance to claim a title will come in the men's 400-meter dash, as five of the top fifteen qualifiers are from NE-10 schools. Adelphi's Mychael Fabio, American Int'l's Dominic Smith, UMass Lowell's Ryad Bencheikh and Craig Bennett, and So. Connecticut's Logan Sharpe will all be competing in the prelims.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Men's Entries
Name Year School Event(s)
Mychael Fabio Senior Adelphi 200-meter / 400-meter
Jeremy Antivo Freshman American Int'l One-mile
Maurice Calenda Freshman American Int'l Long jump / Triple jump
Jonathan Horstman Freshman American Int'l 4 x 400 relay
Emmanuel Jean Junior American Int'l Distance medley
Curtis Johnson Sophomore American Int'l 4 x 400 relay / distance medley
James Mee Senior American Int'l Distance medley
Glarius Rop Junior American Int'l 5,000-meter / distance medley
Dominic Smith Senior American Int'l 400-meter / 4 x 400 relay
Dennis Stephenson Freshman American Int'l 4x400 relay
Ryad Bencheikh Freshman UMass Lowell 400-meter / distance medley
Craig Bennett Junior UMass Lowell 400-meter
Scott Boiko Sophomore UMass Lowell Distance medley
David Brown Sophomore UMass Lowell Distance medley
Angus MacDonald Senior UMass Lowell One-mile / 5,000-meter / distance med.
Casey O'Brien Sophomore UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Timothy Regan Sophomore UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Jeff Veiga Junior UMass Lowell 5,000-meter
Evan White Junior UMass Lowell 200-meter* / 4x400 relay
Jeffrey Wundt Senior UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Matthew Jeune Sophomore New Haven High jump
David Thomas Junior New Haven Long jump
Connor Coleman Sophomore So. Connecticut Heptathlon
Twayne Forth Sophomore So. Connecticut 4x400 relay*
Stenson Jean-Baptiste Senior So. Connecticut 4x400 relay*
Nick Lebron Sophomore So. Connecticut Heptathlon
Selasi Lumax Senior So. Connecticut 800-meter* / 4x400 relay* / distance me.
Josh Perry Junior So. Connecticut One-mile / distance medley
Brian Robbins Senior So. Connecticut 800-meter / distance medley
Logan Sharpe Junior So. Connecticut 400-meter / 4x400 relay* / distance me.
Justin Blaszczyk Sophomore Stonehill Distance medley
Patrick Cooney Freshman Stonehill Distance medley
Sean Hanlon Junior Stonehill Distance medley
Corey Thomas Junior Stonehill 60-meter hurdles / High jump
Daniel Zawalich Freshman Stonehill Distance medley
Women's Entries
Name Year School Event(s)
Bidemi Balogun Senior American Int'l Weight Throw
Amy Varsell Junior Bentley 800-meter
Shannon Cunningham Junior UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Amy Delgado Senior UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Nicole Giaquinto Junior UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Ashley Zielinski Senior UMass Lowell 4x400 relay
Michelle Grecni Freshman So. Connecticut Pole Vault
Titilayo Vanriel Sophomore So. Connecticut 800-meter
*= Top qualifying time/distance
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