FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2016
National Champs Muscaro and Kipkosgei Headline Indoor Track & Field Postseason Award Winners
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference announced its Indoor Track & Field major individual award winners on Friday. This year's award winners all came from the track & field programs at American International, Merrimack, Southern Connecticut and Stonehill.
For a complete list of award winners, as voted upon by the league's head coaches, please see below.
Merrimack's Carly Muscaro was selected as the NE-10 Women's Track Athlete of the Year after a stellar indoor season for the Warriors. After winning the 200-meter dash and setting a new conference record in the 400-meter dash at the NE-10 Indoor Track & Field Championships, Muscaro was named the meet's Co-Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer. She then capped off the season by winning a national title in the 400-meter run at the NCAA Championships.
American International's Leakey Kipkosgei garnered a pair of honors from the conference in Men's Track Athlete of the Year and Men's Track Rookie of the Year. Kipkosgei, the league's top rookie during the cross country season as well, set a new NE-10 Championship record in the 3,000-meter run while also coming away victorious in the mile run, collecting Men's Most Outstanding Track Performer. At the NCAA Championships, Kipkosgei helped AIC win a national title in the distance medley relay and also finished third in the 3,000-meter run.
The NE-10 Men's and Women's Field Athletes of the Year both came from Southern Connecticut in Michael Lee and Destiney Coward. Lee set a new record in the men's triple jump at the NE-10 Championships before setting the school record in the event with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors. Coward was named the Women's Most Outstanding Field Performer at the conference championships after picking up a pair of first-place finishes in the weight throw and shot put.
Merrimack's Michaela Pernell was honored as the league's Women's Track Rookie of the Year, while Southern Connecticut's Jack Brown and Stonehill's Courtney Daggett collected Men's and Women's Field Rookie of the Year plaudits, respectively. Pernell posted a pair of top-5 performances in the women's 60- and 200-meter dash events at the NE-10 Championships. Brown came in first at the conference championships in the men's pole vault to help the Owls to a second place overall finish. Daggett finished second in the women's pole vault, helping the Skyhawks win the NE-10 title.
For the second year in a row, American International's Leo Mayo and Stonehill's Karen Boen were recognized as the NE-10 Indoor Track & Field Coaches of the Year. Just as they both did during the cross country season, Mayo earned the honor on the men's side and Boen collected the accolade on the women's side. Mayo's Yellow Jackets won the NE-10 men's title for the second straight year, while AIC won the men's DMR National Championship. Boen's Skyhawks won their third consecutive NE-10 women's title, while Stonehill sent five women's student-athletes to the NCAA Championships.
2016 Northeast-10 Indoor Track & Field Awards
Men's Track Athlete of the Year - Leakey Kipkosgei, American International
Women's Track Athlete of the Year - Carly Muscaro, Merrimack
Men's Field Athlete of the Year - Michael Lee, Southern Connecticut *
Women's Field Athlete of the Year - Destiney Coward, Southern Connecticut
Men's Track Rookie of the Year - Leakey Kipkosgei, American International
Women's Track Rookie of the Year - Michaela Pernell, Merrimack
Men's Field Rookie of the Year - Jack Brown, Southern Connecticut
Women's Field Rookie of the Year - Courtney Daggett, Stonehill
Men's Coach of the Year - Leo Mayo, American International *
Women's Coach of the Year - Karen Boen, Stonehill *
* - Won award in 2015
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is 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 24 sports, making the NE-10 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 Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.